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Food Plot - What blend would you choose?

Hey guys! I've got several food plots to put in this fall. Probably 15-20 acres worth. And I'm trying to decide what to do with them all. They all range from .5 acres - 3.5 acres.

One choice is to do straight clover for everything. (A blend of jumbo ladino, white and red). I do really like clover, and have several clover plots established already, but I just hear of so many having success with my other option - a mix of turnips and oats.

If you had the choice, would you all do the clover mix for every plot, or put a few in the turnips/oats combination?

I just get nervous putting in turnips because I've put in a brassica plot on one farm and it grew absolutely beautifully, and not a single deer touched it, a year after the plot was in alfalfa and I'd average 15-20 deer seen a night! I'd hate to put in all that effort for no deer to touch the plot!
 
Little late for corn but still time for soybeans. That's what I would do for at least some of the acres. That's what deer are used to eating around me. Good luck.
 
All on one farm? 20 acres of clover is overboard unless your on thousands of acres and they are all spread out. Good rule of thumb is 10-15% of food plot program in clover. A little goes a LONG way when it comes to clover.
 
I planted brassicas for years with little usage (stubborn I know). I then learned that some sulfur is required to sweeten them up and usage and bulb eating commenced. 18-20 lbs of sulfur per acre should get you going.
 
I planted brassicas for years with little usage (stubborn I know). I then learned that some sulfur is required to sweeten them up and usage and bulb eating commenced. 18-20 lbs of sulfur per acre should get you going.

Interesting. ^^ I personally have never had a problem with deer eating brassicas, but I have heard many people report that. Dumb question...how do you get sulfur? Is it available in a 50# bag, etc?
 
I'm a big fan of variety, so in the larger food plots I would either do alternating strips or break them into chunks. I finally have deer eating turnips now after about 3-4 years of getting them educated that they can eat the bulbs.
 
I have never had a issues with Brassicas as well they hammer them.. I agree I have heard that comment before just have never seen it..
 
Sulfur is available at any coop. Very commonly used. Not for PH reasons but most plants (beans & legumes for example) need it. Lot of guys run 10-ish lbs to acre. Same with other things mixed in often times like zinc, boron. Even when using lime/pelletized lime: another big reason to use it is the Calcium value. All important stuff.

Yep- to above - just do double tree rotation.... 10-20% clover in the end. U run 2-3 round of turnips and radishes and they will be hammering them after that amount of time rotating. Delayed effect on preference pretty dang common. IMO- to speed it up- u do gotta have the multiple items there - as in doubletree rotation. And imo- daikon/tillage/oil seed/ground hog (all same for most part) & purple top turnips get best results imo.
 
I've just started using gypsum as a soil amendment that also has the ++ of being calcium sulfate. Welter's is now selling what they call "Big Buck Brassica Mix" which looks like they borrowed Doubletree's recipe. It's $2.60/lb which is very reasonable, especially next to any BoB blend.
 
I have heard that it takes a couple/few years to get deer started on turnips. We've never used them, just corn, beans, clover, winter rye. I think one neighbor tried turnips for one or two years. Not sure on the results, but guessing not that great as I don't think they do them anymore.
 
I have heard that it takes a couple/few years to get deer started on turnips. We've never used them, just corn, beans, clover, winter rye. I think one neighbor tried turnips for one or two years. Not sure on the results, but guessing not that great as I don't think they do them anymore.

The thing is...I don't think there is an absolute on this subject. Some people report it taking a couple of years to "train" the deer to go after brassicas, me...I planted them and they tore them up the first year...and every other year too. So who knows? :)

One thing that I have gathered over the years though that may mitigate a problem with the local herd getting a taste for brassicas though is to go heavier on radishes v. turnips. It is my opinion that the deer will sort through the tops in October/November and show a solid preference for radish tops AND bulbs. They will hit the turnips too, but they sure seem to want the radishes first.

So...maybe go with a stronger ratio of radishes???
 
Hard to evaluate turnips in a mild winter. We need a harder winter than last year for turnips to shine. It was so warm green was the thing all the way through Jan. Snow was absent also.
 
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