Warm Season Food Plot
Revolution
PowerPlant a Huge Success
By WHITETAIL INSTITUTE STAFF
It is no secret that whitetails love beans and
peas, and it is no coincidence that quality deer are found in areas where beans
and peas are grown agriculturally. Selected varieties of these warm-season
annuals are very high in protein and other nutrients. There is, however, one
major problem associated with bean and pea food plots – susceptibility to
over-browsing.
While hardy and fast growing, beans and peas
typically cannot tolerate extensive browsing in early-growth stages. If a deer
nips off a 4-inch bean sprout, the plant often dies. A large deer herd can wipe
out several acres of beans and peas in a matter of days leaving a field of
2-inch stems. To counter the problem, food plot managers are forced to plant
large fields of beans and peas. Large acreages of the forage, too much for deer
to destroy in early-growth stages, usually insures some of the plants will reach
maturity and produce browse throughout the summer.
So deer managers desiring to plant warm-season
annuals to assist antler growth and promote overall herd health are faced with a
tough situation; plant a small field and risk a total lose due to over-browsing
or spend a lot of money for large acreages of beans and peas. This dilemma
spawned the creation of PowerPlant.
About five years ago, The Whitetail Institute
decided to tackle the problem associated with warm-season annuals. It would seem
simple enough to throw some bean and pea seeds in a bag, put a picture of a big
deer on the front and advertise, “This will produce trophy bucks.” But it is
not that easy, especially since the Whitetail Institute prides itself on proven,
quality products.
Selecting the Best Forage
The first step in creating PowerPlant involved
testing beans and peas. Not all beans and peas are created equal. The Institute
wanted beans and peas that grew in a variety of soil conditions, were drought
tolerant, were highly nutritious and attractive, grew rapidly, produced
substantial forage and were browsing tolerant. Testing led to the selection of
three species that outperformed the competition. As we later found out, this was
the easiest part of the development of PowerPlant.
Solving the Over-browsing Problem
Finding a way to help the beans and peas reach
maturity was the second step – and the toughest part – in creating
PowerPlant. Obviously a cover crop was needed to protect the young bean and pea
shoots until the plants were too large to nip off at ground level. Two crop
types (one being sorghum) that had the same hardiness as the beans and peas but
also provided additional browse were chosen for cover crop testing. Testing led
to the selection of two specific varieties. Once again, not all varieties of the
same species are created equal.
The cover crop selection process also involved
another concept. All three bean and pea varieties chosen for the blend,
including LabLab, are viney plants. They can be planted alone and produce large
amounts of forage (if not over-browsed). However, if the vines have a structure
to grow on, they can grow faster and regenerate quickly after heavy browsing,
thus, producing even more forage. So the cover crops not only needed to
successfully protect the young beans and peas and provide additional browse,
they had to be strong enough to support the weight of the vines.
Tweaking the Formula
After all the specific forage varieties were
chosen for the PowerPlant blend, the Institute estimated the blended seed
proportions needed for optimal results. Then it was planted at the Whitetail
Institute’s testing facility in southern Alabama. As one would guess, the
first blend tested is not what is sold today. All the aspects associated with
the complex blend were analyzed and the blend was re-proportioned. This third
step in the creation process played itself over many times until the Institute
was extremely satisfied with the results.
Will it Work?
The fourth and final phase of the creation
process answered the question we had been asking from the moment the PowerPlant
concept was conceived. Will it Work? Sure, the product worked great on the
Institute’s testing facility, but would it work in various conditions around
the continent? Every location has different soil conditions, different deer
densities, a different climate, etc. While the Institute factored these aspects
into the initial forage selection process, there is no substitute for actually
testing the product around the country. With several hundred official field testers
based in dozens of states, all our products are extensively tested in nearly
every condition possible.
So did it work? The answer is a resounding YES.
Testers indicated the product performed as designed in nearly all conditions.
PowerPlant tolerated heavy browsing better than other bean and pea products,
after maturation the product thrived in very dry conditions, it successfully
grew in poor soil conditions and PowerPlant offered impressive amounts of
high-protein forage throughout the summer and into the early autumn months.
Five years after the process began, the Whitetail
Institute offered PowerPlant to consumers. We do not offer products to the
public until they work and work well. The introduction of PowerPlant was so
successful the Institute actually sold out.