By Whitetail Institute Staff
Annuals can be a superb tool for delivering abundant forage at specific times of the year. For fall through winter, Imperial Pure Attraction delivers immediately, performing from early autumn, on through the coldest winter months.
When it comes to providing year-around forage from a single planting, perennials are king. That’s why perennials often serve as the backbone of a food plot system. When it comes to delivering rapid growth for a specific part or parts of the year, annuals really shine, and none more so than Pure Attraction.
Pure Attraction is a blend whose major components are Whitetail Institute forage oats and the Institute’s annual brassicas. The combination provides managers with a single annual forage blend that delivers top performance from early fall through winter. In early fall, the WINA forage oats in Pure Attraction establish quickly. Fast establishment is further enhanced by a minor component: winter peas. This combination results in the fast germination and rapid growth of this high-sugar, cold-tolerant stage, which provides deer with the carbohydrates they crave at this time of year as they store energy for the coming winter. At this same time, the WINA brassicas in Pure Attraction establish and provide even more tonnage during the early season.
As the weather turns colder later in the fall, frosts cause an enzyme in the brassicas in Pure Attraction to turn starches in the plants to sugars, making them even sweeter and even more irresistible to deer. These brassicas stand taller in the snow and continue to provide deer with highly attractive and nutritious forage even during the coldest months of winter.
The availability of highly nutritious forages during winter can be a huge benefit to deer, not only in terms of survival but also to help them maintain body weight and health. This helps them to recover from winter more quickly in the early spring. And remember — the sooner a buck can recover his winter health losses, the earlier in the antler-growing season he can divert nutrition to the job of building antlers. And just like all forage blends that bear the name Imperial Whitetail, Pure Attraction is the result of the Whitetail Institute’s exhaustive research, development and real-world testing across North America, which assures hunters and managers of the industry’s top performance.
Pure Attraction is designed for fall planting, and the dates (shown on the back of the forage bags and also at http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/) are the same as those for planting Whitetail Institute perennials. Pure Attraction is easy to plant — seedbed preparation doesn’t require deep tillage, and if lime must be added to raise soil pH to optimum (6.5 or higher), it need be tilled only into the first inch or two of soil. Getting the seedbed as smooth as possible before planting is also not as critical when planting Pure Attraction as it is when planting perennials. Unlike perennials, Pure Attraction should be covered under a thin layer of loose soil. Just disk, leave the soil loose, fertilize and then broadcast the Pure Attraction seed, and then very lightly drag over the seed.
As with any forage, soil testing before planting Pure Attraction is recommended. If a soil test is not available though, Pure Attraction can be fertilized with the most commonly available fertilizer blends, such as 17-17-17 or 13-13-13 at a rate of 400 pounds per acre. As the directions specify, if possible, fertilize Pure Attraction again 30-45 days after planting with 100 pounds/acre of 33-0-0, 34-0-0 or similar high-nitrogen fertilizer to further boost forage growth.
So if you’re looking for something to plant this fall that will establish very quickly, produce lots of succulent, carbohydrate-rich forage in the early fall, and keep performing through the cold winter months, Pure Attraction is an excellent option. If you have any questions about Pure Attraction or would like to order, just call the Whitetail Institute’s in-house
consultants at (800) 688-3030, extension 2.
