Plot

[YFKI1983]

I had a 1 acre plot planted of 1/2 clover, the other brassica. It was fertilized, lime etc. this was done around the end of July 29/30. I went up to my property yesterday and there was very minimal growth.

Is this normal? How long should it take to start growing?

[ATbuckhunter]

Ya its normal. Yous should start seeing more growth when it starts to rain. 

[F-150]

Have Patience, Clover can take two to three weeks to germinate, the brassica may not take as long just give it time.  Mother nature can be a bit trying !           

[growalot]

I couldn't say because...you didn't mention weather conditions or sun exposure...How you prepared the seed bed or what you may or may not have done after spreading the seed out

The guys are right wht. clover takes some time if perennial, less if annual...the brassica should be up pretty fast if it had moisture and was seed correctly

[VT Outfitter]

Were you able to fluff up the dirt a lot or only a little bit? How much seed did you cast? How much sun does the plot get each day? Is it moist or damp or dry soil? How far into the dirt did you plant the seed? Did you cultipack or roll the seed down after you spread the seed? How old was the seed you spread? Where is the plot located, I mean like upstate NY or southern NY, not the actual address cause that would be just plain rude of me to ask directions to your hunting spot...LOL!

 

Clover, when planted in the northern region, is best planted in the spring to allow time for the roots to grow through the season. After the snow has melted off and the ground warms into the 50's consistent temperature with the spring rains. No matter when you plant clover it will sprout. But in order to grow tall and lush it needs the proper sunlight, moisture, and temperature which is provided naturally in the spring in the north. It is the same as your clover in your lawn. In the spring and early summer you have to mow the grass every 6-7 days. Later in the summer once every 2 weeks. In the fall once every 3-4 weeks. The grass, clover included, has a cycle of growth. Its goal is to grow as well as the conditions will allow, then go to seed for future crop expansion, then go dormant to protect itself for winter. The amount of sun and nutrients tells the plant what to do and when. So when you plant clover in the late summer, nature tells the seed to sprout and take root and the sun tells the clover to prepare to shut down for winter. Not to worry, you will get some growth for clover forage this fall, then in the spring you can fertilize the plot again and spread a bit more seed, around 5 lbs per acre, to get it to come in for next years plot.

 

Brassica, is a late summer planting in the northern region. Like the clover, brassica should be planted about 1/2 inch down into the dirt for good soil contact. Brassica loves fertilizer, and fertilizer can make a brassica plot ,where the soil is fluffed up good, look really awesome and be waist high or more. You should have seen some small brassica growth after about 10 days with damp soil conditions when you seeded it down. Brassica loves sunlight, the more the better. It needs 6 hours of direct sun or more to grow well. Brassica also needs regular watering by you or rain to grow well. If its too dry it will grow a bit, but will short and spares. If you have never planted brassica before, be warned, the deer wont visit the plot for to feed on the brassica much  until the freeze comes. After that the deer will chew it to the ground. Your choice of clover/brassica is a great combination to get the into a routine of visiting the area for the clover so it will be easy for them to utilize and find the brassica when the time is right. Brassica does not come back like the clover will next spring so you will have to re seed it next season. If need be adjust your planting time to get the results your looking for.  

 

I have made just about every food plot mistake that can be done I think. I just kept at it, did more research with different kinds of seed companies, talked with many farmers that grow crops until I got it somewhere close to what I needed for a result. There is no such thing as wasted time when building a food plot for hunting. You may not get the results you were looking for, but you learn and modify. Once a plot is established, it just a matter of maintaining it, which is a lot less work than  the initial build. Good luck to you, if you want some help or tips just give me a  shout.

 

 

[YFKI1983]

Someone did the plot for me. Dirt wasn't fluffed up a lot. Ph was low so put out a ton of lime (as recommended) and fertilizer.

20 lbs of clover mix ( 45% ladino clover, 25% wildcat red clover, 20% ivory 2 white clover 10% six point chicory)

About 8 lbs of brassica (kale, rape, turnip.

I can't remember if it rained much after we planted. I live 3 hours away in Broome country so it's a hike and I forgot to check the weather the days after to see if it rained. It did seem dry tho.

The plot gets plenty of sun. That's definitely not an issue

[YFKI1983]

Correction. 10lbs of the clover and 4 of Brassica. 20 and was how much we were supposed to use if it was an acre each

[G-Man]

Clover is a slow grower and will be best next spring as it prefers cooler temps and wetter soil. If it gets a lot of sun that is good but if it is dry alfalfa would of been a better choice. Clover doesn't need nitrogen and brassica does.. as temps cool it will grow more and faster.. unless its getting overgrased now. Did you make a utilization cage?

[dgoodz]

I agree slower to grow usually better the second year, conditions can change everything. I had the same issue with mine once didnt grow till it rained a few days. So now I plant just before a rain.

