Whether you’re in the feed store, local diner, or viewing internet forums, there’s an inevitable conversation happening right now. Starting around July every year, deer hunters begin asking the same question: when should they start preparing their cool-season food plots?
We all hope for the right conditions at the correct time, but unfortunately weather doesn’t always cooperate. Timing of planting food plots can be much more complicated than you expect when balancing the rain forecast, time off work, and length of time prior to frost. This article will help you choose the right time to plant your food plots this fall, North to South, and it will show you what to do if the right time never appears.
Avoiding Bare Food Plots
Before we consider planting timing, I think it’s first important to discuss best management practices to avoid the worst-case scenario: bare dirt plots during the hunting season. In years with timely rain this may not be an issue, but consistent food plot success requires a diversity of plantings across a property.
For example, dry weather during late summer and early fall leads to delayed or failed cool-season plantings, but properties with warm-season plantings such as soybeans, cowpeas, and jointvetch should have excellent attraction from green forage until frost. Grain plantings such as corn, sorghum, or soybeans can provide foraging and hunting opportunities later in the fall even if dry weather persists. Including perennial plantings also helps, as species such as red and white clover often rebound quickly after fall rainfall compared to annuals which have yet to establish. Not every year or planting season will go as planned, and maintaining diverse plantings can help reduce the likelihood of complete food plot failure during a given year.
Food Plot Species and Timing
The first step toward deciding when to plant relates to the species you are including in a food plot. Each species has a different growth rate, and planting too early or late can be a real problem. Planting turnips or wheat too early can result in them attempting to flower and produce seed during the fall. Fall armyworms also can devastate early-planted food plots, especially cereal grains in the South. Planting too late also is an issue, as it will reduce forage available to deer during the hunting season.
Different plants have varying tolerance to cold, hot, dry, and wet conditions which may influence timing. It is unlikely early-planted clovers would flower and die if planted too early, for example, but they have fairly poor tolerance of hot and dry conditions. On the other hand, brassicas tend to require a slightly longer growing period for maximum production. Thus, it is important to consider the appropriate length of time prior to the first fall frost that a forage species requires for establishment.
Brassicas and radishes typically are the first cool-season species to be planted each fall, as their production tends to be greatest if they are established early. In most cases, it is best to plant leafy greens approximately 70 to 80 days prior to the first frost. In the North, most brassicas are planted in late July to early August. Mid-South food plotters should look to plant in early to mid-August, and those in the Deep South may wait until early September.
Most of the leafy greens can tolerate late-summer growing conditions if they receive sufficient rainfall for establishment. Radishes especially can provide excellent attraction during archery season if they are established early, but there is a tradeoff associated with early leafy green plantings. Brassica fungal diseases such as anthracnose grow best during hot, humid conditions, and it is advisable to plant later to avoid the risk of disease problems. This may not always be practical, but it is worth considering this risk if you’ve encountered problems with brassica fungal diseases in the past within a field.
Clovers and cereal grains typically are planted slightly later in the fall. Planting cereal grains too early is a common mistake, as they will attempt to bolt and produce seed if there are too many growing days prior to frost. Mid to late-August is recommended for these planting in the North and those in the Mid-South should wait until early to mid-September. Waiting until late September to early October generally works best for properties in the Deep South.
Waiting for Rain
With any food plot, adequate rainfall is absolutely critical to success. Unfortunately, many cool-season plots each year fail because of limited rainfall immediately after planting. Some of these failures are unavoidable, but often we can reduce the likelihood of failed plots with a few simple steps.
First, be sure to check the weather forecast prior to planting. Getting enough time to plant can be a challenge, and I’ve certainly planted plenty of plots with a rain-free forecast simply because I didn’t have time in my schedule to wait. However, if at all possible, it is much better to wait until there is a significant chance of rain in the weekly forecast.
Ideally, having multiple chances of rainfall is best in case the weatherman misses the mark (which never happens!). If you are using conventional tillage or a no-till drill, soil moisture prior to either planting or working the ground also matters. Thus, it may be necessary to wait until after the first rain to plant if dry conditions would make tillage or drilling difficult.
It is also important to make sure you’re ready to plant when conditions are right. Nothing is worse than trying to beat an imminent thunderstorm only to realize your disk is broken, the tractor is overheating, or weeds have overtaken the plot you wanted to plant. We often only have a couple of windows each fall to maximize planting success, and taking care of these issues ahead of time is the best way to avoid unexpected problems which lead to delayed plantings.
Considerations During Dry Conditions
Planting techniques may influence your willingness to risk planting in dry conditions. In general, plots planted with a no-till drill tend to have greater resilience to drought than fields planted conventionally or via no-till top-sowing. Retained organic material helps conserve soil moisture, and the placement of seed at the proper soil depth reduces the likelihood of desiccation. Larger seeds such as cereal grains, planted conventionally and buried to the proper depth (using either a disk or conventional drill), usually are more tolerant of drought after planting than smaller seeds placed on or near the soil surface.
