Bowsite.com

How late is too late for a fall plot?

How late is too late for a fall food plot? Specifically the southwest MO area? Purchasing a tractor next weekend and will have access to a brush hog, plow, and 3-point seeder. I understand this is definitely later than optimal, but if you were in my shoes would you try mowing some grass, pulling a plow through, and scattering some seed? The area I’d be planting is currently just a grass/weed patch. As stated, I obviously have no experience with fall plots and know it won’t turn out great, I was just wondering if it would be worth the price of seed. Next spring I’ll really get with it, just trying to do what I can now.

All depends on the weather. It could turn out just fine if you get it planted sooner than later

It’s not too late for brassicas and oats/rye/wheat. But in 10 days it will be - imo. Good luck!

If it’s grass, I would nuke it with gly, wait a week, disc it and plant wheat or rye. Optimally, you should have a soil test to see exactly what amendments you need, but wheat or rye will grow in your pickup bed so you can take the soil test now and make the amendments as you go. Weeds aren’t too much of a problem in fall plots, but grass will suck up your fertilizer that needs to go to your crop. Good luck !

Drycreek, soil tests and fertilizing will definitely be on the agenda for next spring, I just feel a little too rushed to try to do all that by this fall. Not to mention I’m still rocking the college kid budget for a few more years. Tractor is cutting into my spraying and disc budget!

Encouraging responses so far, I’m gonna plan on trying some turnips assuming this deal doesn’t fall through. Worst case scenario I get some tractor time in and the grass gets mowed! Pretty low risk :)

Yes, I'd give it a try. I'm in south central KS, might only be 3-4hrs west of ya. It's still early for me to plant plots. I'd skip the turnips in favor of radishes. Deer favor radish tops over turnip tops, and it's late to produce much of a turnip bulb. Wheat will grow any time the temps get above 45ish all winter long and in my experience is preferred over rye.

Good luck and keep us posted.

If I was in your shoes, I'd plant winter rye and or winter wheat. Here is PA, rye is the ticket but wheat maybe better where you are.

I just planted my small hunting plots this evening after work with rye. And then after I get back from elk hunting, I'll spread on another layer of seed .

I just broadcast wheat on a power line roadway pushed through just last week. Down to bare powdery dirt by a dozer. Got a 2" rain and yesterday it was coming up nicely. Now if I can get a bit more rain in the next 2 weeks, I should be okay. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

pardon the interruption but if the proposed plot area has tall weeds and Johnson grass is it better to cut it down to a foot or two before spraying or just spray it and brush hog it down short after it dies, then disc it? Thanks

Plant oats or rye cereal/grain you will be good to go. I planted a 1/4 acre plot or rye cereal/grain early August and that was almost too early and planted oats on another property 2 weeks later that looks great

Lost - I prefer to spray then brushhog. Johnson Grass is one of the first grasses to die down in the fall. Many times I just waited for it to die on its own then plant wheat and rye.

If you spray first, there is more leaf to take up the gly, that’s why I spray, then mow.

^ I’d give it a minimum of 24 hours between spraying and mowing though, Arra. Probably common sense to do so, but you’d be surprised.

Really? Gardening in a hunting forum?

CaptMike, I actually went to the “Food Plot Forum” to post this thread. I guess threads made under the food plot forum automatically transfer to the Whitetail big game forum?

I'd go with what Pat suggested then you can tell us how it turned out... get planting! ;0) scentman

Atleast part of the deal didn’t fall through! I was able to surprise my great-uncle with his first ever tractor, a Ford 641. He squarebaled hay all over what is now Springfield MO with a 641 back in the late 60s and up into the 80s before someone stole it out of a field he left it in overnight. The bad news is the brush hog deal fell through, so I’m not certain that I’ll be able to get a plot put in this fall or not. Keeping my eyes open on marketplace for a brushhog. I’m assuming it would be a lost cause to attempt to just plow and plant a Johnson grass patch without mowing it short first? My only “planting” experience has been just no-tilling rye and other forage in sprayed/heavily grazed fields, so I’m new to the plowing/harrowing/planting world of food plots. As much as I wanted to do it all with “my own tractor”, I might have to road our big tractor and brush hog over to my hunting area and cheat a little bit if I want to get a plot in this fall.

Winter rye, a cereal grain, will get the job done.

My local seed company has their own mix that includes: “Purple Top Turnips, Alfalfa, Ladino Clover, Peas, Chicory, Crimson Clover, Rye, Rape, Radish, & Oats”

We let a few locals hunt our place as well, and when I told them about the food plot tractor project they got all excited and bought some of this stuff on a whim. Since it’s free seed, I’ll probably try it this fall (assuming I can get my paws on a brush hog in time)

I’m going to be late in Tennessee but had the master brake cylinder go down and plus we are popcorn fart dry it’s getting really serious.Have buddies already feeding hay the pastures are done.Shouldn’t have to be doing that until January. I’m betting the cattle prices will start going down if you can’t feed them you have to sell them.Lewis

Broadcast winter wheat with radishes one week ago, while praying for some of the forecasted rain, which we finally got two inches of this past couple of days. Should do great!

SC is definitely a much later state to plant plots. I did mine this past Saturday. Just in time as Hurricane Helene is about to dump 6-8" of rain starting tomorrow here. I planted Abruzzi Rye, Coker 227 oats and rape. If we plant late august or early september, we have army worms that will destroy the plots. Usually green up soon after a rain.

Register here to reply to this topic