Need advise on food plot.

[Rat Rod Mac]

I've prepared a 1 3/4 acre area for a deer food plot and want to plant it in clover and oats in a couple of weeks. Oats for this fall and clover for next year. How much clover do I plant and how much oats? Next spring I'll mow the oats down and the clover should come right up. I was thinking of buying the clover and oats from the Whitetail Institute, but the problem is they want to sell you a bag of 36 pounds of clover and I'm sure that would be too much for only 1 3/4 acres. Could I put the left over clover in the freezer? Would it keep for a couple of years? Your thoughts on this would be appreciated. Oh, would you all recommend the Institutes clover and oats or are there others out there just as good? Thanks. RRM

 

[Rebeldad1]

sounds like these are all excellent questions for the Whitetail Institute.
have you had this discussion with them?

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

Rebeldad1, thanks for the reply. No I haven't, but since I was on the computer this afternoon I thought I would ask the guys on here for their opinions. Do you feel the Whitetail Institutes products are that much better than the feed mills variety?

 

[jeff9366]

Pretty difficult to give you worthwhile advice on seeds without knowing your LOCATION.

These are excellent questions for the Whitetail Institute.
Have you had this discussion with them?

What grows well at 6,000 feet altitude, on dry soil, in Colorado, will not be equally happy at ten feet altitude in Louisiana growing in moist gumbo.


In north Florida, "Forage Oats" which have less "other" seed than feed Oats, are about $25/50 pound bag at my local ACE Hardware.

The various types of food plot perennial Clover are more sensitive to soil pH than annual Oats.

Generally speaking I have had better success with perennial seed grown locally. For me that means some Clover seed from Hancock Seed in Dade, Florida, sixty-five miles distant. I have not noticed much difference, if any, with annual seeds which are eager germinators.

Your experience may not replicate my experience.

LINK: Clover Seed | Legume, Food Plot, Pasture | Hancock Seed – hancockseed.com

 

[Mat4644]

Whitetail institute seed is high priced. I buy the forage oats from Rural King $35 for 50 pounds. Moisture, heat and rodents are the biggest problems on seed storage. I have frozen, clover, turnip and radish seeds multiple years with no noticable effects. We also keep a strip for fall and spring daikon radish and purple top turnip. The smell of the brassica family brings them in faster.

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

jeff9366, you make a good point. Never thought to include my location. Eastern Ohio. Mat4644 thanks for the advise on freezing seed. Sound like it could last for a few years frozen. Still, how many pounds of each per acre as a blend? RRM

 

[jeff9366]

Enter Eastern Ohio into your T-B-N PROFILE so your location shows with every post your make.

 

[jeff9366]

How many pounds of Clover of each per acre as a blend?

Commercial Fall/Winter deer food plot mixes are about 3% expensive Clover seed.

The 'base' is usually Oats and some type of Peas.

I sow perennial Clover in a strip, so I can keep one Clover planting growing 3-4 years. As Clover is a legume, use a low nitrogen or zero nitrogen fertilizer the first one or two plantings. If you incorporate plant residue into the soil and move Clover strip each planting you should not need fertilizer thereafter.

Oats appreciate nitrogen during cool and cold weather.

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

Well last fall I planted winter wheat and they hit that ok. Just let it go to seed this spring and summer and about a month ago mowed and sprayed it. Tilled it last week and now I'm getting ready to plant the clover/ oats. I will probably get a 0-12-12 or 0-19-19 fertilizer if they make such a product. You guys have any idea how much clover I should plant and how much oats in this blend? BCM

 

[super55]

Clover is pretty slow to take off compared to oats. Anybody can grow oats by just literally throwing them on the ground. Grains like oats, rye and winter wheat are cheap and effective. I usually go with about 15# acre with clover and with oats I got up to 60# just because they are so cheap. For fertilizer you will probably want to go with something with N in it your oats will thank you.

Are you planning on planting this as a blend or a stand alone oats in the fall and then stand alone clover in the spring??

Check out hancock seed. They have really good prices. Also talk to some farmers around and see where they get their cover crop seeds. Those B.O.B (Buck on the Bag) seeds are incredibly overpriced for the amount of product you get.