Spring Perennial Mix

[WildViewWeb]

What is everyones favorite Spring perennial mix. (Ex. clover, chicory, grasses etc.). What has been your most successful way to plant it?

[Bowhunters]

Welcome to the DHC forum.

I wouldn't worry about what mix is the favorite of others but find out what you need for your location, the location of the land where the plot is going to be planted and the type of soil you have there is much more important than what others are planting.

Some plot mixes are heat and drought resistent but don't do well with too much rain and some can work well in a swamp where its always wet, while even others can do well in heavy rains as long as the ground has good drainage. Thats why you need to know what type land you have when picking the mix.

So you need to decide what to plant based on where you live, how much moisture you get and the type land/soil you have where you will plant the plots over what we members feel is our favorite. What one person here has as a plot favorite may not grow well at all in your area.

We have a lot of posts here in this plot forum area that if you read some it will help answer your questions on plots including the sticky post.

If you do a google on (whitetail Institute), they sell quite a few varieties of plot mixes and one or more will likely work well in your location and land and soil type and they have a lot of information and they will help you with questions via email. They will even send you a free sample to make a small test plot and see if it does well in your area and soil before you actually buy some.

I would also advise you to get the PH level of your soil tested at the plot site, especially if you do end up planting clover. That will likely be on the plot mixes instructions for prior to planting as some clovers don't do well if the PH of the soil is way out of bounds and it could cause your plot to look bad when it was because of poor PH.

[WildViewWeb]

Thanks for the feedback. I will try this being more specific. I hunt in Southern MN bluffland farm country and love trying new food plot seed mixes on our hunting property. We have very high nutrient, neutral PH soils with good moisture & drainage most of the season. I have had good success with a perrenial white/red clover mix but have not tried one with chicory for instance. Is there anyone out there in the midwest that has a not so secret seed/plant that the deer can't get enough of during the summer months and into the fall that I should be adding to my mix?

[nissen121523]

I planted Whitetail Institutes Extreme blend, which is clover and chicory. The plot came in fantastic and the deer ate up the chicory immediately... not so much the clover. I'm thinking about killing off the plot and planting strickly chicory. The people at whitetail institute are awesome. I sent them probably 50 emails and they respond quickly and with great information. Check out what they have. I also have been very curious to try mossy oak biologic and see if its all hyped up to what people say.

[DocHolladay]

I have tried a few mixes and didn't get the results I wanted. Mostly because of different seed sizes. If you have large and small seeds mixed together, each one doesn't get the required planting depth that they need for optimal growth. Buying seeds by the pound or individual bags gets better results. You will have to do twice the work when planting, but each variety of plant has a better chance of germinating like it should.

Large seeds(like wheat, oats, soybeans) have to buried deeper than smaller seeds(like clover or chicory). You would want to plant the larger seeds first, then the small seeds last. If you have prepared the soil(disking, pH test, fertilizer, etc), you can broadcast your large seed and lightly disk it to get it at the required depth(usually 1/4"-1/2"), then come in and broadcast your small seed and either lightly rack it or use a cultipacker. What you do depends on how large of a plot you are working with.

Clover is pretty much a grow anywhere plot. It isn't that picky about soil. It will grow almost anywhere you plant it. Granted, it takes longer in some places to get the results you want to see, it will still grow. Look at most peoples yards. It is in it unless they have someone come in and "make it pretty". As with all plants used in foodplots, clover prefers a neutral pH or close to it(7 is considered neutral). A neutral pH helps keep weeds out of the plot and helps the plant absorb nutrients out of the soil. This, in turn, passes the nutrients on to the animal eating them.

The more you prepare the soil for planting, the better it does. As BH suggested, get a pH test. They are cheap and will let you know what you need to add to the soil to make it "perfect" for planting. They also make suggestions for fertilizers based on certain plants(they should ask what you are planning on doing). I would also talk to the area Farmer's Co-Op or the equivalent in your area. They should have seeds that you can buy by the pound or in bulk. They are cheaper this way and should grow just as well in your area. Mossy Oak, Whitetail Inst. and others have done a lot of hybridizing of their plants to have them grow in most areas of the US, but what you are spending most of your money on is advertising and fancy packages. Your local seed dealer should have seeds that are best suited for your growing zone.


Nissen, get you some 5-20-20 fertilizer. That should get your clover and chicory going again and get the deer on the clover. You can have 2 plots that are the same, one fertilized, one not. The animals will choose the fertilized plot over the unfertilized plot.

[nissen121523]

Thanks DOC

I followed the instructions the guys at the Whitetail Institute gave me on putting 34-0-0 down after the plot was 3'' tall. Do you think i should still put down some 5-20-20 like you said to start this year off? Also, my weeds started to get outa control. Any tips on really good weed/grass killer that wont kill the clover and chicory?

[DocHolladay]

That 34-0-0, IMO, is the wrong fertilizer for that plot. You planted clover and chicory together. Clover produces nitrogen(the 34 of your fertilizer). The chicory needs it, but the clover doesn't. That would be my guess as to why the clover didn't do good, to much nitrogen. The 5-20-20, gives you some extra nitrogen(5) to help the chicory and the phosphate(1st 20) and potash(2nd 20) will help both.

Here is what my little food plot book says about clover blends and weed control.... glyphosate herbicide (1–2 quarts per acre). It is important to spray before the weeds flower. Not only is a better kill realized, it also helps reduce the seed bank. In a few weeks, top-dress the plot with lime and fertilizer.

I am pretty sure it is the same up there, but where I get my seeds and fertilizer, they produce/buy a fertilizer with trace minerals and such in it. This not only benefits the plants, but the animals also.

[nissen121523]

thanks DOC!