New Plans for Dry Weather

[lakngolf]

For years now during spells of rainy summer weather my neighbor and I have joked, "If you want it to quit raining just plant the food plots". Each year now we have tried to put some seed in the ground in mid September only to see the weather turn DRY. Central Alabama has had little rainfall in the last six weeks and the prospects do not look good for several days now. My Dad (beef cattle farmer) always said "We need a little disturbance in the gulf to get a good rainfall"

Whatever is the case, this "food plotter" has decided to let nature take its course for a few years. I have always let my rye, wheat, oats, clover, whatever go to seed before I start any mowing. In some areas the mowing is all I do. Each year there is some growth in those spots. Next year that will be the plan for all plots. Instead of throw and mow, I will go with "mow".

Maybe buy a couple of steaks with the money I save!

 

[yoderjac]

Have you considered managing for weeds? I'm working to do this with more of my acreage. While I will still have some food plots, this seems like a very cost effective technique. I would think than in areas where moisture is an issue, native weeds would be quite well adapted.

Weed Management Thread

 

[Native Hunter]

For years now during spells of rainy summer weather my neighbor and I have joked, "If you want it to quit raining just plant the food plots". Each year now we have tried to put some seed in the ground in mid September only to see the weather turn DRY. Central Alabama has had little rainfall in the last six weeks and the prospects do not look good for several days now. My Dad (beef cattle farmer) always said "We need a little disturbance in the gulf to get a good rainfall"

Whatever is the case, this "food plotter" has decided to let nature take its course for a few years. I have always let my rye, wheat, oats, clover, whatever go to seed before I start any mowing. In some areas the mowing is all I do. Each year there is some growth in those spots. Next year that will be the plan for all plots. Instead of throw and mow, I will go with "mow".

Maybe buy a couple of steaks with the money I save!

Lak, a lot of us feel your pain. Over the last few years, fall droughts have been bad here too. If you look back at some of my posts on this subject, I have been a proponent of planting at least part of my fall plots "way too early" if I see a killer rain forecast. By that I mean like a high probability of two solid weeks of rain, perhaps in June of July. If I did plant this early, I would generally limit my species to clover, chicory and perhaps a few warm season species like buckwheat. I would have the intention of ending up with good clover and chicory in the fall, and if fall rains did come, I would possibly overseed with some grains and maybe even some radishes.

I'm not saying that planting early like this is the best way to do it; however, if it works, it is better than ending up with nothing. Here are some things that can go wrong:
* The killer forecast ends up being wrong, and you end up with a failure.
* Weeds will generally be worse in plots planted too early - but, if they are desirable weeds, that may not be too bad.
* Everything goes well, but an extremely long and severe drought sets in right after that. Not likely, but could cause failure.

I don't have all the answers. I may not even know all of the questions. But, I do have a couple of pretty good looking plots right now during a fall drought that were planted too early this year - and I'm seeing deer using them. Good luck.