should be considered as part of an integrated weed-management plan for optimum comprehensive weed control. In the same article, Dr. Johnson provided the following explanation of this concept: “Any crop production practice that enhances crop growth and uniformity also improves the ability of the crop to compete with weeds. This is true for any crop. Another way of describing this relationship is equally relevant. If a crop is not growing normally or uniformly, there is a parallel weed control problem. Uniform crop growth is the single most powerful form of weed control in any cropping system, including food plots. Forage selection, proper soil fertility (particularly pH), seedbed preparation, seeding rate, and overall growing conditions are cultural practices that provide weed control benefits of troublesome weeds.” As you read on, keep two terms in mind: “optimum growth conditions” and “crop production practices.” Even though Dr. Johnson’s article was specifically about weed control, this short paragraph is also the clearest statement I’ve ever seen of how to achieve a much broader goal: maximizing the attractiveness, nutritional content and longevity of perennial plantings. To show you why, I’ll break down what Dr. Johnson said and look more closely at each part. I’ll start with a sentence in the above paragraph from Dr. Johnson’s article because, as you’ll see, it’s the key to everything — it’s the key to an effective weed-management plan, and to ensuring that your perennials are highly attractive, nutritious and as long-lived as possible. “Uniform crop growth is the single most powerful form of weed control in any cropping system, including food plots.” Now, why is that the case? You may have noticed the answer in your own perennial food plots and not even realized it: Weeds are opportunists. They usually show up in areas of the plot where the forage stand is thin. It stands to reason, then, that the healthier the forage stand is, the less opportunity weeds have to invade the plot. As Dr. Johnson also explained, “Another way of describing this relationship is equally relevant. If a crop is not growing normally or uniformly, there is a parallel weed control problem.” So, how do we make sure our forage plants can grow vigorously and uniformly? By making sure they have optimum growing conditions, meaning that the planting environment is such that the forage plants can get everything they need to thrive. In most cases, the environment doesn’t provide optimum growth conditions when it’s in its natural state. And that’s where we come in. We have to make the growth environment optimum through “crop production practices that enhance crop growth and uniformity,” or making sure we correctly address the factors Dr. Johnson mentioned, “forage selection, soil fertility, seedbed preparation, seeding rate,” and others vital to establishing optimum growth conditions. If all that sounds familiar, there’s a reason: Those and other such crop production practices ARE the steps in Whitetail Institute’s planting instructions for its perennial forage products. And just like Dr. Johnson’s three-legged stool of Integrated Weed Management, many of those steps work together to help you achieve optimum growth conditions so that your perennials can be as attractive, nutritious and long-lived as they can be. We’ll cover that next.
Optimum Growth Conditions Depend on Crop Production Practices Working Together Weed Control (Specifically) Here’s a question for you to consider: When is the first time you think about weeds in your perennials? Is it only after they show up? If so, then you’re being entirely “reactive” — you’re trying to “get rid” of weeds after they appear. Of course your weed-control plan should be reactive — in part. Since weeds will eventually show up in even the best-prepared food plots, you do need to be reactive and deal with them when you see them. The point of Dr. Johnson’s three-legged stool is that being entirely reactive isn’t the best approach to comprehensive weed control. While you’ll probably be able to control weeds in most cases if you wait until they actually show up, optimum growth conditions will usually take more time and effort than if you’d also been proactive — taking steps before weeds appear to make it harder for them to get a foothold. And as you’ll see next, that is exactly the same understanding on which the planting instructions for Whitetail Institute perennials are based.
Whitetail Institute Planting Instructions for Imperial Perennial Forage Products So far, we’ve covered quite a bit of information, so let’s quickly recap: As Dr. Johnson advised in his article, a healthy forage stand is the most important tool for weed control, and the same comprehensive, balanced approach to optimum weed control he described in “Integrated Weed Management” also applies fully to the broader goal of perennial stand performance (maximized attraction, nutrition and longevity). And the path to achieving all these goals is the same: a comprehensive, balanced application of crop production practices that will increase yield. The planting instructions for all Whitetail Institute perennial forage products are similar, but none is identical to the others. Here, we’ll be reviewing the planting steps for Imperial Whitetail Clover in greater detail. When we’re through, you should have a clear picture of how far-reaching the benefits of a balanced, integrated approach are. And as is the case with weed control, you’ll see that ensuring that your forage plants have optimum growth conditions depends on many of the crop production practices in the planting instructions working together. 1. Follow all instructions below, step-by-step, when planting Imperial Whitetail Clover. (See our planting guide DVD for further details and instructions.) The first step is there just to remind you that the Whitetail Institute’s DVD provides tons of information about the planting process. In addition, you can find lots of instructive photos, videos and articles on the Whitetail Institute’s website, www.whitetailinstitute.com. And as always, you can get rapid, direct personalized assistance for free just by calling (800) 688-3030, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday. 2. Stay within the planting times for your state on the back of your Imperial Whitetail Clover bag.
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Vol. 23, No. 3 /
WHITETAIL NEWS 33