Fields planted via no-till top-sowing may vary in response to drought based on the amount of organic material present. No-till top-sowed plantings covered in dead plant material by cultipacking or mowing after broadcasting can tolerate some period of drought, whereas seeds top-sown onto a burned area tend to be more sensitive to dry conditions. I certainly don’t suggest you plant any cool-season plots without rain in the forecast, but there are planting techniques that are more prone to fail during a dry spell.
Rainfall also can influence nutrient availability, especially when applying a urea-based nitrogen fertilizer. Urea commonly is used in brassica plantings, but it can volatilize into a gas form if it is surface applied without rainfall. Given current fertilizer prices, losing 30% or more of your nitrogen fertilizer is costly! Fortunately, volatilization can be prevented by using other forms of nitrogen, incorporating urea into the soil, using coated urea fertilizer, or waiting to apply urea until just before rainfall. Don’t overlook volatilization when considering planting with a “risky” weather forecast.
Fall Food Plot Backup Plans
You did everything correctly this year, from controlling weeds, applying soil amendments, and maintaining a flexible schedule to plant based on weather. Unfortunately, the weather forecast didn’t cooperate, and you’ll have to come up with another plan to avoid a bare food plot in November. The good news is that you have options! I’ll present a few common scenarios for those planting in the Mid-South. Simply adjust the timeframe forward or backwards if you’re working in the North or Deep South.
If you wanted to originally plant a brassica food plot in the Mid-South, I generally would consider switching gears if dry conditions persist until mid-September. Brassica seeds last several years if stored properly without major losses in germination rates, so you could save them until next year. Wheat and annual clovers can be planted into October and will provide quick attraction after planting, as well as high-quality forage during the following spring. I would recommend ordering seeds but waiting to plant until the conditions are right when possible.
When droughty conditions persist into mid to late October in the Mid-South, it may be time to shift gears again. Wheat plantings can be successful into November, but cereal rye may be a slightly better option for growing in colder conditions. If you are mainly interested in providing high-quality forage the following spring, stick with a mixture of annual clover and wheat. However, if you want to provide the quickest attraction for late plantings during the middle of hunting season, I would consider a relatively high rate of cereal rye.
Cereal rye grows better in colder conditions, and increasing the rate to around 150 lbs./acre will allow the plot to fill in quickly. Many consider no-till top-sowing late-planted food plots, and cereal rye can be successfully established without tillage by spreading the seed just before a rain event. Although your food plot won’t be the lush brassicas you envisioned, a late-planted cereal rye planting can be extremely attractive during a dry fall when all of your neighbor’s food plots likely failed.
Fixing Failed Food Plots
It is very common during dry years to see partially or totally failed cool-season plantings. Whether you placed too much trust in the forecast or were forced to plant during poor conditions, your planting isn’t coming up as you would have hoped when it finally rained three weeks after planting. Fortunately, there are strategies to improve the plot for this fall.
If you have reduced planting density, adding additional seeds to the plot can work well to fill in gaps. For plantings of cereal grains and/or clovers, simply no-till top-sow approximately a half-rate of seeds just prior to the next rainfall event. Adjusting the rate up or down may be necessary based on the current plant density of the plot. For patchy brassica plantings, consider no-till top-sowing a cereal grain, especially if you are getting into early fall. Cereal grains will establish more quickly and are an inexpensive addition to increase forage production.
Plantings also may completely fail during especially dry conditions. I generally wait for rain before replanting, as much of the seed you originally planted may remain viable. Although it hurts to pay for more seed, replanting the plot may be your only option if your original planting fails to establish after rain. Weed control may be an important consideration in failed plantings, as a flush of weeds after rainfall is common. Either cultivating or spraying the plot may be necessary if this occurs. After taking care of weeds, I would work through the progression of backup options of wheat and annual clovers, then cereal rye depending on the month you finally receive rainfall.
Failed cool-season plantings during dry years are difficult to avoid, but they highlight the need to consider holistic habitat management practices. Providing deer with abundant native forages and warm-season plantings can help buffer the negative impact of fall drought, as your deer shouldn’t rely on cool-season food plots alone for nutrition.
| Food Plot Species | Ideal Timing with Rainfall |
|---|---|
| Brassicas (leafy greens): Plant 70 to 80 days prior to first frost for maximum production. | North: late July to early August Mid-South: early to mid August Deep South: late August to early September |
| Clovers and Cereal Grains | North: mid to late August Mid-South: early to mid September Deep South: late September to early October |
| Plan B if you miss the brassica window: Save the brassica seeds for next year and plant wheat and annual clovers. | North: into September Mid-South: into October Deep South: into November |
| Plan C if you miss the Plan B window: Plant cold-hardy cereal rye (or wheat in the South) in a pure stand at 150 lbs./acre. | North: into early October Mid-South: into early November Deep South: into late November |
| Filling in partially failed food plots: No-till top-sow a half rate of the same species (or just cereal grains if later in the fall) just prior to rainfall. |
Here’s to Lush Food Plots!
Deciding when to plant your cool-season food plots is based on science, planning, and a little luck. Choose your window of dates based on the species you are planting, but don’t be afraid to change your plans if dry conditions occur. Here’s to timely rain and lush food plots this fall!