making my own seed mixes

[whubbard]

So here's the question.  Can I buy seed at a local seed store, mix my own, and have the success of whitetail institues mixes?  If i can put alfalfa, chicory, and clover together why doesnt every one do that?  I also am thinking of mixing a brassica ( possibly rape seed) with austrian winter peas, and oats for an annual blend.  Will my local seed not produce like their "bio-genetic" seeds?  Please help.  That label on that bag makes that stuff expensive.

[Demoderby4]

I agree they are expensive, i am starting up some food plots this year for the first time, and i cant really recommend anything since i have no experience really, but what i am doing is planting an acre or so of some "Whitetail Institute" or something comparable, and then planting another acre or so of the regular stuff at a feed shop, i know the stuff from Whitetail Inst. is obviously made for deer, but i dont have a lot of money and if the regular feed store stuff attracts as many or more deer than the Whitetail Inst. then im sticking with that stuff until  get a little more cash. JMO. Hope it helps some. Good luck!!

[69Viking]

Making your own seed mixes from the local seed store works great.  I hunt on a camp in Alabama where the owner is a friend of mine's father in-law.  In exchange for hunting there we help he take care of the property in the offseason.  That includes helping him plant the food plots.  We disc and prepare the soil and he plants his own seed mix that he creates from seed he buys at the local seed store, the same one the local farmers use.  He mixes things like rape, brassicas, rye, oats, winter peas and turnips for our green fields.  In addition he plants okra and quite a bit of corn.  The green fields this year turned out great, we got just the right amount of rain after planting them in the fall.
 
I'm grateful for having learned a lot from helping out.  Someday if I get some property of my own I'll plant the food plots the same way, it's a lot more affordable and works just as good, in my opinion better in most cases.  We've actually bought Deer blends from Walmart and Bass Pro to plant and compare to the seed from the local seed store.  In most cases the local seed store grows thicker and greener than the Deer blends bought in the store.  Give it a try and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.  Make sure you fertilize and lime if it's necessary.       
 

[msbadger]

Best thing to do ..IMO ... and experiance is to learn about the newer forage blends Ag.companies are producing ...I go to Welter Seed Company website and the have a description of all the seeds they sell and I think good prices...butshipping was tough for me so now give my local guy my list and he fills it for about same amount...lots of info and I google alot....

[Goose]

I'm sure you could do that and have good results if you watch your mixtures, you gotta make sure you don't over seed certain things in relation to others. For example you put turnips in with something else and the turnips grow faster and end up not letting the other plants mature because of the canopy from the turnips.

Also there are differences in your seed from local seed mills and the "brand" name stuff like Whitetail Institute.
Their plants are designed to be more digestible for deer therefore more preferred.
The cell wall that stiffens plants up to support the growing plant is often the reason deer turn off of them once they get so mature. Their plants are designed with this in mind and therefore are more "preferred" by the deer.
So yes their is a difference but its not a major one.
I would say if you plant one field with whitetail institute and the another one with seed from your local mill both the same plant, you might see deer prefer the Wi at certain stages.