Suggest Fall Kill Plot
Wisconsin
First time plotter in Menomonie area. Have sprayed a couple times already and have atv and spring harrow. Got the pH tested and lime and fertilizer bought. Now I'm just so confused on what to plant.............? So many options.............................? What do you guys suggest? I have 4 plots about 1/8 acre each to plant. Thanks for any and all opinions. Dave
Winter rye/PTT/Rape mix seed batch. 70# wr/3lb. PTT/10 lb. rape/acre. Plant 8/1 ish. The wr gets hit first then rape after first frost then the ptt from 12/1 thru winter. Or simply plant white clover and leave it for 5 years.
On the bags in our local farm store I see annual gulf rye or tetraploid? Anyone better than the other.
It has to be winter rye. Rye grass is no good.Your local feedmill or Jmar store has it or can order it. Mix the seed together and broadcast, lite till over.
Dwarf Essex Rape and Purple top turnips will do you well,Go to local farm supply,co=op and have them give you a mixture. Broadcast and you will be good to go,You don't need that lime or fertilizer.
Follow Novemberforever's advice.
Rape 6lb/acre, turnips 3lb/ acre in 2 plots
Buck Forage Oats at 100lb/acre and 25lb/acre Austrian winter peas in the other 2 plots.
all the above advice is pretty good. Don't forget to take food plot farming advice w/ a grain of salt and a sense of humor. You will learn thru trial and error what grows well and what doesn't in each area and what the deer like to eat and when. Gave me a whole new appreciation for what real farmers do.
Good advice. Do a bunch of trials.
For example, the deer on my farm will not touch rye when there are oats available.
Took 2 years before they ate brassica but now they hit it hard. Sometimes early, sometime late but they always eat an acre a year.
Clover, soybeans, corn always work for me. No brainers. GHR - one year great, the next poor usage.
Trying alfalfa this year and it is a huge draw. I also am trying sugar beets and this far they have not touched them.
Thanks for all the super advice. I definitely don't want to put all my eggs in one basket. So I will definitely do a variety. Tons of ag land around looking for something to attract during late october and november when crops are coming off. I've seen the power of rye as my father in law used to plant it in august and always deer in there till snowfall. Would definitely like to try the turnip thing as a late season attractant. And I've heard good things about buck forage oats. So those three will definitely be in the mix. Thanks again, Dave
I've been doing trials for several years. My experiences as follows (take it for what it's worth): 1) Brassicas were hit too late for bow hunting in my area (southern WI). However, the next spring the seed bed was beautiful for spring planting. 2) Buck Forage Oats are not worth it. Two reasons: winter rye is just as desirable (side-by-side comparison) and oats dies off when really cold weather hits. Rye stays green right through the winter and into spring, when surviving deer need nutrition the most. BFO plot will be worthless after about 12/15. Just make sure you kill the rye and disk under for a spring planting. 3) Austrian Winter Peas got destroyed before they could even think of getting established. If you have a larger (+2 acres) plot, you might be OK. 4) Rye is very forgiving. The stuff germinates easily and grows well in questionable soils.
This fall I am going to do a side-by-side comparison with winter wheat and winter rye. Will be mixing in some clover and perhaps PTT and rape. (I like mixes suggested above.) If clover is planted, grass herbicide (Select) will be used to kill rye/wheat in the spring so clover can take over.
Be aware that rye does have a degree of toxicity when you plant something else in the spring. Some suggest giving time for this to wear off before you plant something else. (A few weeks should be sufficient.) However, we've never experienced problems with our plots.
what's the best time to plant Buck Forage Oats for central Wisconsin?
