Marshall County Extension Office Newsletter

Let's Talk Food Plots

Recently, we had a small cool front move through. Fall is just around the corner. It has felt good the last couple of mornings. I started thinking about mornings in the woods when I was much younger. Back then, if I hadn’t started to think about planting fall food plots … I wasn’t far from getting started on breaking ground. Now, I think about fall supplemental food plots all the time.

During the fall season, at the end of the winter in February and March, during turkey season, and throughout the summer. There is just something about working dirt and having something grow and it helping draw an animal to a food source that can be beneficial to their productivity. It seems that deep down it draws us to want to turn soil over and plant a little seed. Food plots can contain sections that were planted and sections where the soil was just disked, disturbing the seed bank getting native forbs and browse to begin to grow. It is good to have warm and cool season food plots that produce forage year-round on the property in hopes that we continue to provide a good forage for all the wildlife in the area. Food plots are often one of the only options that those that have leases are available to achieve where those that are private landowners may have a better option for all of the wildlife on the property. Habitat management can benefit wildlife as much if not more than a supplemental food plot when done correctly.

There are all kinds of supplemental food plot blends that are quick and easy to put out. As they bounce in the hopper the heavy and small seeds sink and the light seeds rise. This can cause an uneven spreading of the mix. Some may plant perennial seeds that will return for multiple years. Those perennial seeds can be costly to purchase and sometimes costly to maintain throughout the year both with money and time/effort. Put the pen to the paper and compare how much time and effort it is on your part to keep perennials around.

Probably the most basic thing that can be planted for cool season food plots is a simple mix of wheat, oats, and elbon rye. It is a good solid mix that provides plenty of forage during the winter. Some land managers will add clover or chicory (perennials) but when done right it is simple to keep that clover and chicory alive for years to come. For those small perennial seeds, it is recommended to have already planted the cereal grains and just seed on top of the already planted food plot and cultipack, so those small seeds are not planted too deep and still have plenty of soil contact so that they can grow. In following years if the clover and chicory survive, land managers may just top dress with the cereal grains the following fall and then cultipack the distributed cereal grain seeds onto a damp field the following years. (Mississippi State Extension Publication 2111, scan the QR code below to read)

The first question that many biologists may ask … Have you done a soil test? The next question may be … Have you limed ahead before you planted? Soil amendments are one thing that can be ignored even by wildlife experts. It is however, the one thing that should be done long before that cool snap finally shows up. In all honesty, we should be liming our soil right after the 4th of July at the latest to make sure that the soil is ready for when we decide to plant.

When thinking about supplemental food plots, I am thinking if I amended the soil right this year, how are they growing in October, November, do I need to put out a little nitrogen before the rut, how do they look late January, and more importantly … is it helping my wildlife species in stress periods. Always wondering what may work better. What may work cheaper. Do I need to plant more annuals or perennials? Is my wife right about throwing money on the ground.

Many individuals plant Labor Day weekend … wait for the right weather, the rain, and don’t try to feed the army worms … try waiting until the end of September or mid-October before putting the seed out. If you have any questions, you are welcome to call the Marshall County Extension Office at (662)252-3541 or send me an email at lemon.phelps@msstate.edu and I will be happy to help.

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