© 2020 Quality Deer Management Association, Break Down the Brassicas to Choose the Best for Your Food Plots, Annuals, Perennials or Both for Food Plots? link to 52 Tips for Hanging Tree Stands for Deer Hunting, Step by step no-till food plot rotation strategy, Amend the PH of the soil (Lime can be applied weeks or months prior), Time your planting (Consider rain, time of year, existing vegetation), Broadcast the seed (Plant good seed and figure out how much seed you will need), Fertilize the soil as recommended from the soil test, Roll over or cultipack the seed into the soil, Monitor the growth of the oats (use a utilization cage to monitor deer use. In the northern half of the U.S., oats will be killed when cold weather sets in unless a cold-hardy variety is used. There are some other considerations when figuring out the timing for planting oats. If grass weeds are a problem, such as annual ryegrass in the South, your options will be more limited. On the other hand, if you have a large property, planting an oat forage plot far away from your garden, vineyard or orchard can serve as part of your strategy for steering deer away from your more desirable plants. In well-managed food plots with a neutral soil pH and good fertility, oats can contain more than 25% crude protein. Ryan Basinger of Alabama is a certified wildlife biologist and the Wildlife Consulting Manager for Westervelt Wildlife Services. I rarely buy seed off the shelf in a store. However, don’t let this scare you from trying to broadcast the seed on the ground. I like buying my seed on Amazon or straight from the seed company because I know i’m not getting old seed. Planting wheat will allow you to spray the plot with the either Axial XL or Achieve. As our climate undergoes change and hardiness zones are reconfigured to compensate, becoming familiar with the temperatures to expect in the fall is vital to a successful growing season. If you have a flower, fruit or vegetable garden near the oat plot, the deer will munch on those plants as well. One problem with oats is cold tolerance. Deer will gravitate toward the oats and leave your food source alone. He earned his bachelor's degree in wildlife science from Mississippi State University and his master's in wildlife management from the University of Tennessee. This eliminates the need to break new ground. Because of this, I recommend planting oats 6-8 week before the peak rut time period. Planting oats 1” deep in the soil is going to give the best odds for germination. Your final ring of deer food is planted with soybeans and fast-growing oats, which are ready for foraging by October and serve as the initial attraction for winter deer. When planting oats, timing is important. I’m obsessed with all things whitetail. Just before planting in the fall, turn over the spring garden soil, but don’t trash the leftover plantings or any weeds that may be present. Most of my food plots are less than 2 acres in size so walking the plot to spread the seed is not that much work and gives me good control of how much seed is getting spread. These herbicides will kill ryegrass but will not harm wheat or other broadleaf forages included in the mixture. In the North, a cold hardy variety of oats should be planted in August in conjunction with other cool-season forages that will be available in case oats are winter killed. This shallow seeding allows a fast growing period and helps prevent root rot. Plant turnip Brassica (Brassica Rapa) near the center of your plot. Since oats establish very quickly, the rapid growth rate will help suppress weed pressure naturally. Oats only test 0.45% calcium,.35% phosphorous, 16% crude protein and.65 net energy of … Similar to other cereal grains, oats are very easy to establish and can either be broadcast or drilled into a prepared seed bed. How Often Should You Fertilize a Vegetable Garden? Another appealing quality of oats is they germinate and grow very quickly, making it ideal as a nurse crop for slower growing perennial clovers and chicory, as well as providing early season hunting opportunities. Following the planting guide will help increase your success if you plan to broadcast oats on top of the ground. Even though the deer are most attracted to oats during the growing stage, oats that reach maturity are still very attractive to deer all through the winter months. If ryegrass is a problem and you want to plant a cereal grain, you will need to substitute wheat for oats. It’s no secret that cereal grains – wheat, oats, cereal rye, triticale – are popular choices for planting in food plots managed for whitetails. Also, make sure you read the seed label on the bag of seed that you buy. As always, read the seed label if you are buying something at the store. Its nutrients replenish the soil year after year, and reseeding with clover won’t be necessary for several years. 52 Tips for Hanging Tree Stands for Deer Hunting. If you’re a first-time food plot planter, preparing the site and soil takes planning. Add it to your seeding mix, and you create a natural fertilizer to enrich your fall deer food oat plots. Even though we are talking about broadcasting the seed and not tilling or drilling the seed into the ground, just understand that oats germinate much better with tilling and drilling. Oats are highly nutritious as well. Even if you plant during a rain and pack the seed into the ground with a roller, you will still have some seed loss due to animals, seed not reaching the soil, or rain washing the seed away. This lets the deer know a feeding station exists while also providing the earth with organic nutrients and nitrogen when the spring growing season is over. They provide nitrogen for the soil and reduce the need for extraneous and costly added nutrients. An early covering of snow probably won’t last or freeze the soil, but it will add moisture, which is needed to prime the soil for a successful oat planting. As previously mentioned, oats are highly favored by deer and they consistently rank among the top species consumed by deer in forage preference trials. In the South, oats should be planted in September or October when there is adequate soil moisture or rain in the forecast. Planting a mixture will also help buffer against winter kill if a cold-hardy variety of oats is not used. Since deer will eat certain flowers, fruits and vegetables, you may wish to consult with your neighbors before sowing an oat forage plot. Thus, you will need to adjust your planting strategy and only use forages that will allow you to manage the weeds in your plots most effectively. The chase never stops. Oats grow best in well-drained soil and under moist conditions, which makes fall planting desirable. However, experienced food plotters may notice that oats are a deeper green compared to the other grains. Deer will gravitate toward the oats and leave your food source alone. Oats can absolutely grow on top of the ground but there are several variables and best practices that need to be taken into account prior to broadcasting your seed. Because of this, I recommend planting oats 6-8 week before the peak rut time period. Also, when oats mature and produce a seed head, it is very easy to differentiate them from the others because its seed head is considered a panicle while the others have a spike. This rivals any other cool-season forage and is well above the levels required by deer for … Oats are an excellent choice for perennial clover/chicory plots as well. If no-till drilling, be sure to kill the existing vegetation with glyphosate a few weeks prior to planting to eliminate weed competition and expose the soil prior to planting. Oats are most often used in fall-planted hunting plots to attract deer. Oats grow best in well-drained soil and under moist conditions, which makes fall planting desirable.

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