First time food plot going in. Read the books. Got the seed from Northwoods. Packer Maxx cultipacker. Fimco sprayer. Designed my land and did some TSI according to plan and following the no till program for plot. Invested the time and money into books (and took notes) seed equipment. Will report back. Thank you Jeff and the WHS team for making all this info available.
Jeff, I’ll be planting buckwheat in two weeks on all three of my plots. Can’t wait to see the results, especially the no till aspect for this fall when I plant brassica and your blend from John Komp. Thanks for all the info, Jeff!
Great stuff. SW Michigan , first spraying of Gly +2-4D on the plots and the to be planted switch areas, done. One more spraying late May of Gly then planting the switch. Already have 200# of buckwheat I picked up earlier this year to plant in June. Following your no till and seeding in peas, beans, oats and wheat, Rye follow ups in mid Sept.if needed. Just hoping for timely late summer fall rains!
We are doing the no till buckwheat for Brassica in the fall, planting here in Pennsylvania at the end of May , also using it as a soil builder, also adding around 1000 lbs of lime on each field according to the soil sample., Thanks for all the videos, great advice in every one of them.
Tried this Buckwheat plot in 2021 - it caught great - but - it was the best forage in the area and got demolished by the deer herd. Buckwheat and Jeff's 1/2 brassica / 1/2 greens works really well IF you have enough other forage so those crops can mature. I turned my plots back to a crop that can withstand the overgrazing prevalent in my location. Thanks Jeff for another great "how to" video - wish I could!
@@randomstew I went to a mixed legume, white and red perennial clover, Birdsfoot Trefoil and chicory, I overseed with a 150# of rye/acre ~ 10 Sep. In mid Apr I terminate everything, weeds etc except the legumes with IMOX.
Hey Jeff this year rather than just using buckwheat as a soil builder also going too add crimson clover and sorghum too avoid creating a monoculture hopefully the diversity of the other planting will add too the organic matter also along with the buckwheat help too shade out new weed growth
This is JUST what I've been looking for! I am starting new plots in SC. Terrible soil, 4.72 PH. I limed and want to plant buckwheat and crimson clover to start building my soil. I have set target of 2025 to hunt on property so have time to make improvements. My question, should I plant a perennial (clover, chicory) with buckwheat/crimson this spring, or wait until buckwheat/crimson has had a chance to provide some soil improvement and then add perennials? Awesome videos, thanks for sharing great knowledge base!!
I have a hard time with the buck wheat. The deer bed in it which allows weeds to establish. But I still seed and spray with great success even in the weedy spots.
Tried buckwheat last year for the 1st time and unfortunately failed.. We had a record hot and dry year in Central WA. We shifted to no till peas and oats in August, but still too hot and dry-only a few oats made it. Late August rye came up like a champ and was 6" by mid September which is our archery month. 12"+ by Oct rifle season and getting hammered hard this spring!
Question: I have a beautiful first-time plot of Buckwheat planted 5 weeks ago, it looks to be already flowering, Should I allow it to remain and seed out? I wanted to leave until September to crimp it or roll it with my cereal rye/turnips underneath. Is it ok to allow it to seed, or will it keep growing and seed again after it seeds? Not sure what to do- thanks
Hi Kristoff. I actually never plant it this early because 1 frost will kill it, AND you don't want it growing for more than 8 weeks, typically. On good soil we target 6 or 7 weeks growth which means we plant in early June. To be honest, this is way too early for how we use it.
Rye works well as long as you kill its growth before it goes to seed....also before it gets above 3' tall. Often overbrowsing is a product of too few acres planted, even in tough areas.
Jeff, Planning on using your no till method this year with buckwheat to plant winter rye. With this process, when do I spray the DeerGro Plot Start? Before planting the buckwheat on June 1 or before planting the winter rye on August 1?? I know I have to spray glyphosate after smashing the buckwheat to kill the buckwheat. Located in North Central WV. Thanks for all you do!!
Jeff I’ve been watching your videos a couple years and learned a lot. I know you primarily work in the Midwest region. I’m about to move to Georgia. Do you have anyone that does what you do in Georgia, or is the program the same just plant later in the fall?
I understand buckwheat takes up calcium from your soil. Do you apply Deergro when you seed buckwheat or wait until you seed the brassica or both (do not spray gly and Deergro in the same tank)?
Hi Britt! I spray it at a bare minimum at the time I seed the brassica...and if I have time in the spring, I spray it when I seed the buckwheat too! It looks like that will be the case this year...
Food plot areas will be cleared in October by loggers. If I intend on using buckwheat next year in the plots as part of no-till planting, do I need to do a soil test first and then possibly lime, fertilize, etc.? Or can I just broadcast the seed on the bare ground left by the loggers? The property is in NW Wisconsin and the forest floor is covered with leaves (acidic?).
@@northwoodswhitetailsfoodpl2663 Sounds good, and I’ll be ordering seed (buckwheat, switchgrass, brassica, etc.) from you next year. Let's all hope glyphosate and fertilizer costs, not to mention gas prices, are down next year too.
I just got my buckwheat planted yesterday ahead of a great rain last night. It looks like tomorrow and monday nights will be very cold, but from then on, cold is behind us in the South. I know buckwheat is not cold tolerant. My question is will these next two cold, cold nights impact germination, or is buckwheat sensitive to cold only after germination???
