food plot in missouri?

[zahnzieh]

Hey guys, I have some property in So Missouri/ no Arkansas. What do you reccomend planting in my food plots that will keep deer year-round? Also, what fruit/nut trees work well inm this area - I have seen some persimmon trees there. I would like to plant something requiring a minimum of cutting/maintenance as i am in Illinois. Any advice would be helpful. thanks

[wtnhunt]

Welcome to the forums. In perenials I prefer to plant clovers, but they do require a little maintenance.

Any type of fruit tree that will grow well in your area should benefit the deer. Here they love the keifer and bartlett pears. Would strongly suggest caging any trees you plant.

[LETMGROW]

One thing to consider would be to release the trees you already have. Clean up growth around them, open it up so they get good sunlight and spread fertilizer around the root area under the canopy to help growth. In many cases working with what you already have is the simplest and most cost effective method.
We may need a little more info. on the amount of area you have, what other food sources are nearby, what type soil you have etc. before we can make recommendations.
Welcome aboard.
Lynn

[ousoonerfan22]

I've read on here the sawtooth oaks will start dropping acorns in about five years so I've been planting them.I also planted some apple trees,white oaks and swamp white oaks.I'm wanting to plant some crabapple trees because my parents have a couple in their front yard and one type has yellow fruit almost the size of a persimmon.I picked up these crabapples and dumped them next to some red apples and pears and the deer would clean up the crabapples before touching the other fruit.
As mentioned above you will need to put some type of wire mesh or fence around each fruit tree.

[dogdoc]

welcome to RT forums.

As far as a year round your best bet would be a nice perennial blend of different clovers, trefoil, and chicory. However--they do require mowing couple times of year and occasional fertilization. Proper soil prep is also a majory key to longevity.

If you want something easy and you have enough area to plant then a nice mix of warm and cool season annuals is the way to go. You could spend a weekend planting your warm season plots in mid-april and then another weekend planting your cool season plot in late August.

Spring I'd plant a mix of cowpeas, soybeans, millet, milo, and forage sorghum.

Fall I'd plant a mix of wheat, rye, oats, brassicas, and austrian winter peas.

good luck
todd

[Thayer]

Lablab worked real well for us in that rocky red soil....get your lime truck in there asap! You could try some rr soybeans to prep for a fall plot.

[hunting_boy]

well this i swhat you should plant you should plant some milo and some sweet corn and some red clover it works very well