I hunt in NW WI.

 

I'm in the same situation. I am going to try the Whitetail Institute Secret Spot. The local archery shop said it the best they have found for shaded areas, which I guess is one of the things it is geared toward.

 

Shady areas....throw an go.......
I believe this would be called a weed. Weeds grow best in these environmental conditions.

So, if you don't want to plant a weed, next best things if you don't have a soil test, and want to do throw and go...is rape.....cheap, nutritious and people overlook it because people who sell seed don't make much money selling rape...

There are a lot of varieties of rape though.....each with various maturities....

dwarf essex is a common rape....bonar is a longer maturing but highly productive rape....

 

If you threw out some Winter Rye and Oats it would grow well. Shady spots normally hold a little more moisture and it doesn't take much moisture to get those grain seeds to germinate. If you sprayed everything there to kill it off and broadcast that seed you'd have a good green patch in a just 1-2 weeks and it keepers up with browse pressure very well.

 

Ok, i'll save people my background but my mom is an expert horticulturist as well. So over lunch today , i threw this topic at her. She reacted the same way as i did. The only plants that will consistently grow in shady areas are weeds and a small select few plants that are shady tolerant. Your best bet is to open up the area to get more sunlight. Sure you can the rye's , the rapes, the clovers and other food plot products to grow but it's rolling the dice. When people ask me this at seminars or shows, i can't honestly tell anyone of anything that will do great under those conditions. Anyone who sells products that says so, if a product seller and not certified crop advisor, agronomist, horticulturist or someone trying to give you sound advice.

If your going to plant anything, plant cheap...plant rape....plant some white clover, hope for rain...hope your pH is good....hit anything growing up with plant foods.....and PRAY

 

I agree with nutritionist. If possible open the canopy to let in more light. You would be surprise how much 1 or 2 trees,especially tall mature ones, on the southern side of the plot can block the sun. Just try and be aware of the suns rotation and pick the right trees to cut. Don't worry about the ones on the north side. If they have low hanging long branches hanging over the plot just remove them and it shouldn't hurt the tree. Sure, you hate to cut mature trees but they do make good firewood.

 

Oh PS. I used secret spot and yes it came up mostly rye grass, looked real pretty, nice green spot in the middle of the woods. But the deer here in central Mo. didn't touch it til late winter when there wasn't anything else left to eat. By then the season was over.

 

That what I was afraid of. Seems like most of the throw and grow type stuff is mostly just rye grass.

 

Grasses are very low on the palatibility scale for those who have done unbiased trials. Deer will eat them but only if their choices are little to none. They should only be used at low percentages as weed suppressors.

 

We talking rye grass or cereal rye? Rye grass I agree, cereal rye/winter rye/grain rye I call BS. Big difference in the two.

 

Nothing will grow as well in a shady spot, but I've had good success in the timber in a couple of shady plots planting ladino clover, medium red clover, chicory, and cereal rye.

If you can open up the canopy to get as many hours of direct sunlight as possible, even if it's just a couple of hours a day, you can get the seeds I mentioned above to grow pretty well with the proper utilization of lime and fertilizer. They won't grow great, but if your goal is providing enough food to attract a few deer then it's very doable.

A couple of good things about shady timber plots is that they do hold moisture better during drought conditions and you'll have less competition from weeds.

 

ttt

 

Rye, cheap clover, rape.. it will grow almost anywhere..get some border trees cut that are blocking sun. Filtered sun is great for seeds mentioned.