When is the best time to plant winter wheat in a food plot?

By GrowingDeer,

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I live in southern Indiana.Is it better to plant winter wheat early in September or toward the end of September into October? Also, can you do a burndown with glyphosate and then broadcast the wheat two weeks later right before some rain? Or do you have to work the ground up?

Wheat can be planted during a wide range of dates. The best time to plant depends on the mission. If there are lots of early season food sources in the area, then it may be better to plant wheat later (mid to late September) so it doesn’t mature past being palatable before deer start using it as a food source. I usually begin planting wheat during early to mid August depending on when soil moisture is available so the forage will be available and attracting deer by the opening of bow season – September 15th – as there isn’t any competing food sources in my neighborhood. Wheat seed, like all crops, needs good seed to soil contact. The existing vegetation can be burned down with glyphosate, but the seed needs to be placed in the soil with a no-till drill or the weed duff removed so the seeds will reach the soil.

Growing Deer together,

Grant