Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Quality Deer Management Low PH Bag Seed Mix

We have fair to low PH in our green fields. Just no way to get enough lime to the fields
What is the best bagged seed mix that will grow with moderate PH and really attract deer? Brand name?? And have you tried it?

It’s gonna be hard to get a lot of attraction if your ph is poor. Try to start building organic matter to the dirt if it’s impossible for you to lime properly. I would suggest using pelletized lime though if you can’t get a lime buggy to the plots. It works quicker that ag lime too.

Wms deer magnet was great on ours with a lower ph… can’t wait to see how they do now limed

I can’t think of a bagged mix that is ideal for low pH. And I’d have to ask for an actual pH value that you are calling low and fair. There can be significant differences even with low pH friendly options between 4.9 and 5.5 or 6.
Cereal rye is typically the most forgiving of low pH for fall plots.

I had ph 4.1-4.2 - still had fair amount of deer visit w alabama blend and rye

For low ph - cereal rye (i did not use cereal rye but bad rye) oats - chicory - ladino or durana and buckwheat will do decent in low ph if ph not below 5.5

My PH between 5.0 and 6.4 on our fields

6.4 is absolutely the perfect Ph for growing clovers. Anything in the mid-high 5's and 6's is good for growing most any of the deer mixes.

I’d throw some pellet lime on those plots at 5. Enough to get them to 6 if possible. If they are small that may only be 10-20 bags which isn’t too bad cost wise.
I had good results last year with WMS Alabama blend and an extra each of cereal rye and black oats on my throw and mow plots. Though the brassica components rarely do much. My plots are between 5.5 and 6.3 generally and I factor maintenance lime into every spring planting which amounts to 200-400#.

Marshall Ryegrass 😃

That is not a mix

I’ll bite again.

TBH. I might buy 100lb of whatever 3 way or 5 way mix at the coop feed store or go to Tractor Supply and buy whatever buck on the bag mix they have and 300+lb of 13-13-13 per acre and plant traditionally with a disc and drag it smooth(ish) with a piece of industrial expandable metal catwalk in front of a rain in late October and my deer will literally eat it to the ground. (I could shoot some does, that’s another story).

Then in November-Dec, Wal-Mart will have all their Evolved Habit Throw & Grow ryegrass mixes on sale for half price and I will buy some and overseed bc my plots will be dang near bare dirt bc they can’t keep up and throw out some more N and get a boost that will carry me through the season - deer plots aren’t hard….

Im in deep sand and I read here and try my best to “develop the dirt”, I spread 25 bags of pellet lime after turkey season every year and plant buckwheat, cowpeas, and sunhemp …. It’s still deep sand lol. Probably always will be. But deer crush it and I see / kill all I care to.

I have ph below 5. I planted wheat, rye, Buck Forage Oats, and crimson clover. This was not a mix. I bought separately. I planted heavily and it came up and did well. I was covered in deer all year. If you just want to get a mix, I’d get any 3-5 way mix the coup sells and plant heavy. With low ph I don’t think your germination will be great, hence the heavier rate.

If you’re on sandy soils, CEC around 5, stop disking it clean. You can just spread seed and mow or spread seed and set your disk to very little angle and run it so the blades barely scratch the surface. Less than 1”. It’s best if you have sprayed a month before planting.

It’s going to require more N as that residue you leave breaks down. Your sandy soils can not hold much N. So you have to spoon feed it. Say 200 lbs of 13-13-13 at planting. Then 100 lbs 33-0-0 about 30 days later. Rainfall amounts may shift that number either way. You may need another 50-100 lbs again later in the season. These are per acre rates. If you need filler to spread smaller amounts like 50 lbs, use pelletized lime.

The only time you should disk heavily is to incorporate P as it doesn’t move in the soil too easy. Soil test using Watters or Ward soil labs. Same price or less than Auburn and you get a much better report.

I have similar ph levels and have had good luck with Elbon Rye + a mix of 3 lbs of Crimson clover to 1 pound of Arrowleaf. The rye will grow on any of them, but in some one of the clovers will do better than the other. K bush has given good advice regarding the adding of 34-0-0 after it is up and growing.

I think if you use this plan you will do a lot better than any commercial mix will do, and you will surely save a lot of money. I used to be able to get lime spread at a reasonable price and once put 2 truck loads on the place, but that isn't easily done these days. I can grow decent plots without lime. The plots aren't going to make maximum yield with this program, but I doubt the deer can tell the difference between 75% yield and max yield.

I would like to plant Wildlife Inst. seed, but the cost is so very high, especially when you have over 20 green fields to plant. Also have to have very good PH for their seed to be the best. I know they are a very large company and have been around for many years, but again, their cost in this market is too high if you need a lot.
The second best choice might be WMS or Buck Busters, but even they are somewhat high.
My big fear is the cost of fertilizer.
I found 40 lbs of pellet lime for $5 per bag. That helps a lot.

Lime is money well spent when it makes the nutrients already present more available. That and building living soil rather than constantly turning dirt. I only have a couple of acres to plant where mixes make sense. A few spots only lend themselves to rye and a couple of shade and moisture tolerant clovers which are rarely well represented in commercial mixes so I buy those separately in the quantities I want. I’m not sure that the WMS or BuckBuster mixes are out of line, price wise, when you consider the time and labor savings vs buying bulk seed and mixing it to suit yourself in the field. Especially if you have a lot of plots to travel to. Cut bag and dump in spreader is convenient.

Going to spread pellet lime on at least 10 green fields this Sat.
Will plant all green fields later in WMS blends.
Cheap price on lime from Rual King hopefully will allow us to spend more on good seeds,

At least it's going to be nice and cool this weekend

I bag limed mine this past spring and it just about killed me, can't image when its 95+! No pain, no gain! Good luck