If I had $1 for every time someone asked me, “What’s the Best Food Plot I can plant…and why? I’d be on a beach in the Caribbean sipping a Mai Tai right now! But seriously, while the question sounds simple, there are a lot of variables that go into the “perfect food plot” and it can be dependent on Location, Time of Year, Goals, Equipment, Soil Environment, etc. However, I think we’ve finally created the PERFECT food plot mix that answers this question…no matter where you live, what you have for equipment or where your food plot is located this food plot will improve your “deer domain” and is the perfect option if you can only plant one food plot on your hunting property. Follow along as we spotlight one of our “hottest” products, HOT CHIC.
Hot Chic is a special mixture of hardy, cold season perennials that can last several years, are extremely easy to establish and are tolerant to a variety of weather and soil conditions. The adaptability of these plant varieties help make our Hot Chic Food Plot Mix so special. Since the 3 varieties of Chicory and Clover that make up Hot Chic are all pH tolerant, shade tolerant and small in stature, it can be the perfect food plot mix for those hard to get to secluded food plots back in the woods and for people (like me) who don’t have access to heavy machinery and plant most of their food plots by hand…there is no tilling required to create a successful Hot Chic Food Plot. Now that we have your attention, let’s take a deeper look into what makes Hot Chic a “fan favorite”.
1) The Plants
The plant varieties are the secret behind the success of the Hot Chic Food Plot Mix and we have sourced the highest quality food plot seeds available to design this one. With a special variety of Chicory, Balansa Clover and Perennial Red Clover Hot Chic offers plant varieties that “check all the boxes” to maximize performance and nutrition. The hardiness and size of these seed varieties also make them the perfect solution to those backwoods plots that you can’t get heavy equipment back to. By using hand tools such as steel garden rakes and leaf rakes you can remove leaves, weeds and debris allowing the seeds in Hot Chic to get the appropriate seed to soil contact they desire. The cold season perennials and annuals that make up Hot Chic can also establish quickly and can help crowd out potential week competition. Tolerant to drought, moisture, sun and shade this truly is the Hottest Mix on the market today!
2) Plant Performance
Not only can Hot Chic establish quickly and be planted without the use of heavy equipment, but the plant varieties that make up Hot Chic get an A+ when it comes to overall production and performance. The special variety of Chicory we have chosen as the foundation for Hot Chic is a highly nutritious broad leaf with a deep tap root, is highly digestible and can offer up to 2-3 tons of forage per acre and protein levels up to 30%! This all from a plant that is tolerant to acidity, drought tolerant and actually helps suffocate out weeds….sounds too good to be true? Well it isn’t. Not only is Chicory easy to work with but once your deer get a taste for it, you won’t be able to keep them out of it! With high levels of minerals and proteins, along with it’s cold tolerance, your deer will crave the addictive taste of chicory all Summer, Fall and into the Winter. In addition to Chicory, Balansa Clover is also a top-performer when it comes to pH tolerance, adaptability, cold tolerance and forage production (several tons per acre). Balansa Clover pairs wonderfully with chicory, is extremely attractive to your deer, offers highly digestible protein levels (22-30%) and is extremely cold tolerant…staying green well after a frost in the northern climates. In addition to all of that, Balansa Clover is the most pH tolerant plant variety I have ever worked with, growing in pH levels as low as 4.5. While it can handle acidic environments, I would still recommend applying lime to try to improve your pH…the higher the pH (7.0 is perfect) the more nutrients your plants can absorb. Lastly, the final piece to the “Hot Chic Puzzle” is Perennial Red Clover. A long time favorite of many food plotters from South to North, the variety of Red Clover we have selected is tried and true, provides high amounts of protein-rich forage, offers superior attraction and is extremely soil and weather tolerant. By combining these 3 highly attractive, highly nutritious and highly adaptable plant varieties, Hot Chic is our top choice when it comes to Perennial Food Plot options!
3) Maintenance
One of my favorite things about high forage producing perennial food plot mixes like Hot Chic is the ability to maintain them with a mower or weed-whip (in those hard to get to areas). Perennials like Chicory and Clover actual prefer periodic mowing if the deer can’t keep up and after a fresh “haircut”, your plot will come back thicker, stronger and will help suffocate out weeds. Typically I will watch my Hot Chic plots and if the Clovers begin to flower or the plants reach 18-20” tall, I will mow them down to 6-8”. It’s during this “re-growth” that your plants will provide their highest levels of protein and post-mowing will increase attraction to your plot…this can be a great way to increase your success during those early season hunts in September! By keeping your Hot Chic well-fed with fertilizer and periodically mowed you can maximize the length (2-4 years) your Hot Chic Plot will survive. (I use a standard 10-10-10 as it’s easy to use and provides enough nutrients to allow my Hot Chic to perform well).
4) Not Just Another Seed Company
We realize there are 100’s (probably 1,000’s) of great choices on the market when it comes to Food Plot Seeds and Food Plot Seed Companies…some have been around for many years and some are relatively new (like us…kind of) and no matter who’s seed you choose or where you get it from, if you have questions on how to plant it, we’re here to help. I will say this, WE ARE NOT JUST ANOTHER SEED COMPANY and if you give us the chance to prove it to you, we will. The second you open the box you will see the difference, just ask the many people that Trust, Support and Plant Domain…we are a family and we treat all of our customers like family! Not only will you love the performance of the seeds, but we will be here to support your success and help you through your food plot failures along the way (most of what I know was learned through trial and error). All Domain Outdoor products come with a customer satisfaction guarantee and we will be here with you step by step to make sure your food plot program is a success this season!
Check us out at www.domainoutdoor.com and let us know how we can help!
