By Glen Wunderlich Outdoor Columnist Member Professional Outdoor Media Association
To seed or not to seed, that was the question. The hit and miss showers over the past month or so had an uncanny nature to miss our precious food plots, which were seeded according to the book on the first of August. As a result, I became nervous whether all the hard work and expense would bear fruit – or in this case, turnips, rape, and biologic maximum. With only a small fraction of brassica seed having germinated, I placed a call to food plotter extraordinaire, Ed Spinnazola three weeks ago.
Although Ed was away on a field day demonstration, his wife was able to relay a return message to me: Wait it out. Ed indicated that the drought conditions, although unfortunate, would not harm the seed and that patience was required. I took his advice and wondered why I never learned to dance – rain dance, that is.
Week after week the minor amounts of precipitation never penetrated the desert-like soil conditions. I then wondered if it were possible that the little bit of moisture we had received, may have caused the shallow-planted seed to germinate and then succumb to the high heat. After discussing this possibility with several farmers, I became convinced that it was likely and ordered more seed.
The next issue was how to proceed. I chose not to spray again for newly sprouted weeds that never seem to need rain. A closer look at the volunteer vegetation revealed that deer had been browsing on the pigweed, so killing it off didn’t make sense. Plus, unless a spot spray was used, I’d have killed off the desirable brassica plants, sparse as they were. So, on September 1, I broadcast over the top of it all just ahead of a rain-producing cold front moving in from the west.
I ruled out cultipacking the seed this time around to avoid damaging existing plants during the process. My theory was that merely broadcasting seed would produce less germination, thus not overcrowding what has been growing. In addition, any seed planted a month ago, that may still be lying dormant and in need of a good soaking to germinate, may sprout.
With the high temperatures and lack of rain, this season’s food plots are not expected to be a strong as in years past. Even if all goes well with the weather from this time forward, the growing season will have been shortened by one month. No doubt, that means smaller plants but I am wondering what the net effect will be.
If we were selling turnips, they’d probably be laughable; however, the deer won’t be as judgmental. And, since several acres have been planted, there just may be enough to go around for the harsh winter months ahead. In years past, we have had an over-abundance of brassicas – so much so that a fair amount actually rots in the field in the following spring. Of course, the decayed matter creates better soil for future plantings. This time, we’ll just have to wait and see.
