Annuals
vs. Perennials
The
facts on food plot forages
By Charles J. Alsheimer
An article of this nature might not have been needed 50 years ago.
Back
then, much of the deer hunting population came from rural areas. Consequently,
they understood much about agricultural practices. In the years since, the
majority of Americans moved from the farm to more urban settings. In spite of
the population shift to the cities, hunters returned to rural
Over time, their sons and daughters became involved in hunting, but due to the way they were brought up, lost the connection to agriculture. By the time the 1990s rolled around, an understanding of things like soil pH, fertilizer ingredients and proper seed choices disappeared from the deer hunter’s knowledge base. For many hunters interested in deer nutrition, forage is forage, be it orchard grass or clover. The end result is a lack of understanding in the difference between annual and perennial forages. In order to gain an understanding of the two it’s best to cover the basics.
Annuals: Annuals are forages that last for a season and are gone. As far as deer feeds go, corn, soybeans, annual clover, brassica, rye and wheat are examples of annuals. In terms of popularity, annual forages like rye, wheat, brassica and triticale are often preferred by many land managers/deer hunters for fall planting because they grow rapidly to provide a quick food source for deer. In terms of growth, annuals are faster growing than perennials because the plant’s purpose is to grow stems and leaves, rather than the needed root base required for perennials.
Perennials:
Perennials are forages that last two or more years. When it comes to
popularity, alfalfa and perennial clover rise head and shoulders above most
other whitetail forages in popularity. Unlike annuals, which are growing stems
and leaves after they are planted, perennials are busy putting down roots in the
weeks after planting. It’s only after the roots are established that stems and
leaves begin to be noticed.
Pros
and Cons of Each
Annuals: One of the benefits of annual forages is that they are often easier to establish and can be time-specific to deliver the nutrition deer require when some of the perennial plants go dormant or are stressed.
No one knows this better than Whitetail Institute deer nutritionist Matt Harper.
“I’m often asked, why plant annuals? Well, for starters annuals are different than perennials in that they perform better than perennials at certain times of the year,” said Harper. “For example, perennials are there throughout the year. During certain times of the year, due to season, heat stress or drought, perennials may not provide the volume or nutrients deer require. This is where annuals can really shine. PowerPlant is an annual we offer to fill such a period. The beauty of PowerPlant is that it is a blend of forage beans and peas that are vining plants, which produce more leaves. The product can take tremendous grazing pressure, and it thrives during the hot summer months when other plants are stunted back. It fills the nutritional gap. So, annuals can be planted to fill the voids when perennials are not at peak performance. Diversity is always good.
“Another benefit of planting annuals is to provide harvest strategies. Come fall and the hunting season, many hunters want a fast-growing, nutritious food plot that they can hunt over. A product like Secret Spot or No-Plow can be planted in late August and be a real whitetail magnet by the time hunting season rolls around. The beauty of Secret Spot and No-Plow is that they require minimum effort, are no-till products and grow rapidly so that there is adequate forage for deer throughout the hunting season.”
Though annuals have benefits they also have a down side. “In an annual the only thing important is for it to rapidly grow and produce seed,” said Harper. “Due to quicker maturing, the nutritional level of many annuals is less. Their window for palatability, which is crucial when it comes to preference by whitetails, is often very short lived. The cost of planting annuals can also be a real shortcoming. There is no question that annuals have a place in food plot management but they may not be for everyone.”
Perennials: These are the real superstars for deer forage. Though perennials might not be the complete package, they do come close. When longevity, nutrition and cost are factored together, perennials cannot be beat. Imperial Whitetail Clover and Alfa-Rack reign when it comes to forage choice among North American deer hunters. The unique blend of three to five clovers (and grazing alfalfa in Alfa-Rack) offers diversity and resistance to drought conditions, enabling it to offer the biggest, longest bang for the land manager's hard-earned money.
Longevity is a real plus when it comes to utilizing perennials. Being able to get three to five plus years from a food plot makes them very attractive. Inside our white-tailed deer research facility, I have a seven-year-old Imperial Whitetail Clover food plot. True, I have to spray for weeds on a yearly basis and do a minor frost seeding each year, but the fact is the plot offers my whitetails a highly nutritional food source for most of the year.
About the only disadvantage of perennial seeds is that they do tend to go dormant when summer stress conditions like heat and drought occur. However, unlike many other forages, they will almost always bounce back when the stress period ends. During the summer of 2002, our area experienced 45 days in July and August when it didn’t rain. My Imperial Clover food plots took a real hit but came back thick and lush when the rains finally returned. I know from experience of Imperial’s toughness.
Steve Scott of the Whitetail Institute sums up the whole annual/perennial debate.
“There is no question that annuals offer variety and nutrients, but they are very time-specific. Because of perennials’ nature, I believe you can do everything you want with them. If you have a limited amount of land, planting perennials is the ticket to success. If you have more acreage and the resources to prepare the land and plant every year, then consider planting some annuals too.”
