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Prepare
for Fall Planting
by Todd Amenrud
"Fall
planting" is a term that can be confusing to some. In the south
most understand it because you actually plant in the "fall."
If however, you wait until fall to plant in the north, in states like
Wisconsin or New York, your crops would barely make it out of the ground
before the cold would have them done in.
When
someone mentions "fall planting," it really refers to late
summer or fall depending on your location north to south. It could range
from August in my home state of Minnesota to late October in Southern
Mississippi or Alabama. Regardless of exactly when you accomplish the
task, it’s time now to prepare.
Plan
out the location and design of your plots. If you don’t have a
topographical map or an aerial photo, at least sketch out your property
on a piece of paper. When designing your layout consider the prevailing
winds at the time you will hunt the area.
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Although some plant
perennials in the fall, the real stars of "fall planting" are
the attractive annuals like wheat, oats, winter peas, triticale, annual
clovers and brassicas. One can make it easy by planting a blend of these
plants. Here a buck munches on some BioLogic Green Patch Plus.
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Make sure to prepare
a good seed bed for your food plot. If you do not have the ability to
get machinery back in off of the beaten trail to where your plots are
located, there are special blends designed for this. BioLogic Hot Spot
will grow in adverse conditions with minimal preparation. |
You
should have had a soil analysis done. This will tell you what you might
need to add for success. If you have not, the cheapest, fastest soil
test that I have found is located at www.mossyoakbiologic.com.
If you need to raise the soil’s pH, lime to recommendations. Lime
works best if it is worked into the soil. If you have acidic soil, or a
low pH, the plants will not be able to pull the soil nutrients, or your
fertilizer, through their root system. So having a fairly neutral pH is
important, especially for legumes.
Think
about what you are going to plant. It depends on your management goals
as to what would be the best thing to plant. Fall planted crops can be
some of the most attractive plants available to a whitetail. While many
plant perennials in the fall, the attractive annuals like oats, wheat,
triticale, annual clovers and brassicas are the real stars.
My
favorite fall planted blends are BioLogic Full Draw and Green Patch
Plus. Both blends contain brassicas, annual clovers and forage wheat,
while Green Patch Plus also contains oats. These two blends are my best
early season bow hunting "magnets." The forage wheat and
annual clovers are the most palatable right away after germination for
the first month of growth. The brassicas are in the blends for a late
season draw.
Another product that I
use for a specific application is BioLogic Hot Spot. This blend is
designed to be used off of the beaten path near your secluded tree stand
location. If you don’t have the ability to get machinery back to the
location or the soil conditions might be adverse, Hot Spot is the blend
to use. It is a blend of wheat, winter peas and buckwheat. It’s
extremely attractive to deer and incredibly |
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easy to plant. It comes in a shaker
bag that you can use to apply the seed and it’s ideal for planting in
small woodland clearings near your tree stand.
A
product that I’m excited to try for the first time this fall is
BioLogic Outfitter’s Blend. This blend was designed for maximum
attraction power. It contains a mix of New Zealand Triticale, Austrian
winter peas, wheat and oats. These plants should establish quickly and
pull in deer from a great distance.
Another
important step for a successful food plot is eliminating the competition
for sunlight, moisture and food. You’ll want to kill the competition
in the plot with Round-Up or your favorite post-emergent, contact
herbicide. As opposed to springtime when doing this, you may need to mow
the area first. If you spray your herbicide on weeds or grass over two
feet tall, chances are you will have to treat it again. If you have tall
grass or weeds, mow the area and wait a couple days to spray. The plant
needs to be growing heartily for it to suck the poison into its root
system, and right after mowing most plants will go inactive for a short
time.
I
eliminate the use for a lot of herbicide by preparing months in advance.
Right after spring planting I start to work the soil for my fall planted
plots. If I work the |
Plan out your plots in
detail. Use an aerial photo or topographical map to plan out plot
location and design. Proper planning led to an exceptional buck for
Wisconsin hunter Bill Putze.
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plots several
times up until planting, sometimes I don’t have to use any herbicide
at all.
When
it comes time, plant your seeds by broadcasting or drilling. Common
mistakes with small seeds is putting it on too thick and covering them
up too deep. Stick to the recommended coverage rates. And, if you’ve
prepared the seed bed properly you shouldn’t have to cover the seeds
at all. The seeds only need to make contact with the soil. If you cover
it any more than 1/4 inch, you are wasting seed. The ultimate
would be if you have a cultipacker or a chain-link fence type drag.
At
some point along the way you’ll also want to add some nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium. You can add fertilizer when you work the soil,
when you plant, or a couple weeks after the plants germinate. But at
some point you want to give them some food.
One
thing I for got to mention, pray that Mother Nature treats you right.
Even if you do everything correctly, you need cooperation from the
elements, especially for "fall plots."
Hot temperatures and lack of moisture can take their toll. But if you do
follow these steps and you get a little help from Mother Nature you may
be surprised how well your plots turn out. You can provide optimum
nutrition for your herd, grow bigger bucks and attract more deer than
you ever thought possible
Todd
Amenrud is the Director of Public Relations, Territory Manager &
Habitat Consultant for BioLogic. |
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