Food-Plot Seed Mix for Spring Planting

F

Freeborn

Member
Hi group,

I’m sure many of you have tried several of the different Pheasant Forever Seed mixes. I’m comparing their mixes to several different sources and wanted to know what people thought of their quality? You can PM me if you feel uncomfortable answering that question.

Also, I am trying to determine which seed mix to go with. I’m thinking of either a straight Red Sorghum or trying a mix similar to the Blizzard Buster mix. My place is in North Central Minnesota about 20 miles north of Alexandria so I have tuff winters usually. I'm fortunate to have good cattail slews on and near my property which provide good winter cover. With this being the case I'm not certain if I would gain or lose anything when using a Blizzard Buster mix compared to a straight sorghum planting?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Pearl Millet would give you grain and tough stalks. When the leaves fold down it would be easy walking. I've seen this grown for hay with 36"+ rows.
 
Your normal snow fall will flatten sorghum and it will be not be of any good to the birds in the winter. Not knowing how wide your food plot is, but if it is wide enough i would plant 12 rows of corn on the north and west sides and then plant sorghum inside that. The corn will act as a snow fence and protect the sorghum.
 
The foodplot is 2 acres and I will be broadcasting the seed. I was thinking of planting corn on the north and west side of the plot. 12 rows would be about 30 feet if you assume 30" rows. Do you like straight sorghum over a mix?
 
Don't forget to use ample fertilizer and herbicide. learned that lesson a while back. I've always stuck with straight milo as the mixes can be hard to mix with herbicide like Dual. Milo has always stood well under heavy snow and wind for me.
 
Freeborn said:
With this being the case I'm not certain if I would gain or lose anything when using a Blizzard Buster mix compared to a straight sorghum planting?
Click to expand...
IMO the only advantage for Blizzard Buster is variety. They need a product that will work in a variety of circumstances, so if you plant it, at the very least something should grow and do well. You'll also get more variety in maturation and seed availability will be spread over a greater period.

Personally I've always chosen to make my own mixes. I have an area similar in size to yours, but left 1/2 or so go fallow every year. Typically I use a taller sorghum, a shorter sorghum to help hold up the taller come winter, and some millet for an earlier maturing seed. I'd love to use corn in my mix but the deer/raccoons/turkeys would wipe it out since it's such a small area.
 
I agree that using corn in rows on the North and West sides. Corn is still the best as far as Bird cover and Winter food in our area. If the Corn runs out and you still have heavy snow cover you should feed.
Fertilize for sure.
I like the idea of RR corn, spray once early, and let the late weeds grow in the corn. You will get foxtails , wild proso millet, giant ragweed and stuff birds love, good cover to.:thumbsup:
Use a early variety sorgum so it matures, the stalks will be much stronger with ripe grain.
 
Use a early variety sorghum so it matures
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, I like the idea of going light on the herbicide and getting some weeds to help the foodplot.

I'm looking for a sorghum to use. Does anybody have a early variety they prefer. I'd liked to find a broze variety, 5' tall with a large seedhead.

Thanks again.
 
Just curious, how would sunflowers do in your area? And ditto on letting weeds fill in between the rows. One thing you might consider if you have the room is to just disc up a strip 10 or more feet wide and let it go to weeds, might work well up next to your plot stips.
 
Black oil sunflowers do very well in NC MN. Wildlife love the plants and seeds.
Deer will eat the green very early and constant, then the flowers and seed.
You will need a big patch if you want it to last into Fall.
Sun Flowers do good mixed with sorghum, millet and small grains, best to not plant to thick.
 
I have a good deer population so sunflowers are probably out. How many days does it take sunflowers to mature? I am going to try overseeding clover with a mix of WGS but could add sunflowers if they will mature in 75 days. I plan on overseeding in mid-July.
 
Black oil Sunflowers do best in tilled soil and planted 1-1/2 inches deep. Need approximately 80 days to mature. Sunflowers are warm weather plants. Usually planted the last week in May or early June in N MN and ND.
 
Heres last years foodplot. 2 rows of sunflowers and 2 rows of milo in my JD7000 planter...

2011-08-24_19_39_41.jpg


it has held up well so far...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top