Need some ideas please...

[rancid]

I've had a wetland reserve project done on 35 acres of my property.The Gov. tranformed drained farm field back into wetlands.They want to plant 4-5 differant kinds of warm season grasses which I'm told have little food value to the wildlife in the area.Is there anything I could plant on the high ground areas that will benifit deer, pheasants, and all other critters that is low maintenance?Due to the restrictions on mowing and tilling of wetlands I'm kinda stuck to doing planting one time for now.Any suggestions will be apprieciated.Thanks.

[oldguy]

I've had a wetland reserve project done on 35 acres of my property.The Gov. tranformed drained farm field back into wetlands.They want to plant 4-5 differant kinds of warm season grasses which I'm told have little food value to the wildlife in the area.Is there anything I could plant on the high ground areas that will benifit deer, pheasants, and all other critters that is low maintenance?Due to the restrictions on mowing and tilling of wetlands I'm kinda stuck to doing planting one time for now.Any suggestions will be apprieciated.Thanks.

Some of the warm season grasses are actually reasonably palatable and beneficial to deer. Big bluestem, little bluestem and indiangrass are readily eaten by whitetail. The WSG exception might be switchgrass, which is only palatable during its early growth stages. All work great as bedding cover for whitetail, and pheasant in particular love the stuff. I think it was Ed Spin that suggested adding a legume or two (clover, trefoil, alfalfa, etc) to a warm season grass mix for an additional foodsource. We have nearly 50 acres in warm season grasses, and the deer are everywhere. Give the NRCS guys a chance.....they'll turn your place into a deer haven in a couple years.

[bde]

I agree with OLDGUY, It will take time for the grasses to be tall enough for bedding but they love it.

[rancid]

Thanks for the reply old guy.I relayed this info to the guy at the nrcs office and he was surprised to hear that those grasses had a food value at all.Those are the same ones they want to plant.I relayed the extra that you suggested with the clover and stuff.Do you have a certain clover that you'd recommend using with this mix and what kind of lbs. per acre would be best?They plan on using 2# per acre of the warm season grasses.Thanks again.By the way the guy from the nrcs office is now reading this for your tips.

[oldguy]

Re the legume, I've had really good luck with plain old ladino clover from the local co-op. Doesn't take much (no more than a pound/acre) to get a carpet of clover between the bunches of grass, especially with the moist soil you described. Another option might be Korean lespedeza, or plain old medium red clover.

The hard part about establishing a bedding area like this is that it takes patience. IF you're lucky, you'll get some decent cover by the second year. But trust me, it's well worth the effort! The trick to establishing this habitat is to allow the warm season grasses to get a good start, which means knocking down the competing weeds, etc. The problem with that, is that most of the (cost effective) chemical means of weed control will also do a number on your legumes. The other option (if you have the equipment) is frequent mowing.

My prairie's been going for awhile, but I found the easiest way to increase forage is to frost seed the legumes after a midwinter burn.....timing is everything here, but the results are incredible.

Just my $.02, but I'd stick with a pound to the acre of an inexpensive legume for the initial planting (I think most of the NRCS plantings allow for it anyway). After your grasses get going in a couple years, try doing a prairie burn in Feb/Mar (or as soon as the snow's gone). That'll leave you with a really clear seed bed to broadcast more legumes of your choosing (or a combination with some forbes). Even if it's too late for the frost cycles to work the seed in, the spring rains will. When the grasses come up that summer, the legumes will have filled in all the bare soil areas. Then you can post us all with some pictures of all the deer hanging out in your fields!

In any event, check out Ed Spins' book if you haven't already, he's a great resource. Hope this was helpful, and good luck!!

[Foodplot]

May want to do a search for native plants that would have grown in your area, one that comes to mind is sensitive pea, Illinois bundleflower(Desmanthus Illinoenisis) also Acacia Angustissima, both or native legumes and seed well. Seeds are used by wild turkey bobwhite quail and the foliage is good for whitetail deer/livestock. Most seed stores have them, just do a search. Also arrowleaf clover is always good. The three prairie grasses recommended to you are excellent for cover with deer utilizing them somewhat. I planted Alamo Switchgrass last year and I'm pleased. Make sure you buy Native seed, that is native to your area, not from Texas etc. I try native plants as much as possible because of their hardiness and the fact deer were eating on them long before the rest of these products came along. Beware of not being able to mow switchgrass, it can obtain heights to 10 ft. and become woody/stemmy which causes punctures in tractor tires, has to be managed somewhat. Great for erosion control.