The
Cost Factor
For many this is where the rubber meets the road. Seldom does the cost factor of annual vs. perennial receive an adequate analysis. Annuals certainly have their place and in many situations can be planted more inexpensively than a perennial. However, to keep a food plot program going with annuals may be cost prohibitive. Consider the following analysis.
Cost of planting a food plot: There are two ways to plant food plots – hire someone or do it yourself with your own equipment. I will figure the cost of planting a one-acre plot with your own equipment. For the benefit of this analysis, the equipment cost will be dropped from the equation. It must be noted that prices vary from region to region. Also, to compare with the year-round performance of perennials such as Imperial Clover, annuals must be planted twice per year (warm-season planting and a cool-season planting).
Establish cost: Lime (if bought in bulk) often costs about $20 per acre, and fertilizer costs about $30 per acre. Around $40 should be sufficient to cover general expenses (fuel and other miscellaneous expenses involved in planting process) for every planting. Many food plot managers will spend about $40 on herbicide to clear the plot of grasses and weeds before disking. Seed costs vary, but if you use Imperial Clover, you will need about $40 of seed (8 pounds) for a one-acre planting. An annual seed like rye or wheat will be about half the cost of clover, or $25 per acre. So, initially the food plot will cost you anywhere from $170 per acre for Imperial Clover to $220 for a year-round plot of annuals (two plantings).
Perennial cost: With the Imperial Whitetail food plot now in the ground and growing, it can last five years if you spray in spring and summer for grasses or weeds (if needed), mow during the spring and summer if needed and fertilize one time to give it a boost. So, the yearly estimated costs for the one-acre food plot during years two to five is $40 for herbicide, $30 for fertilizer, and $10 fuel. If the yearly cost of maintaining the clover plot is $80, then over a five-year period you have about $490 invested in the 1-acre clover food plot. This one-acre plot, it should be mentioned, can produce up to 60,000 pounds of food over five years.
Annual cost: The cost here will vary a little, but for starters, you must remember that the plot will have to be re-worked twice per year (warm-season planting and cool-season planting) to keep a high-protein, palatable food plot growing year round comparable to Imperial Clover. Also, one's own labor is a factor that can't really be measured but certainly must be considered. Many food plot managers must spray the plot every year to kill grass and weeds before disking. Lime will not be needed every year but fertilizer is required once per year. And seed must be bought twice every year. Figure $40 for herbicide, $30 for fertilizer, $50 for seed (two plantings) and $80 for general expenses (two plantings). With an initial cost of $220 and a yearly cost of $200 for subsequent years, the cost of a one-acre year-round annual food plot for five years is $1020. Even if you were to only plant one annual crop per year, the total five-year investment would be $695.
Analysis:
The breakdown of costs makes it easy to see why perennial plantings are
so popular. Each one-acre plot seeded with a perennial will result in a cost
savings of approximately $530 over five years. Consider a savings of $2650 over
five years for five acres of perennial food plots. In general terms, it costs
over 50 percent less to plant perennial food plots.
Best
Choices
The decision to plant annuals or perennial forages, disregarding cost, will depend on resources available, need, location and time of year they are needed. In the best of all worlds, a good food plot program should have some of each. Harper offers an example of what to plant.
“I recently purchased 70 acres of land,” he said. “The first thing I’m going to plant is Imperial Whitetail Clover (a perennial) because it is a baseline in a food plot program. In any program at least 60 to 70 percent of the food plots should be in perennials. So, if I have to spend my money on a five-acre food plot I’ll do it with a perennial to get started. Then, once my clover is established, I’ll plant some annuals to offer variety and the necessary feed during the short times when the Imperial Clover is dormant.”
Variety is the spice of life, so in order to give your deer the most options, I offer the following suggestions.
Annuals
Imperial No-Plow: A no-fuss, easy-to-plant product. You can get a good, fast stand of forage on almost any land to keep the deer coming over a period of time. There are a variety of annual seeds in the mix. If you can expose the dirt you will get a better stand of No-Plow.
Secret Spot: Similar to No-Plow but it has a pH booster. It plants 3,000 square feet per bag and is a perfect replacement for areas where baiting is illegal. It offers a lush, rapid-growing forage that is ideal for tree stand locations.
PowerPlant: It has a blend of forage soybeans with other seeds that are vining plants, which produce more forage. It can take tremendous grazing pressure and is available during the hot summer months when other plants are stunted.
Perennials
Imperial
Whitetail Clover: This is the most widely used food plot clover forage
in
Alfa-Rack: Offers many of the benefits of Imperial Clover but is designed for good, well-drained soil. It will stay green throughout the year, even under the snow.
Extreme: This is the newest introduction from the Whitetail Institute. It is a great choice for poor soils, acidic soils, arid climates and hot/cold climates. See the article on Extreme in this issue of Whitetail News.