Fall Food Plot Plan for 2017 (Menard County, TX)

[bgleaton]

Here's our fall food plot plan for this year in Menard County, TX. Please feel free to add any of your thoughts.

Planting 6.5 acres (one 3.5-acre field, one 1.5-acre field and another 1.5-acre field)
Planting (broadcasting) the following mixture:
Elbon Rye (125lbs/acre)
Wheat (A&A) (125lbs/acre)
Oats (TAM 411) (125lbs/acre)
Turnips (Purpletop) (2lbs/acre)
Chicory (2lbs/acre)
Since we are planting 6.5 acres, we need around 270lbs. each of the rye, wheat and oats.

We have already disked the 3.5-acre field once already-about a week ago. We will disk the other fields in the next couple of weeks as well to start killing the grass. We will broadcast 75lbs/acre of 16-20-0 and disk it into the soil around late September. While we are disking the fertilizer into the soil, we will also be dragging a chain harrow behind it to help level the fields/break up clods. Once the fertilizer has been disked into soil, we will then broadcast our wheat, oats and rye on top of the fields, with hopefully some rain in the forecast, and then drag over the field one last time. At the very end, we will go back and broadcast the smaller seeds on top (chicory and turnips) since they can't be buried too deep.

We will go back and fertilize about a month or so later, once it's an an inch or so tall, with 60lbs/acre of 21-0-0 (ammonium sulphate) before a nice soaker.

This will be our second year in planting food plots. Last year's plots didn't turn out very good, because we were learning how to use the equipment - figuring out how to broadcast seed evenly was very tricky for us and we tried to do everything in two days, which was impossible. That being sad, even though they didn't turn out pretty, we still had deer all over them throughout the season.

Any tips on how to broadcast seed evenly would be appreciated?

Our main goal this year is to really try to prepare the soil as well as possible and fertilize according to our soil samples. Hopefully we will get some help in the rain department.

[TTU TX Hunter]

Good luck and good game plan!! Will be following along and doing the same with elbon, wheat, and oats.

[Drycreek3189]

This is what works for me. I use a cyclone type seeder, three point hitch, but a pull type will work the same way. Don't open your gate too wide. Keep it tight enough that you have to go over the plot twice to get rid of your seed. Go the opposite direction on your second pass. After I disc, I usually drag the plot smooth, but I do this before planting time, maybe a week, maybe two, depending on my schedule. When I plant large seed, I straighten the gangs on my disc just one hole off of completely straight. This will cut shallow grooves in the ground just right for planting wheat, peas, etc. most of the seed will drag into these grooves leaving less seed on top for the birds to eat.

Are you mixing the seed, or are you planting a wheat plot, an oat plot, etc. ? I've always thought it would be nice to plant in wide strips to see what the deer preferred, but most of my plots aren't wide enough for that.

Only other thoughts are: did you do a soil test and I wish I had more food plot acreage and less timber !

[texashunter56]

You left that slow soaking 5" rain the day after you plant off of your list

[bgleaton]

I will be mixing all the seed together and planting a mixture. We conducted a soil test and are fertilizeing based on our results.

5" soaker? Heck, I'll take a nice 2" soaker.

[Drycreek3189]

I will be mixing all the seed together and planting a mixture. We conducted a soil test and are fertilizeing based on our results.

5" soaker? Heck, I'll take a nice 2" soaker.

Sounds likeit will work to me. Curious as to whether you needed lime. We ALWAYS need lime in ETexas. Too many frickin pine trees. But I've heard you guys down that way don't need it usually. Good luck !

[Bumpy]

should of mowed and killed the grass first imo. if you're going to spend that kind of money and time why not do it right?

[gingib]

post your prices for those seeds? I like the combo

[Dudley]

I like the mix, but 375 lbs/acre of oats, wheat and rye sounds like way too much. Wait, after re-reading it looks like about 40 lbs/acre of each. I guess I misunderstood!

[Vermin93]

Fall Food Plot Plan for 2017 (Menard County, TX)

I will be planting a similar mix, except I'm adding a white flowering winter pea to the cereal grains and not including turnips or chicory. I'm a big chicory fan, but I don't use it in my perennial plots because I plant cowpeas in the spring.

[JLivi1224]

I like your mix a lot.
I'm planting elbon rye, wheat, Crimson clover, kale, and turnips.

[bgleaton]

should of mowed and killed the grass first imo. if you're going to spend that kind of money and time why not do it right?

We already mowed/scalped the fields.

[bgleaton]

I like the mix, but 375 lbs/acre of oats, wheat and rye sounds like way too much. Wait, after re-reading it looks like about 40 lbs/acre of each. I guess I misunderstood!

The seeding rates I listed above are per acre amounts based on a stand-alone plot, not mixes. I will be planting at a rate of 125lbs/acre for all three seeds, so I'll be planting 42lbs of wheat, 42lbs of oats and 42lbs of Rye per acre.

[mdnabors]

I'm doing very similar. Wheat, Oats, and Rye then top sowing Clover, Chicory, and some Radish since deer didn't take to turnips last year. We mow our plots down low and kill at least once if not twice with Gly. Makes breaking up plot much easier and takes weed competition out of the equation for the most part.

We'll do fertilizer and grains together, Drag plot, and then top sow small seed. If we find a cultipacker we'll roll it after small seed. If not we'll hope rain is close by. Then we'll hit with fertilizer about a month later to give it a boost. Plots came in better last year then the previous 5-6 years.

[mdnabors]

Last year's plot