Preferred Method for Planting

My preferred method for planting food plots is to have one half of my food plot in a strong cereal grain planting and the other half in an equally strong brassica planting.

This exact food plot planting system is the foundation for each of our hunting properties. Over the years it has resulted in success for us on so many levels. We have planted hundreds of successful food plots, we have harvested deer, and we have improved our soils.

This type of planting has several advantages. Here are my top 10:

• Offers powerful attraction at a time when hunters need it most – hunting season!
• Offers plenty of diversity that whitetails crave.
• Provides lots of forage (over 5 tons per acre?????? – verify).
• Is easy to establish.
• Is healthy for the soil (suppress weeds, build organic matter, mine nutrients, more????, etc).
• Is an affordable food plot planting compared to corn and soybeans.
• Maintains consistent whitetail movement patterns on your property.
• It feeds deer at other critical times of the year besides hunting season.
• Is easy to plan for in future years.
• It works!

In most cases I recommend it to almost every client as it has repeatedly proven to be a very diverse food plot planting that successfully attracts whitetails to a property.

I learned this system years ago when trying to answer the most popular food plot planting question of all time – “WHAT SHOULD I PLANT TO ATTRACT DEER TO MY PROPERTY?”.

I do not take credit for this type of planting as it is a fairly popular planting for deer. For more information on my own food plot journey, the people that influenced me most, and how I arrived to this point where I now personally use and recommend this system click here.

When I first started using this system of planting it was fairly basic and not a very diverse planting. Over the years I have played with it by testing different varieties of seed.  Based on what I learned and seeing what deer actually prefer I was able to fine tune the mixes to the point where I felt comfortable offering products for sale to other food plotters.

 

How Does It Work?

Here are the “nuts and bolts” for this system.  Again, remember this is intended to be super easy.

• You want to divide your food plots into two equal size sections. Example: If you have a 1 acre plot you will have two ½ acre sections.
• In one section you are going to plant a cereal grain mix (examples include winter rye, oats, winter wheat, triticale, etc).
• In the other section you are going to plant a brassica mix (examples include turnips, radishes, forage brassicas, rapes, etc).
• You will rotate these plantings every year. Whatever side you planted cereal grains in this year you will plant brassicas next year and vice versa.

 

What to Plant?

One of the great things about it is you can walk into almost any agricultural store, feed mill, or your local co-op and buy different seed varieties to put your own mixes together. We also offer products for sale on our website that you can purchase that make it super easy to get the exact same results that we experience.

Let’s talk about the two different mixes that make up this system.

Cereal Grains

When it comes to the cereal grain half of your plot we love to create as much diversity as possible. Winter Rye, oats, winter wheat, triticale, and barley are all cereal grains that deer will utilize in the Fall. You must include different forages to ensure great attraction throughout hunting season. An example would be a mix of oats, winter rye, and winter wheat. The oats will get the attention of your local deer herd early as they love the lush, tender forage. They will also forage on the rye and wheat. As the season progresses and colder temperatures become more prevalent at some point your oats will die but the rye and wheat will continue to feed deer as they are able to withstand the colder temperatures significantly better than the oats. But it gets better, the rye and wheat will bounce back in the spring time providing a great early season green food source for deer at a time when there aren’t a lot of great food sources available.

Now as great as cereal grains are you can make your plots even better. We also like to add winter peas, radishes, and a few different clovers for extra attraction. If you want to create early opportunities during bow season soybeans and buckwheat can also be included. Great clovers to add if you are picking them up locally would be crimson, frosty berseem, or fixation balsana clover. They are all fast growing clovers that deer love and will utilize during hunting season. Medium Red Clover is another great choice and one of our favorites.. It is a tad slower to establish but it’s true value is noticed the following spring when it really comes on strong. Along with the rye and wheat it will also feed deer all spring and into the summer after mowing the rye and wheat. Another great benefit is it keeps the ground covered helping to control weeds. As the end of July nears and you are ready to plant your brassicas simply till or disc in the clover as it will act like free fertilizer since it is excellent at fixating nitrogen. As the plants slowly decay they will release nutrients back into the soil that the brassicas will utilize. We always add Medium Red Clover to our cereal grain mix for this exact reason. If you can’t add it in the Fall when planting you can always frost seed it the following spring getting the same great results.

Brassicas

The brassica section of your plot should be equally diverse. When we first started using this system years ago we started with purple top turnips, radishes, and dwarf essex rape. Now our blends contain 3 different turnips, radishes, and other brassica varieties like kale, Winifred brassica, and impact forage collards.  You should always add a few different brassicas that don’t produce a bulb or tuber as they have been bred to provide lots of forage (large leafy parts of the plant) and can withstand high browsing pressure. Most will continue to grow while they are being utilized by deer extending usage for longer into the season. If you can’t find the ones that we use other good options would be T-Raptor Hybrid Brassica, Bonar Rape, Pasja Brassica, or Hunter Brassica. Dwarf Essex Rape is also an option as it is usually easy to find but it is our least favorite to plant as we feel there are significantly better options (like those mentioned) when they are available.

