By Jon Cooner
Q: I am going to plant Chicory Plus this fall, and I would like to plant Pure Attraction with it. Can I do that? If so, how?
A: Yes sir, you can. Better options, though, may be to either plant the Pure Attraction beside your Chicory Plus, or use No-Plow or Winter-Greens if you are going to top-dress. Otherwise, you’ll need to follow a very specific planting sequence.
Consider Chicory Plus the primary forage planting and the Pure Attraction as secondary, and follow the fertilizer recommendations for Pure Attraction even though you'll also be planting Chicory Plus in the plot. The Pure Attraction instructions call for the use of a fertilizer blend that is higher in nitrogen than the one recommended for Chicory Plus. Nitrogen is directly related to forage growth. Chicory Plus contains clovers that, in essence, make their own nitrogen. However, the plants in Pure Attraction are not "nitrogen fixers," so more nitrogen needs to be included in the fertilizer blend. The additional nitrogen won't hurt the Chicory Plus, and since nitrogen dissipates rather quickly once it is exposed to the environment, it will be long gone before it can stimulate weed and grass competition the following spring.
Third, the planting instructions for each product are different, so you should follow a specific planting sequence when planting Pure Attraction with an Imperial perennial blend.
Imperial perennials such as Chicory Plus are designed to be planted in contact with the surface of the ground — they should never be covered. Pure Attraction, however, should be placed about 1/4 inch below the surface in loose soil. That means that once your seedbed is prepared, you'll need to broadcast the Pure Attraction seed first and cover it lightly with a drag or harrow. Do not cultipack or roll the seedbed after you plant your Pure Attraction. Just cover the Pure Attraction seed with about 1/4 inch of loose soil. Then, broadcast your Chicory Plus seed right on top of the ground. Let that be the last step in the planting process. Do not cultipack, drag or otherwise cover the Chicory Plus seed after you put it out.
Finally, remember to top-dress the plot with additional high-nitrogen fertilizer once the seedlings reach 3-4 inches tall in accordance with the Pure Attraction instructions. Also, remember to start your Chicory Plus maintenance as soon as spring rolls around. Full planting and maintenance instructions for Pure Attraction and Chicory Plus are available at http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/.
And, as always, our highly trained in-house consultants are standing by to answer your questions anytime from 8:00-5:00 Central Time, Monday through Friday, at (800) 688-3030, ext. 2.
