Suggestions for pond perimeter seed

[Otto]

I just had my pond cleaned out. It was getting very overrun with cattails. Now that it is cleaned up, what would you suggest I plant along the perimeter of the pond?  I'm thinking of leaving about a 30' perimeter,  and the food plot the rest of the cleared off areas. 

[grampy]

Great looking property Otto!

Can't go wrong with clover planted around the pond edge. Looks great and deer eat it!

[Robhuntandfish]

10 minutes ago, grampy said:

Great looking property Otto!

Can't go wrong with clover planted around the pond edge. Looks great and deer eat it!

keeps the weeds down and helps prevent erosion too!  

[G-man]

Birdfoot trifoil, vetch, white clover  mix (ladino,aslike ect) .   Vetch especially for areas to steep to mow. Rest on mowable areas.  Let it be 5 in or so high and dont mow  lower  unless cool out.  If you let it go to seed and then mow its free reseeding as seed heads will shatter  on mower blade and spread seed. 

If you want a cover crop for it overseed it all with a cereal grain then the  mix will get dual plot and next spring can  let grain go to seed and will be food for turkey and birds. 

Edited July 24, 2023 by G-man

[Otto]

On 7/24/2023 at 2:30 PM, G-man said:

 

If you want a cover crop for it overseed it all with a cereal grain then the  mix will get dual plot and next spring can  let grain go to seed and will be food for turkey and birds. 

I have access to loads of free winter rye. So??, plant clover and vetch, along with the rye together this August, then, next year rye will die off and leave just the clover and vetch?

[G-man]

17 minutes ago, Otto said:

I have access to loads of free winter rye. So??, plant clover and vetch, along with the rye together this August, then, next year rye will die off and leave just the clover and vetch?

Yes!  You can  mow the rye down in spring/ summer or let go to seed. The extra shade it will give will let clover and vetch become well established  itmaybe q8 in tall by next summer under the  protection of rye.. 

i did a rye clover planting  last fall the rye is gone to seed  now clover is over a ft and is going to seed as well.  Ill  get a photo when i get back in town on thursday. I will mow  in august to shatter seed head and get free over seeding... 

[Wolc123]

The plus of the rye, is that it does not remove as much nitrogen from the soil, as wheat does.  The minus is, that deer don’t like it as much as they do wheat.  If I got it for free, I might still plant it.  
 

I can always get wheat easier and cheaper than rye though, which always tips the balance solidly in that direction.  Clover always puts nitrogen into the soil, and I always plant clover with the wheat, so that is also no advantage to me for the rye.  
 

I am trying oats for the first time ever this year, on a completely failed and a 75% failed rr corn plot, that I planted this spring.  I hear that deer like oats even better than wheat.  We shall see, during the early September gun season. I’ll believe it only after I see it.  
 

The first one, on the 75 % failed corn that I planted a bit over a week ago, germinated very well.  I’m going to put in the second one after August 1, at the same time that I put in my turnip plots.  
 

I think a rye/white clover mix would be good on your pond banks, but an oat/white clover mix might be a lot better.  Reasons being, that you could skip the spring mowing (freezing temps over winter will kill off the oats) and deer like oats a lot more than they like rye.  
 

That might make for some very good hunting, this archery season,  in addition to saving you some mowing time in the spring.  If you don’t mow off the rye, before it goes to seed next year, it will shade out the clover and stunt it’s growth.  
 

Even if you can’t get oats for free, they are certainly cheap enough.  I paid $ 9 for a 50 lb bag at the local seed and fertilizer store.  

Edited July 25, 2023 by Wolc123

[dbHunterNY]

depends. I'm on board with GMan's suggestion if for deer. if to encourage waterfowl use then i'm trying to remember but i think we put stuff in that wasn't that. sedge and other stuff so they could feel secluded and not seen by ducks in adjacent ponds. something to that effect. Cornell or someone from the county designed it.

[G-man]

Winter rye with clover planted last fall

[Otto]

6 hours ago, G-man said:

Winter rye with clover planted last fall

That’s my plan as of now, plus I ordered 4lbs of crown vetch.  Should be at the ag supply by Saturday, I’ll get it planted when they are all done around the pond and we have a bit cooler weather.