Plot Prepping

[bigpaul]

Not sure what I'm planting here but I opened it up pretty good tonight.  Looking forward to it.

[G-Man]

Gonna be pretty shaded... clover mix?

[bigpaul]

Still might knock a couple of trees down.  I had a small patch of Oats here last fall. 

[LET EM GROW]

Hinge or Tip some trees over on the edge .. make a nice Clover plot. maybe a little oats or wheat mixed in 

[WNYBuckHunter]

1 hour ago, LET EM GROW said:

Hinge or Tip some trees over on the edge .. make a nice Clover plot. maybe a little oats or wheat mixed in 

I would hinge cut on the edges of the plot. Lay the trees down in a feathering pattern and use that to direct the deer to enter and exit the plot where you want them to. Kinda like a fence.

[LET EM GROW]

I took an area that looked just like that BigP..Worked and cleared by a log skidder.. I then spread a good dose of DeerAg clovers over it before a rain in mid May.. They did very well for a first year clover... but this year, year2.. they look even better. besides a few grasses and weeds that popped up. Lush and dark green.  Other than spreading the seed, i have done nothing to this plot. I will be mowing it soon. 

[landtracdeerhunter]

Hard to top clover; then their's Birdsfoot Trefoil.

Edited May 18, 2018 by landtracdeerhunter

[LET EM GROW]

I need to look into this trefoil.. Just heard about it recently. And if turkeys eat it.. im planting it in a mix somewheres.

Is it an annual? what blend would it work good in? if you had a recommendation. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

https://extension.psu.edu/birdsfoot-trefoil

[landtracdeerhunter]

22 hours ago, LET EM GROW said:

I need to look into this trefoil.. Just heard about it recently. And if turkeys eat it.. im planting it in a mix somewheres.

Is it an annual? what blend would it work good in? if you had a recommendation. 

We grew it for seed for years. On our poorer drained, lower ph soil, it grows very well . Later maturing. Reseeds itself.  Some of my seedings have have trefoil in them for many years. Seeds not cheap though. Deer and turkeys both make good use of it. My seeding rate for hay forage runs 6 -8 lb. of trefoil; 3 lbs of red clover, and 3 lbs, of a good grass mixture. I use Climax Timothy. Holds the legumes up. I add some blue grass seed for green color in the bale; not needed for forage.

[LET EM GROW]

When is the best time you plant this? Would it be useful in a fall planting? Sorry about the questions. lol. My clover plot that got annihilated by the log skidder last year is not doing so well. Going to mow it soon, and if it doesnt come back im starting it over shortly after or late summer. 

[landtracdeerhunter]

On 5/21/2018 at 8:00 AM, LET EM GROW said:

When is the best time you plant this? Would it be useful in a fall planting? Sorry about the questions. lol. My clover plot that got annihilated by the log skidder last year is not doing so well. Going to mow it soon, and if it doesnt come back im starting it over shortly after or late summer. 

Cornell has an excellent guide to planting forages on their web site for New York State. They break the state up from north to south. 

I  personally prefer frost seeding all of my legumes except for alfalfa which I direct seed beginning of August when the rains typically kick in.  It works out great during a lull in farming, late winter. If planted late spring, highly depended on lower moisture conditions on shallow planted seed , although last summer would have worked great for starting legumes. Trefoil seed has a natural oil coating, that preserves the seed longer. It's a strong legume that withstands extremes. I think you'll like it.

[LET EM GROW]

On 5/22/2018 at 4:38 PM, landtracdeerhunter said:

Cornell has an excellent guide to planting forages on their web site for New York State. They break the state up from north to south. 

I  personally prefer frost seeding all of my legumes except for alfalfa which I direct seed beginning of August when the rains typically kick in.  It works out great during a lull in farming, late winter. If planted late spring, highly depended on lower moisture conditions on shallow planted seed , although last summer would have worked great for starting legumes. Trefoil seed has a natural oil coating, that preserves the seed longer. It's a strong legume that withstands extremes. I think you'll like it.

Thanks for the advice, and I will look into that. Would love to incorporate more for the birds.. Especially if the neighbors aren't lol.

Just wish i had more land available to plant on.  Id plant it all and experiment with it yearly..