I planted 3 acres of sugar beets on August 3. I went and checked the food plot last night figuring the seed had germinated with the recent rains. There was no sign of the little sugar beet plants forming. I have never planted sugar beets before and heard they can be very finicky to establish in a food plot. I am thinking that I will have to go in and try to rescue the plot and at least get something to grow there for the deer. From what I have heard Oats are very fast growing and can be planted later in the year. When is the latest date I can go in and plant the oats if I have to. Looking for advice. Thanks
Daver
PMA Member
If you are thinking of using oats, please realize while they are easy to grow, relatively inexpensive and are definitely a very preferred food for deer...they will also die off at the first decent frost. So...a lot of guys will use them, but in a mix with other, more cold tolerant cereal grains. Look in the "Whitetail Management" section and then in the "Dbltree's Corner" sub-section and then in the "Cereal Grains and Cover Crops" thread. Linked: https://www.iowawhitetail.com/forum/threads/cereal-grains-and-cover-crops.15879/page-64#post-626781
Unfortunately, the pictures that were spread throughout the thread are missing now that Photobucket has changed their policy, but there is still a ton of great reading there.
Unfortunately, the pictures that were spread throughout the thread are missing now that Photobucket has changed their policy, but there is still a ton of great reading there.
Boonervilleusa
Well-Known Member
Oats are my favorite fall hunting plot, by a long shot. There are different varieties of oats. If you get a "winter oat", it will handle some frost. You can plant as late as Sept 15th, and the things will sprout on concrete. Sugar content in oats is higher than rye; In my experience deer like oats much better.
HorseDoctor
PMA Member
Getting pretty late for a late season plot. Might have a chance with some forage radishes. Good luck!
hillrunner
PMA Member
Click the link in Davers post, the answer is there.
Boonervilleusa
Well-Known Member
It's certainly not ideal, but you may have a chance if you go with a forage brassica that doesn't produce a bulb. If you can get one with a 45 day grow cycle you might be able to pull it off. Like a forage rape, seven top, etc. It is getting pretty late to be planting late season forage though. all I have left is cereal grains.
Just saw daver posted on dbltree section.
Oats ain't gonna be late season draw. Even most frost tolerant will be long gone and dead. Radish will be rotten.
Again- dbltree section BUT- it was me..... LATE season.... half: rye, triticale, winter peas- have a little time on this. Other half.... purple top turnips. Ton of fertilezer (N) cause u late on em but still produce. Chance deer don't like ptt 1st year but I'd say 65% farms - 1st year they eat em. (Worst farm took me 4 years but they finally ate em but that's exception to rule). aside from grain- I love PTT late season From above- it is LATE on em but if fertile & rain- u have baseball to softball size if u do it right. If wanna make Simple, could skip turnips but I wouldn't.
Oats ain't gonna be late season draw. Even most frost tolerant will be long gone and dead. Radish will be rotten.
Again- dbltree section BUT- it was me..... LATE season.... half: rye, triticale, winter peas- have a little time on this. Other half.... purple top turnips. Ton of fertilezer (N) cause u late on em but still produce. Chance deer don't like ptt 1st year but I'd say 65% farms - 1st year they eat em. (Worst farm took me 4 years but they finally ate em but that's exception to rule). aside from grain- I love PTT late season From above- it is LATE on em but if fertile & rain- u have baseball to softball size if u do it right. If wanna make Simple, could skip turnips but I wouldn't.
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CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
Oats draw the deer here in Story co during late season. I just know this from watching them pile into the field across from where I hunt every evening last year. But I know nothing about plots