Excellent attraction, drought-resistance, winter-hardiness up to 44 percent protein, and a perennial that can last up to five years without the expense of replanting? That’s a lot to ask of any food plot planting. Even so, that’s what Imperial Whitetail Edge delivers. It’s also one reason it took the Whitetail Institute five years of scientific research, development, and real-world testing to create Edge, and why Edge is designed to perform well in various climates, from Florida to Canada.
Like other Whitetail Institute food plot
products, Edge is the result of Whitetail Institute’s goal-oriented approach to
forage research, development, and testing, which means Edge’s product quality
and performance are the best the Whitetail Institute can make them. Edge is a
carefully designed blend of several types of plants that have been carefully
matched and blended in the ratios Whitetail Institute testing has shown to maximize
the attractiveness, nutritional content, and longevity of the planting. Rarely
will one plant type perform at the highest levels in all test categories.
That’s why the Whitetail Institute takes care in selecting forage components
that complement each other and determining the optimum ratios in which to
combine them, based on exhaustive testing. Let’s look at the components in Edge
and how they interact to maximize attraction, nutrition, and longevity.
Components
Edge contains these
forage components, some of which will be familiar to folks who have planted
other Whitetail Institute perennials. Edge includes proprietary forage
varieties available only in Whitetail Institute products.
Specially Selected
Sainfoin Variety: Sainfoin is a legume that produces high protein levels similar
to those produced by high-quality alfalfas. The sainfoin variety included in
Edge has been selected for its outstanding deer preference compared to other
sainfoin varieties tested by the Whitetail Institute. It is incredibly attractive
to deer. It’s also cold-tolerant and drought and heat-resistant to withstand,
hotter, dryer climates.
Persist Forb: Persist is the backbone
perennial in another White-tail Institute perennial, Imperial Whitetail
Extreme. This exceptionally sweet plant is deeply rooted and highly drought
resistant. Persist adapts well in lighter soils and in good soils that drain
well.
X-9 Grazing Alfalfas: The X-9 alfalfas in Edge
are the same as those the Whitetail Institute includes in Alfa-Rack Plus.
Whitetail Institute testing has shown these alfalfas to be superior to hay-type
alfalfas when used as a forage for deer, mainly because they produce more leaf
relative to stem than ordinary alfalfas. The X-9 alfalfas are also deeply
rooted and drought-resistant.
WINA-100 Perennial Forage Chicory: This is the same perennial forage chicory the Whitetail Institute includes in Chic Magnet, Fusion, Alfa-Rack Plus, Extreme, and Vision. Simply put, WINA-100 is the most attractive chicory variety the Whitetail Institute has tested. That’s because its leaves stay tender as it matures, unlike other chicories, which can become stemmy and waxy. WINA-100 chicory is also deeply rooted and drought resistant.
WINA Golden-Jumpstart Annual Clovers: Small amounts of annual
clover are included to help Edge sprout and grow rapidly, providing fast
green-up and attraction. These are the same proprietary clovers included in
other Whitetail Institute perennial and annual for-age blends.
Rainbond Seed Coating
Edge also features
Whitetail Institute Rainbond, high-tech polymers included in the seed coatings.
These polymers push seedling survivability to the maximum by retaining water
that would otherwise be lost to evaporation or percolation so the seedlings
have access to it. Specifically, Rainbond absorbs water from the soil (up to
200 times its weight in water), keeps it next to the seed as it germinates and
begins to grow, and replenishes the water it holds from the soil as the plants
use it. The seed coatings in Edge also contain the precise inoculant needed by
the alfalfas in the blend so you don’t have to inoculate the seed before
planting. In short, Edge is ready to go out of the bag.
Additional Information
Edge is designed for a
well-prepared seedbed in good soils that are moderately well drained. As with
any alfalfa or product containing alfalfa, soil pH should be within neutral
range (6.5 to 7.5) at the time of planting. Edge can be planted in spring in
most areas or in fall. Planting dates and instructions for planting and maintaining
Edge are provided on the back of the product bags, and they’re also available
online at whitetailinstitute.com. If you have additional questions about Edge,
call the Whitetail Institute’s in-house consultants at (800) 688-3030. The call
and the service are free.
