Spring Food Plots

[Sergio_III]

I will be putting in Spring food plots this weekend and was wondering if it is too late?

Food Plots are about 6 acres total and I will be irrigating them at least once a week.

I will be broadcast planting...

Lab lab
Sunn Hemp
IC Cowpeas
Sorghum
Sunflowers

Last year I planted late March and had great success until the deer wiped them out so this year we made bigger food plots in hopes to have the cultivars mature.

[Drycreek3189]

No. Your timing should be perfect ! Good luck !

[texashunter56]

I would plant ASAP. Deer are starting to hit my plots now and they just came up. I was hoping to have a bit more new green forb/browse growth for them to be hitting while the plots established. You have enough variety in the mix that something should carry over into the summer a bit longer. What rate per acre you planting?

[Sergio_III]

I would plant ASAP. Deer are starting to hit my plots now and they just came up. I was hoping to have a bit more new green forb/browse growth for them to be hitting while the plots established. You have enough variety in the mix that something should carry over into the summer a bit longer. What rate per acre you planting?

As per producers recommendations...

Lab lab = 25 lbs. per acre
Sunn Hemp = 15 lbs. per acre
IC Cowpeas = 35 lbs. an acre
Sorghum = 40 lbs. an acre
Sunflowers = 15 lbs. an acre

[texashunter56]

As per producers recommendations...

Lab lab = 25 lbs. per acre
Sunn Hemp = 15 lbs. per acre
IC Cowpeas = 35 lbs. an acre
Sorghum = 40 lbs. an acre
Sunflowers = 15 lbs. an acre

That is extremely heavy on seeding rates. The deer will be stomping or laying over plants just to get to ones they want to eat first. Heck if I were planting the mix, I would use that amount for the whole 6 acres. When I plant cowpeas by themselves I plant 40-50#/acre. Lab Lab alone is 25-30# per acre. Sunn Hemp would be 20-25# per acre alone. Sorghum is grain or haying sorghum? Milo or grain sorghum is seeded at 10#/acre more or less by farmers.

[Sergio_III]

Those are the seeding rates but the mixes will contain that minimum amount and it will be for all 6 acres.

[JakeGraves]

I planted 2 acres of a similar mix last weekend. Need rain on it.

[Sergio_III]

This is what I'm actually planting on the 6 acres.

Lab lab = 65 lbs.
Soybeans = 75 lbs.
Sunn Hemp = 30 lbs.
IC Cowpeas = 25 lbs.
Sorghum = 20 lbs.
Sunflowers = 10 lbs.

Should be enough for 6 acres.


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[Boomerang]

If you keep your cowpeas irrigated they will.last unrilnthe first frost. As soon as it turns dry, they will bloom and die. The deer love those, so 6 acres will be hard to maintain, they will shred it to the stubs.

[Razrbk89]

I'd think about 50 pounds of soybeans per ac. would be good if you're just trying to feed deer. You can get skinny rows with that to reduce pressure on sprouts, but still good a decent yield. That'd put you around 130k sprouts an acre if my math is right, it's been a while.

What kind of irrigation do you have on 6ac????

[Sergio_III]

I'd think about 50 pounds of soybeans per ac. would be good if you're just trying to feed deer. You can get skinny rows with that to reduce pressure on sprouts, but still good a decent yield. That'd put you around 130k sprouts an acre if my math is right, it's been a while.

What kind of irrigation do you have on 6ac????

500 gallon tank with a water pump mounted on trailer attached to sprinklers.


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[Bumpy]

Nothing like clover?

[Sergio_III]

Nothing like clover?

That'll be for our fall food plots.

Clover + Chicory


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[Boomerang]

500 gallon tank with a water pump mounted on trailer attached to sprinklers.


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27,154 gallons per acre equals 1" of water. If you irrigated 6 acres during a hot dry spell with 1" of water the 500 gallon tank needs to be filled about 326 times.

[Christianhuff]

Love clover

Nothing like clover?

They love it, but plant it in the fall.