New Clover plot

Planted a Clover plot this spring with oats as a nurse crop. Both are coming in nicely, with the oats starting to get seed heads and are around 3-4 ft tall. I’m assuming that I should not mow the plot this year and just let it grow out this year. Then start mowing the clover next year. Correct?

Thanks

Yes, I always just let my clover plots grow the first season. I don’t want to stress anything by mowing and most of the time, the clover will not achieve full height and thickness the first season, so no real reason to mow.

Don’t worry about the oats heading out. First, if you have resident turkeys, they are dining in your plot right now and don’t worry, they will get every last oat seed before it hits the ground. If oats do hit the ground, they will almost all winter kill. So no real need to do anything about the oats.

Grouse

Thanks!

I planted my new clover plot this spring with rape as the nurse crop. The deer are there all the time devouring the rape and the clover is just now starting to take off. It is about 4” tall on average. But boy the deer love the rape. I plan on putting in a brassica hunt plot seeding this August and frost seeding with rape next spring the brassica plot. How well does rape respond to frost seeding?

castle-rock-clown wrote:

But boy the deer love the rape. I plan on putting in a brassica hunt plot seeding this August and frost seeding with rape next spring the brassica plot. How well does rape respond to frost seeding?

Rape is vastly under-rated as a food plot crop and it’s in our Brassicas Bender blend because it’s a very good attractor and it will grow in virtually any soil and conditions. Rape is the first thing to disappear from my plots of Brassicas Bender, the deer troll the plots and seek out the rape plants.

Rape is not a common field crop in MN and WI, so like any other brassicas, deer may not know what it is and may ignore it for lack of experience with it. I have had customer reports that rape stood for a long time untouched and then suddenly the deer “figured it out”.

There’s no reason why you couldn’t frost seed rape and have it grow. As with any frost seeding endeavor, the % of seeds that germinate will vary widely with weather conditions. Rape needs soil temps in the 50s to germinate, but after germination, it hates sodden or waterlogged soil, so on slopes and lighter ground it will be fine, but young plants will die if early spring rains keep the soil too heavy and stays wet. Rape can be damaged if extreme cold hits after germination. Cold tolerance varies by plant growth stage.

Grouse

Thanks for the excellent info. I may negate the frost seeding and seed a little later in the spring to give it more optimal growing conditions, thanks again. I’m learning a lot as I go along. I don’t know what’s more fun, feeding the deer or hunting them???

castle-rock-clown wrote:

Thanks for the excellent info. I may negate the frost seeding and seed a little later in the spring to give it more optimal growing conditions, thanks again. I’m learning a lot as I go along. I don’t know what’s more fun, feeding the deer or hunting them???

Yes, the real benefit to frost seeding is being able to seed into an established crop with better seed to soil contact due to the frost. If you’re seeding into what was an all-annual brassicas plot, there’s nothing left in the spring so IMO what’s the hurry? As you say, just bide your time and seed with better germination success a few weeks later.

I agree, growing stuff to feed the deer has become a hobby in itself. I have always like to grow things and loved to work on farms as a kid. My grandpa was a grain elevator manager and I loved being up a the elevator and around agriculture in general. Love growing crops, even if they are all for the wildlife.

Grouse

So in another area I want to plant brassica. It’s just a small wild meadow right now. If I just cut it down with my brush cutter, spray it with gly, wait 14 days, spray again and broadcast my brassica seed will that be sufficient? Or do I need to work that area in with the disc. I’ve read that brassica seed doesn’t need to be very deep.

fishingchallenged wrote:

Or do I need to work that area in with the disc. I’ve read that brassica seed doesn’t need to be very deep.

No food plot seeds need to be planted very deep, but the issue is seed to soil contact. If at all possible, discing or even dragging with a spike harrow is a far better plan. Then seed and roll the plot with ATV tires or a roller/cultipacker if you have it.

If that isn’t possible, using the mow-an-throw technique is an option. Kill the plot as you plan, then mow it with a string trimmer or mower if possible. Grind up the thatch as much as you can. Then spread seed and rake. Finally roll with atv tires or roller.

Grouse