[LET EM GROW]

YOUR CLOVER WILL LOOK AWESOME IN SPRING WHEN PLANTED IN FALL. I HAVE BEST SUCCESS WITH CLOVER PLANTINGS IN FALL, IT WILL BE SHORT IN HEIGHT PROBABLY UNTIL SPRING BUT IT SHOULD LOOK GOOD THEN. MINE USUALLY DOES IN SOUTHERNTIER NY.

[phade]

Were you able to fluff up the dirt a lot or only a little bit? How much seed did you cast? How much sun does the plot get each day? Is it moist or damp or dry soil? How far into the dirt did you plant the seed? Did you cultipack or roll the seed down after you spread the seed? How old was the seed you spread? Where is the plot located, I mean like upstate NY or southern NY, not the actual address cause that would be just plain rude of me to ask directions to your hunting spot...LOL!

 

Clover, when planted in the northern region, is best planted in the spring to allow time for the roots to grow through the season. After the snow has melted off and the ground warms into the 50's consistent temperature with the spring rains. No matter when you plant clover it will sprout. But in order to grow tall and lush it needs the proper sunlight, moisture, and temperature which is provided naturally in the spring in the north. It is the same as your clover in your lawn. In the spring and early summer you have to mow the grass every 6-7 days. Later in the summer once every 2 weeks. In the fall once every 3-4 weeks. The grass, clover included, has a cycle of growth. Its goal is to grow as well as the conditions will allow, then go to seed for future crop expansion, then go dormant to protect itself for winter. The amount of sun and nutrients tells the plant what to do and when. So when you plant clover in the late summer, nature tells the seed to sprout and take root and the sun tells the clover to prepare to shut down for winter. Not to worry, you will get some growth for clover forage this fall, then in the spring you can fertilize the plot again and spread a bit more seed, around 5 lbs per acre, to get it to come in for next years plot.

 

Brassica, is a late summer planting in the northern region. Like the clover, brassica should be planted about 1/2 inch down into the dirt for good soil contact. Brassica loves fertilizer, and fertilizer can make a brassica plot ,where the soil is fluffed up good, look really awesome and be waist high or more. You should have seen some small brassica growth after about 10 days with damp soil conditions when you seeded it down. Brassica loves sunlight, the more the better. It needs 6 hours of direct sun or more to grow well. Brassica also needs regular watering by you or rain to grow well. If its too dry it will grow a bit, but will short and spares. If you have never planted brassica before, be warned, the deer wont visit the plot for to feed on the brassica much  until the freeze comes. After that the deer will chew it to the ground. Your choice of clover/brassica is a great combination to get the into a routine of visiting the area for the clover so it will be easy for them to utilize and find the brassica when the time is right. Brassica does not come back like the clover will next spring so you will have to re seed it next season. If need be adjust your planting time to get the results your looking for.  

 

I have made just about every food plot mistake that can be done I think. I just kept at it, did more research with different kinds of seed companies, talked with many farmers that grow crops until I got it somewhere close to what I needed for a result. There is no such thing as wasted time when building a food plot for hunting. You may not get the results you were looking for, but you learn and modify. Once a plot is established, it just a matter of maintaining it, which is a lot less work than  the initial build. Good luck to you, if you want some help or tips just give me a  shout.

 

I don't want to get into semantics as clover can be sown in spring or fall, I would not say spring is the best time to do so. Fall planting in the northern climates is often a recipe for success. There's a reason plottiing strategies like LickCreek's has taken off. Fall planting with a nurse crop is a winner.

[VT Outfitter]

I don't want to get into semantics as clover can be sown in spring or fall, I would not say spring is the best time to do so. Fall planting in the northern climates is often a recipe for success. There's a reason plottiing strategies like LickCreek's has taken off. Fall planting with a nurse crop is a winner.

I am not the king or the know all of everything, I just really like giving my advice that I have learned from my experiences. Note that I did say that clover will sprout and take root any time of year that you plant it. Everyone knows that the second season is always better than the first, as the clover will come in better. I have had better success planting clover in the spring when it comes to the amount of forage available in the fall, as opposed to planting in late summer for the first season. There are many ways to improve your deer hunting fun time opportunities. I hope that everyone on this forum that reads my posts understands that I truly intend on helping, and in no way do I want to come across as a "know it all" or "my way is best" kind of guy. I mean well in the end and if someone can avoid making a mistake that I have made, than I hope what I write is viewed that way, as my opinion or way to give back to my fellow outdoorsman.

[YFKI1983]

All opinions are appreciated.

[YFKI1983]

All opinions are appreciated.

Well, appreciated by me atleast lol

[VT Outfitter]

Well, appreciated by me atleast lol

Thanks YFKI983. Sometimes I get excited because I love what I do, so I tend to come across a bit aggressive or stubborn with my advice posts. I don't mean to. It's all good, at least I intend it to be. If I know nothing about a subject, I don't offer advice, rather I ask for information so I can learn. I don't have much patience for those that strong arm an opinion about something that they know very little or nothing about. I only offer things to try, ideas. It doesn't mean there is only one effective method. Some posters don't participate in the same manner, unfortunately.