A well thought out brassica mix can also attract deer all of hunting season. Radishes are highly preferred during early season and the brassica tops (leafy material) can be highly attractive from mid-October thru December. The bulbs produced from the turnips are one of the strongest and most powerful attractions during late season hunts that can provide excellent opportunities for late season doe management as well as chances for bucks lucking to replenish lost body weight from the rut as winter is quickly approaching. Some of my most exciting hunts take place in December when deer are easily predictable as food become a heavy influencer during this time of the season.

You can also increase the attraction to your brassica plantings by adding different clovers, rutabaga, soybeans, or winter peas.

 

When to Plant

Now that you have a better idea of “WHAT” to plant lets talk about “WHEN” to plant.

Where I live in hunt in Michigan I target our brassica plantings around the end of July and beginning of August timeframe. I’m not picky to a certain date but I almost always try to plant either the day before or a few days before a good rain event.

For the cereal grain section I almost always establish my plots Labor Day weekend. However, if you can’t plant at that time September 1^st is a great target date.

By focusing on these time frames you ensure that your plantings have enough time to grow and will peak at exactly the right times to ensure that you are offering highly attractive food sources for the entire hunting season. Remember you are wanting to attract deer to your plots during hunting season as that is when you will be in the woods so make sure your plots are the best they can be during that time frame. I know it is easy for some people to get excited and want to plant early but just be patient. Planting early can do significantly more harm than good.

When you plant at the correct time you are setting yourself up for success. As Summer ends and Fall begins food sources start to diminish. Farmers are harvestings large fields full of corn and soybeans that the deer have been attracted to all Summer. Natural browse is starting to become less available and attractive. Finally, at some point deer will consume all the acorns, apples, and other hard/soft mast food sources in your area. It’s at this time your plots become super attractive. For most of the Fall, they supplement whatever forage is available in your area but at some point they will become highly preferred. When you have a food source that is highly preferred, attractive, and powerful controlling deer movement is easier. When this happens the odds become tipped in your favor.

 

How to Plant

At Food Plot Concepts we are fortunate to be able to utilize equipment like tractors, tillers, discs, cultipackers, and sprayers for controlling weeds. This definitely makes it easier and less time consuming. However, I have several clients and friends that plant this system using four wheelers or UTV(s). I even know people that are able to get decent results using no heavy equipment.

Everything starts with great weed control. We achieve this by using herbicides. In some cases, like a brand new plot, we will mow first as that also helps to kill weeds and then a week or so later will use herbicides.

When planting cereal grains we try to plant 1” deep. We start by lightly tilling or discing our plot then broadcast seed and fertilizer. After broadcasting I like to cover everything up using a drag harrow. You can also effectively work the seed and fertilizer into the soil using your tiller or disc. I like to use the drag harrow and it doesn’t require me to work the ground again and further compromising my soil quality. I finish planting my cereal grains by making a few passes with a cultipacker.

If I am adding clovers and radishes to my plot I will broadcast them after cultipacking since there smaller seeds and don’t require to be planted as deep as the larger cereal grain seed. One more pass with the cultipacker and the plot is done.

If you have a no-till drill available to use it is an excellent option because it is far easier on your soil in the long run as you are able to plant with less ground disturbance.

For the brassica section of my plots I also start by lightly tilling or discing the plot. I then broadcast my fertilizer, cover it with a drag harrow, and then cultipack. Next I broadcast seed and then go over once again with a cultipacker. Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Just a quick reminder to always fertilize your plots appropriately based on your soil samples.

 

Conclusion

This is a really easy system of planting that almost all food plotters can use. It is flexible and you can mix/match different varieties to achieve similar results. Just keep in mind the more diversity you add the more powerful the attraction becomes. Also, while you are planning make it a goal to include seed varieties that ensure your plot remains attractive for as long as possible from the start all the way to the end of hunting season. With using this system of planting it is 100% realistic to offer attraction from the start of hunting season to well after the date it closes in most states. That’s powerful and puts you at a huge advantage!

If you have any questions on this style of food plot planting please contact us. We can help with planning, seed selection, timing, and planting methods. I’m also excited to talk about the products we offer that can make this easier for you.

This system works and can help to make the properties that you hunt more attractive to whitetail deer. It is what we use and if it didn’t work for us I would never recommend it to someone else!