I planted four food plots for our whitetail deer population last spring using BioLogic and Imperial Whitetail brand seed. Supposedly, I thought that I was getting alfalfa, clover and chicory mix. However, this spring the plots are dominated with this plant (pictured) which now almost 24" in height and smells a bit oniony when picked. Any help is greatly appreciated. I live in Milford, MI (metro-Detroit).
More than resembles...that's a positive ID. But it didn't come from the seed you planted. This is an extremely invasive alien species that is taking over the woodlands of much of the northern US. It's a biennial (or even triennial) plant that is often completely unnoticed the first year and then WHAM, you get an absolute forest of them the second year. Do not let them go to seed or you will be battling them forever.
Thanks Ginger Blue. How do I know that I got it before it goes to seed? There is already a white flower on top, but I don't see any seeds. I am going to try and hand-pull most of it but I have about an acre now, so I may have to cut it...any suggestions?
Mow it, weed whack it, pull it...just make sure the tops are cut off. It's not like knotweed...it won't regenerate from pieces. And the base plant will die after this year. But don't put it off. The seeds come very, very, very quickly and it sets seed while still flowering.
I thought I would share with you what I was up against with this Garlic Mustard infestation in my deer food plots (see photos). Navy agreed, after some consternation, to pose for the photos for scale purposes. After back-breaking labor of hand-pulling ½ half of one quad (approx. ¼ acre), I decided that the rest had to be cut using equipment. I rented a DR Field and Brush Mower from the local equipment rental and went to work, knowing the importance of catching this before the seed pods appear. Here is the finished product after 3 hours of cutting; Widgeon obliged for this photo op. I was very happy to see that the clover beneath the Garlic Mustard was doing pretty well. Thanks to everyone for your help. As I did not see any seed pods present, I think I may have licked it! I will keep my fingers crossed.
Thanks for sharing the photographs; they wouldn't have been quite the same without the children. Navy looks like a bear in that setting. After all of that work, I hope that you caught it before it set seed. So many of us out this way spend so much of our energy and money trying NOT to feed the deer.
