Spring/Summer Annual Food Plot Seeds

There are many choices of annual food plot seeds plant that are planted in the spring. Spring planted annuals provide a high tonage of food during the late spring and summer. As a comparison annuals often supply 10 to 15 tons of browse per acre per year while perennials generally yield 1-1.5 tons per acre per year. This is the time of the year when bucks are growing antlers and the does drop thieir fawns. Lactation causes does to need a high quantity and high protein diet. The young fawns are big eaters and need a high protein diet. Summer annuals will greatly aid in the quality of your deer herd, help produce larger antlers and keep deer on your property a higher percentage of their lives.

Burgundy Beans:

• Burgundy beans are a high forage producing plant that comes back quickly from browsing. New leafs come out within days of being bitten off by deer. This is a very high protein and high nitrogen fixing plant that is extremely drought resistant plant that will grow on your less productive soils. Of course they will do best if your fertility is good and the topsoil is present. We plant in very late April if the soil is warm and during the month of May. Plant 4-5 pounds per acre when planted alone. This is a small seed and a large plant. We plant in a mix with WGF Grain Sorghum. The sorghum provides structure for the burgundy bean to climb on.

WIldlife Game Food (WGF) Grain Sorghum:

• This is a very versatile crop. It can be planted from Mid – April to Mid – June in the Mid-South. It can be planted alone for ducks and doves or in mixes for deer and turkey. Plant 20 pounds per acre if planted alone. Deer will browse on them a little while growing. However, when the heads mature the deer will come in and bite the seed head off. You can tell the difference from birds and deer because the seeds will be picked the spine but deer will bite the whole head off. Sorghum is kin to corn and also provides carbohydrates in the fall for deer. Sorghum takes about 90 days from planting to maturity.

Alyceclover:

• This is probably the best summer annual clover. We do not put this in the mix because many properties already have a significant amount of clover growing. This clover can be planted after drag harrowing larger seeds and before culipacking. We usually carry some in stock. Call for pricing. Plant 20 pounds per acre if planting alone.

Lab Lab:

• Lab lab is a summer vining bean that is drought resistant and low pH tolerant. They work great in mixes with WGF Grain Sorghum and/or Perodovik Sunflower that provide structure for the vines to climb on assuming they grow enough to climb before the deer eat them. This is a very high protein yielding plant.

Summer Cowpeas:

• This is another drought resistant and low pH tolerant summer food plot plant. We use this with burgundy beans and lab lab in our summer annual mix. These peas are heavily browsed and provide protein at a critical time of the year.

Chufa:

• Most folks realize that chufa is a good turkey planting. Chufa is also an excellent planting for waterfowl. Chufa should be rotated after planting for two years in one spot. Planting in a loose soil such as a sandy loam works best. The chufa plant puts on a tuber underground (think peanut and small potato). The turkey will scratch for the tubers that are below grade. It will look like you have plowed. Sometimes we dig a little to help the turkeys find it.

Perodovik Sunflower:

• Perodovik sunflower is an excellent annual to be used in mixtures for deer and also is excellent in a dove mix or planted alone for doves. Deer will eat the heads off after maturing. If you have planted for doves bush hog your first area as soon as the sunflower heads mature. We use this in our spring/summer mix. It helps to provide structure for the vining beans. Plant 30 pounds per acre when planting alone. These sunflowers take about 100 days from planting to maturity.

Japanese Millet:

• This is a great choice for a quality waterfowl planting. It can be flooded at or near maturity. It will take 60-90 days to mature. We sell as a individual seed and it our waterfowl mix. Plant 30 pounds per acre if planted alone.

Eagle Brand Soybeans:

• We are dealers for Eagle Brand Soybeans. We stock both Large Lad and Big Fellow varieties. Both of these forage soybeans are Roundup Ready. These soybeans are not agricultural soybeans developed for the bean but varieties that are forage varieties. We can order mixes or other products from Eagle if you call us. Plant 50 pounds per acre.

Roundup Ready Corn:

• Corn is a good choice for doves, waterfowl, deer and turkey but you will need to plant a large amount to provide much food. In small plots the corn is often browsed while the stalks are young. Corn supplies a low level of protein but is an excellent carbohydrate soure for deer in the fall. We reommend one acre or more if planting corn. Corn is planted at approximately 14 pounds to the acre. In food plots, corn does not have to be planted in rows but can be broadcast, covered and culitpacked.

Wildlife Rice:

• The great advantage in this rice planting is that it can be planted in 4″-6″ of water. Just double the seed rate if planting in shallow water. Normallly it should be planted at 40 pounds to the acre if not planted in standing water.

White and Dove Proso Millet:

• These millets are great for doves either planted alone or in a dove mix. This is a drought resistant crop that is planted at about 35 pounds per acre if planted alone.