Austrian Winter Peas - Forage Seed - Pennington A Hunter
Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum) is a cool-season annual that has long been considered a high priority for deer.Winter pea is easy to establish in fall food plots due to its nitrogen-fixing ability.
Winter pea can be grown in the spring and summer in cooler regions.Depending on soil fertility and management, it can grow to 2 to 4 feet tall.The leaves are pale green and have toothed margins.There are tendrils on the top of the plant.The flowers of the winter pea are purple in color.Pods that are 2 to 3 inches long contain several round seeds and can be produced if plants are not overgrazed.
Winter pea can grow anywhere in the United States and Canada.It can survive very cold weather, as the name implies.It grows well in a variety of soil types, but best production occurs in light-textured loamy soils.Winter pea is sensitive to soil pH and needs to be maintained above 6.0 in order to maximize nutrition and attraction.
Germination of winter peas would be considered moderate compared to other cool-season forages.They can produce up to 2 tons of dry weight for a period of seven to eight months.The leaves and stems typically have 25 percent of crudeProtein in them.The acid detergent fiber values have been reported below 20 percent, which is important when selecting forages to plant.
Results can vary with regard to deer preference.In Georgia, wildlife biologist Kent Kammermeyer found deer in one of his plots that were selected for winter peas despite being in an area with a low deer density.When other cool-season forages were available in areas with a low deer density, deer used winter peas less.In high deer density areas, most of the winter peas were eaten.
Heavy use of winter peas on a property with a high deer density was observed in Alabama last season.There were high deer observation rates in the winter pea field.Basinger is standing in a field.
Winter peas do best with a neutral pH, so a soil test should be conducted prior to planting.Adding nitrogen isn't necessary since winter pea is a legume and produces its own, however P and K should be applied at the recommended rates.If you use pre-inoculated seed, remember to inoculate winter pea with strain C.It will help ensure healthy, vigorous plots that can endure adverse weather conditions.
Winter peas are easy to grow and can be drilled at a rate of 30 lbs./acre with a no-till drill.If broadcasting peas, be sure to cover the seed with a light disking.If no-till is used, be sure to kill the existing vegetation with glyphosate a couple weeks prior to planting to eliminate weed competition and create a clean field.
In the South, winter peas should be planted in September through October.It should be planted in August or April in the northern states.
Winter pea should not be planted in pure stands.If you want to extend the life of the food plot, plant them in a mixture with other preferred species.Winter pea is a great companion.According to the number of species used in the mixture, reduce the planting rates of each species.The online store has specific recommended blends in the book Quality Food Plots.
Austrian winter peas were covered in the full profile in Quality Whitetails magazine.Become a member of QDMA to get more information about food plot management.
Ryan Basinger is the Wildlife consulting Manager for Westervelt Wildlife Services.He has experience managing wildlife on public and private lands in the Southeast.Ryan studied the effects of various forest management techniques on browse production, availability, preference, and nutrition for white-tailed deer.Ryan has conducted extensive food plot research where he compared production, nutrition, preference, and availability of various forages planted for deer.He received his masters degree in wildlife management from the University of Tennessee.