Deer Food Plots The Simple Way - #6 Terminating Rye

This video shows the results of rolling a cereal rye field with a lawn roller in order to kill the rye and create a beneficial thatch layer in your food plots. As a complement to my videos, I have also published a booklet that lays out all my food plot steps in writing: www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBJMBMDH?...

[@robertstockton2036]

Good plan and low cost. I plan on pulling a lawn roller with my riding mower(not mowing). The mower deck starts crimping the grass over and the roller finishes the job. Food plots made simple......thanks for the video.

[@mattmorse]

That's a great idea, Robert! As long as you can get a riding mower to your plot, it should do a great job. Thanks for watching!

[@novchild1968]

Good stuff again! I’ll definitely be putting this process into action in a couple plots

[@zebmartin995]

Like the idea of rolling to terminate vs spraying. Like the idea of mowing to address weeds vs spraying as well. Lots of ways to skin a cat / manage a plot.

[@mattmorse]

No doubt about it. I like the simple way, but there's more than one road to Dublin. :)

[@figandcloverranch5871]

Like the video, great speaking voice, those Shasta Daisy’s do take over. I have no doubt your plot will be great in fall . 👍🏼

[@mattmorse]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@stevegermain1222]

Good job just found your Channel and subscribed

[@mattmorse]

Thanks, Steve! Glad to have you onboard.

[@josephtreadlightly5686]

No better way to get micro nutrients back into your soil than doing it this way. Next year I'm going to do more of this. I've found that Buckwheat is also a summer cover crop that u can knock down in August the same way. I've had phenomenal results doing 2 years of Buckwheat with no weed spraying to eliminate weeds. U can tell that your 🍀 really benefits from that thatch layer locking in the moisture & controlling temps that will burn out 🍀 unless u have alot of rape mixed in to help it along. I like great tonnage planting in the fall but also realize keeping deer in there all summer is a key to not only a healthy herd but also turning a 150 class buck into a 170 by offering him better nutrition & a place he feels safe to be in w/o burning precious energy.

[@darrenturcotte7799]

Damn pollen kicks on my Hay fever

[@mattmorse]

Yup. The pollen can be pretty bad when you're rolling.

[@BlanchardsBees]

I got antsy this year and planted my food plots way to early this year.

[@patriotmjb]

Nice video!

[@mattmorse]

Thanks for the kind words, Patriot MJB. Glad you got something out of it. A couple more videos to come and then it's time for some hunting!

[@patriotmjb]

@@mattmorse hey I’m wondering what size atv you use to pull that roller with? Thanks

[@mattmorse]

@@patriotmjb My roller isn't very heavy. I pull it with a 229cc Honda Recon. I have a bigger Rubicon available if I need it, but it's not necessary. The little Recon does the job.

[@patriotmjb]

@@mattmorse ok. Because I was thinking about getting an atv but they’re so expensive unless you get a little used one like from 250-350cc

[@mattmorse]

@@patriotmjb As I mentioned in video #1, you could do small food plots with only hand tools, but if you want to do more than an acre, I would recommend an ATV. A 250 is all you need.

[@scottpulver4920]

Nice job. I’m thinking about seeding and then rolling? Thoughts.

[@mattmorse]

Rolling after seeding is not a bad idea at all. If you get a good hard rain shortly after seeding, you should get good germination, but rolling may help and certainly can't hurt.

[@rbljackson]

So the clover and base layer stays there year round? And then you simply overseed the rye and roller it in the late spring? my thought is that I could mow it late august and have a dove field ready to go possibly. Maybe roll strips into in to have the edge cover

[@mattmorse]

You've pretty much got it. Establish perennial clover and then overseed rye (and radish) into the clover each year. You can either roll or mow the rye towards the end of it's life cycle.

[@travissmith-wz5nc]

Where are you located? (Not specific spot but general location) i am north east mi. Thinking about doing the same next yr

[@mattmorse]

Hi Travis. I'm in Osceola County. I'd love to hear how it goes for you. Good luck!

[@josephkilmer7440]

Love the video's! What is your seed mix % by lbs.? You just briefly mentioned 100-150 lbs of rye. Thanks again.

[@mattmorse]

Thanks, Joseph! That's 100-150 pounds PER ACRE. Generally, I use about 3 pounds per acre ladino clover, 5 lb/ac alsike clover, 7 lb/ac medium red clover, 9 lb/ac radish, and about 120 lb/ac rye grain. These rates aren't anything magic, but it works pretty good. With this method of simply top-sowing the seeds, it's necessary to use pretty high seeding rates due to lower germination in general. This will be the topic of another video in August.

[@oxford821]

Good stuff, new sub!

[@mattmorse]

@@oxford821 Thanks! Great to have you on board.

[@lgvmobile]

Awesome way to make it simple I've been watching videos and different methods of doing the food plots and by far you made it so simple!

[@mattmorse]

@@lgvmobile Thanks for the comment, Igvmobile! That's my objective; to keep it simple and inexpensive, but yet effective. I figured there would be other guys out there like you who appreciate that as well.

[@stevebrown3408]

When was the rye planted , clover planted at the same time ?

[@mattmorse]

Hi Steve. The rye was top-sowed 8/20/21. The clover was established years ago, but I did re-seed some more clover into it also on 8/20/21.

[@joecannella9289]

@@mattmorse did I hear you correctly that you seed rye into existing clover plots with success? I am hoping the answer is yes. Northern Minnesota.

[@mattmorse]

@@joecannella9289 You heard right, Joe. That's exactly what I do.

[@stanleybuck4195]

Why do you want to kill the rye? Why not mow it?

[@travissmith-wz5nc]

Did the rolling kill the clover???

[@mattmorse]

Nope. Very hard to kill clover 🍀.

[@travissmith-wz5nc]

@mattmorse I was wondering about spraying clethidoum early may and planting wildlife sorghum into it and planting. I Might give it a try this year

[@jackoren8694]

Why not now it?

[@mattmorse]

That's discussed in the video.