PERFECT Timing!

[Milo]

Talked to the dude at Merit and he suggested not planting clover. Says it will get lost in the mix with such an aggressive fall blend.

Your thoughts JB/Milo?

I dont like to mix seed necessarily. I want to be able to control wees and broadleaf issues when and where possible. My motto is think about what and when you want them to eat or plan to use it. Im expecting a heavy acorn crop this year..

 

[jagermeister]

Talked to the dude at Merit and he suggested not planting clover. Says it will get lost in the mix with such an aggressive fall blend.

Your thoughts JB/Milo?

Well, if you wanted deer to eat the clover this fall then yes, he's probably right. Truthfully I never plant the clover with the intention of it attracting deer. I want the clover to carry over into the spring and summer, so I plant in fall with the cereal grains... The cereal grains grow up above the clover and protect the clover from heavy browsing.

It boils down to exactly what Milo said above... Think about what your desired outcome is and plant accordingly. You can't go wrong, really... whether you mix in the clover or not.

Also, Milo is right about weed control... mixing seed usually makes this very difficult. But honestly if you prep the plot well and plant in late summer/early fall, you shouldn't have to worry about weed control anyway. I don't utilize clover to its full potential as a perennial... i.e. I plant it with annuals and till it back under every summer. So I really don't have any concerns with weeds in my plots.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I want to provide sweet greens for them and looked at the clover the way you do JB. We have corn, beans and plenty of oaks if they produce. My best luck getting deer to eat my plots has been oats and rye.

 

[Milo]

I want to provide sweet greens for them and looked at the clover the way you do JB. We have corn, beans and plenty of oaks if they produce. My best luck getting deer to eat my plots has been oats and rye.

I suggest oats then. I like oats where your at as there arent many down there and they get hammered by the deer late. I would wait till september if you want to do a clover plot.

 

[bowhunter1023]

What about an oat/pea mix?

 

[jagermeister]

I suggest oats then. I like oats where your at as there arent many down there and they get hammered by the deer late. I would wait till september if you want to do a clover plot.

Can't go wrong with oats, that's for sure. I've had very good results mixing oats and winter rye together. It seems as though the rye stays greener a bit longer than the oats. Rye is also a natural weed inhibitor... bonus.

Here's some good info about cereal rye...
http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/winterrye.html

BTW, I plant my oats and rye during the first week of September. They're about the perfect height by hunting season if planted then.

 

[bowhunter1023]

You ever plant kale?

 

[jagermeister]

You ever plant kale?

I planted an expired Evolved Harvest mix one time that had some kale in it. Once the plot sprouted, I honestly couldn't pick out a kale from the other brassicas. I don't know much about kale... I'm assuming it doesn't produce a large tuber like radishes or turnips? If that's the case, I'd say PTT's and groundhog radishes would offer more benefit to the deer... Leaf tonnage AND tubers as food sources.

 

[Archertl]

thats a nice plot man