[thphm]

It depends where ( what part of the state ) I planted some in the spring and it came right up ( pretty flat ) planted some more near there on about a10 - 20 degree slope nothing came up. We had plenty of heavy rain this year, so the sloped area got washed out pretty good.

This month the weather has not been as hot as other years and we got rain at least once a week.

My regular lawn around the house( extra clover + conservation mix) had to be cut at least every 5 days. In the Catskills. 

[YFKI1983]

Here's the progress. Looks pretty good I think. Hopefully the clover looks better when it grows back

attachment=25573:ImageUploadedByTapatalk1410879640.019312.jpg]

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[phade]

If clover is your long-term plan (didn't re-read everything), you can lightly frost seed in the clover in the spring. We've had good luck with that to maintain clover plots. They'll fill in the spots left behind by the brassica too.

[Sparke2]

Clover looks good . First year for clover is goinG to look like that, brassicas look great . That dam milk weed in the pics is what pisses me off . I have been i WW3 on my plot with it and the sight of it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Get that stuff in check Cutting helps it. And of course RR AND working the dirt a few times before you plant the brassicas next year . great little spot you have there ! good luck

[YFKI1983]

https://vimeo.com/106830711

I was up at the house this weekend. So the brassica looks great, clover looks ok.

Brassica doesn't look like it's been touched much. That's normal right? They go for that once the weather gets colder? Or is there just too much food still around

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[burmjohn]

Wow plot looks amazing. 

[Sparke2]

Looks great!! how big are the turnip ? They started to hit (very very lightly) the  brassicas WG TTT.  The wt clover was destroyed !!!! in the last 25 days they have torn the clover up... insane.. once that frost hits expecting them to get after the brassicas  the same way .If it's the first year with the plot they just have to get used to it ? kind if went threw that on my plot every year  i see more activity.  

[phade]

https://vimeo.com/106830711

I was up at the house this weekend. So the brassica looks great, clover looks ok.

Brassica doesn't look like it's been touched much. That's normal right? They go for that once the weather gets colder? Or is there just too much food still around

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Clover will go gangbusters next spring.

 

Brassica is a hit/miss thing. Deer will eat it now, but it is low on the totem pole of preference. What the brassica really needs is frost-conditions to convert the starches into sugars, which will then raise its preference to the deer at a time when there is much less food available. This is why it gets such a good wrap with hunters - it comes into play as other things tail off. Having said that, some users report that it takes a couple years for deer to really start using the brassicas because it is a foreign food source to many deer. You'll only find that out with experience, unfortunately. When it comes to brassica, I prefer a mix of dwarf essex rape, daikon radish, and then something like a purple top turnip. Radish grows fast, tends to have higher preference earlier, and the raised radishes encourage deer to eat them and transition to brassica as a food source faster. Rape is good for the above ground growth and is generally ate pretty early on in the brassica cycle. PTT is the staple brassica. I have seen many cases where PTT simply comes into play after the hunting season, or at least most of it. Good for management plans, but I wouldn't just bank on it as a hunting/kill plot only. Some people have luck with it, but if you are planting a brassica plot, no reason why you shouldn't have a mix of all three.

[YFKI1983]

Clover will go gangbusters next spring.

Brassica is a hit/miss thing. Deer will eat it now, but it is low on the totem pole of preference. What the brassica really needs is frost-conditions to convert the starches into sugars, which will then raise its preference to the deer at a time when there is much less food available. This is why it gets such a good wrap with hunters - it comes into play as other things tail off. Having said that, some users report that it takes a couple years for deer to really start using the brassicas because it is a foreign food source to many deer. You'll only find that out with experience, unfortunately. When it comes to brassica, I prefer a mix of dwarf essex rape, daikon radish, and then something like a purple top turnip. Radish grows fast, tends to have higher preference earlier, and the raised radishes encourage deer to eat them and transition to brassica as a food source faster. Rape is good for the above ground growth and is generally ate pretty early on in the brassica cycle. PTT is the staple brassica. I have seen many cases where PTT simply comes into play after the hunting season, or at least most of it. Good for management plans, but I wouldn't just bank on it as a hunting/kill plot only. Some people have luck with it, but if you are planting a brassica plot, no reason why you shouldn't have a mix of all three.

Brassica is mix of rape, kale and turnip. dont know what kind tho. I put a trail cam out so I'll see if anything is using the plot early on. If not I will leave it alone until it gets cold

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[WNYBuckHunter]

Our brassicas are getting hit pretty hard already. Deer are pulling the radish and turnips and eating the bulbs already. This wasnt the case last year, they didnt really start hitting them until late. We have a mix of PTT, Kale, Groundhog Radish and Rape. If they are pounded down too hard around gun season, Im going to overseed with winter rye.