Should I broadcast Broadside in to my “feeding” plots during the fall?
Filed under: Food Plots
I very much appreciate all the work you and your team put into providing some great shows that are both educational and entertaining!
I have several 3-acre plots here in Louisiana that I am converting into “feeding” plots while creating 1/4 acre “Hidey Hole” and “Staging Area” plots near the larger plots. I plan to have 90% of the feeding plot planted in soybeans with the remaining 10% in a clover/grain mix.
My question is if I plant the Hidey Hole plot with the Broadside mix in the fall, should I broadcast anything into the standing soybean field or just let it remain solely soybeans? My desire is to have the feeding plot providing ample nutrition to the deer with the Hidey Hole plots providing some harvest opportunities.
Thanks for your time,
Francis
Francis,
I really enjoy improving soil quality and providing year round nutrition for critters. For these reasons I always broadcast or drill Broadside into plots with standing soybeans!
If plants aren’t growing throughout the entire growing season (most of the year if you use a cool season blend like Broadside in Louisiana) than soil nutrients will leach deep into the soil profile. These nutrients will be too deep for new seedlings to reach the next spring. So – using a cover crop saves soil nutrients and therefore reduces the need for fertilizer!
In addition deer will eat the Broadside during warmer days and the soybean grain during cooler days – making the plot more attractive to deer more days during the hunting season. In addition, Broadside will produce much biomass which will decompose the following spring (after being sprayed). This builds soils, holds soil moisture, and reduces wind and water caused erosion. I could go on – but the bottom line is using Broadside as a cover crop is good for deer, good for deer hunting, and great soil management!
Enjoy creation,
grant
November 11, 2015