I am considering using your no till buckwheat method (for fall brassicas). What is your targeted lbs of seed per acre? I have the choice of using an old international 510 seeder or bag seeding. I have about 4 acres to put into brassicas in the fall.
Hi Aaron, yes you do! Just so that it dies, you kill weeds within it, and so that it deteriorates rapidly and doesn't shade out growth underneath . You can actually mow buckwheat at times without killing it, so the crimper alone doesn't do much. A cultipacker actually works better, btw...
Hi Jeff. So I have an old field on the form I hunt that I want to turn into a food plot for next fall. What do I need to do with this field before I plant the buckwheat? This old field currently has tall weeds and grasses growing now. Do I have to mow that field and spray it then plant the buckwheat?
Hey Jeff! SW IN hunter here. Frost seeded clover the first week of March and it’s doing very well so far. Can winter rye be broadcasted in the plot this fall? Worried this might outcompete the clover and leave me with a weak crop next year.
Hi Jackson! The rye will actually get outcompeted by the clover, and not grow.. the bad thing about clover (other than an unnecessary Summer food aource) is that it can't bel planted into by brassica, rye, peas or any other crip without first being terminated or worked under the soil.
Thank you for your response! If I were to eliminate the clover and start over next year, what would you recommend I plant to have the best early and late season food source in the area? Divide the plot in half? Half corn half beans? Half rye half clover? Forgive my ignorance! Still learning
I live in Texas so going out to y’all’s place is out of my range for travel. However, I’d really like to throw some money towards Kicking Bear when you get cranking on that. Can people not present at the event buy raffle tickets?Please, tell us more about how we can help kids and families enjoy the outdoors. Thanks!
I live 6 hours from my hunting property. I am heading out for a 4 days at the end of this month. Would it be possible to spray 3 acres, then till it and plant it in buckwheat?
You always want to wait about 7 to 10 days before you till. Also tilling just brings up more weed seeds so if you have goodnsoil exposure you can just broadcast and cultipack. BUT, you want to time you buckwheat with when you plant your fall crop. If you plan to plant around 8/10 you would back up 6 weeks on good soil and plant...meaning the last week of June if you are going to seed into with my Ultimate No Till Planting. Or 8 weeks on poor soil which would be more around June 10th.
I really appreciate the response. The property is Muskingum county ohio I just purchased last year. Right now the field is just native grass. I haven't gotten the soil sample back yet. Maybe I will be better off waiting to plant a fall plot at this point. I am fortunate enough to have a tractor with some attachments. But I really like what you do with the buckwheat rotation! Thank you for putting out the great content!
Sorry for my ignorance, but isn't 64 Oz per acre excessive for glyphosate? The agronomy place I got mine at told me 22 oz per acre. Glyphosate is crazy high in price right now.
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Thanks for the reply! Hopefully my comment didn't come across wrong. I really am ignorant when it comes to these chemicals. Feel like you practically need a PHD in Chem to read the labels. Anyways, I hit a plot a couple days ago using 30oz per acre and it seems like it isn't doing the job and I just wasted chemical. Very much appreciate your advice and all the videos you put out. I love your content!
Jeff, what is your opinion on an alfalfa/clover food plot with rye and oats as a nurse crop? I am located north of Rapid River MI in the UP. Planted about mid august…I never hear you talk much about alfalfa…thanks
It's a cover crop you don't plant it in thefall so whT would be the difference in just doing lime in the fall also it's summer food and I thought u said we don't want summer food?
Do you think I can safely spray my switchgrass today with gly and 2,4-d in central Wisconsin. It’s been real warm the last few days and the soil map said 69 degrees yesterday.
Maybe...but especially the other actually really bad herbicides and pesticides used on the thousands of acres of ag land that surrounds us. Fortunately Glyphosate is the weakest of them all...
Thank you for the response and all of the first rate whitetail info you share, it is the best I have found. As for the glyphosate, I appreciate that it is "less bad" and realize the challenges of farming without it. Yet, knowing that if it is in the soil, it will be in the crop... then the animal... then in us. Can we really be sure it is harmless? As for me, I will endeavor to employ techniques that don't require the risks and yes, probably tolerate a few weeds along the way. There are a few farmers relearning how to farm without herbicide on a large scale ( and being productive and profitable!). If I can be successful on even one acre, maybe may neighbor will see and do likewise, and so on. Anyway, thanks for allowing me to rant and keep up the good work.
So i planted my buckwheat in a 1/2 acre surrounded by heavy agricultural and the deer ate it before it got a foot tall. Lots of grass came up. The buckwheat in my cage did awesome. Now what? 😂
Here is a fun fact YOU CAN DRINK GLYPHOSATE!! Alot of people don't know that, I have a friend who worked for mons####. The chemical that will make you sick is the serfactant (used to help leaves to take chemical up). So don't be barking about glyphosate when it's one of the nicest chemicals used in farming.
I wouldn't encourage it or recommend it 😉 BUT, I've heard stories of the old chemical sales people drinking it back in the 80s to show it was safe. Bottom line...it is by far the least you have to worry about being sprayed right now in ag fields or food plots.
Jeff our big destination food plot is about 120 yards in front of my Mom and Dads house! It’s screened off! Do you think deer tolerate them letting dogs out to use bathroom after dark?
Hey Drew I can’t speak for Jeff but I will tell you our situation. Our main test plot is 100 yards off our back door and it’s not screened from the house. At night the deer watch us take our dog out (every evening). The yard is lit up so they can see what’s going on but we can’t see the plot. It does not seem to bother them.
