Nothing wrong with weeds, as long as they offer the same nutrients to the deer as what folks are planting. Plants being eaten don't always mean that it's good for the deer.
Does this weed in question put as much nutrients back into the soil as sunn hemp?
Here’s a list of some of the more common field weeds and their nutritive value…..I don’t see marestail on this one but some of the other "weeds" I’ve posted pictures of the deer browsing that I do see on there include Virginia pepperweed, cutleaf evening primrose and ragweed. The pepperweed is 32% crude protein…..the primrose is 20%….ragweed is 21-26%…White clover as an example is listed as 25%….
Here’s something on marestail specifically…..Folks can say what they want but I’m watching it being pretty heavily browsed in my test field. Its not just a matter of a plant or two either. I would say around 40-50% of all the marestail plants in the field show browsing pressure already.
“Per 100g of dry weight the leaves have a small amount of protein and fat, more fiber, good amount of carbohydrates, 8.2 grams ash, 1010 mg of calcium, 280 mg phosphorus, and 2610 mg potassium.”
Are the weeds still producing protein in the winter or just taking up space?
