Creating Cover in Shade
Filed under: Ask Grant, Habitat Management
Grant, What is the best thing I can do to thicken up my property? It has a lot of mature trees but still tends to be on the thin side in a lot of areas. It just seems that thorns and other underbrush do not grow naturally. I want to try to create that bedroom that I don’t currently have. I have the food and the water but I know I lose a lot of deer off my property due to insufficient bedding and cover! I have been doing some looking at millet but I’m not sure this is the answer. Basically I want to broadcast whatever you suggest and let it go to town. My main concern is that it will be heavily shaded and needs to be established before the leaves fall or else it will be smothered by the multiple oak and sycamore leaves! Thanks, Chris
Chris,
All plants need sunlight to grow. I’m not aware of any crop (be it for food or cover) that will be very productive if it is heavily shaded. I suspect the best prescription to create cover on your property is to open the forest’s canopy. Then you can choose a type of cover that’s best for your area.
Without creating areas where the sun reaches the soil, no crop is going to grow well.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
