Coming up on week 5. Got a pretty good canopy across most of the field now. There�re still a lot of small patches of thatch showing though due to the heavy browsing on the buckwheat and peas. You really want to have a green �umbrella� over your thatch at this point. The canopy effect combined with the thatch over the soil surface will help hold onto moisture through periods of hot, dry weather. This is just a salad bar of lush browse for deer now. It simulates a diverse, natural prairie but sweetened up a little with the species that I choose to keep, add, or eliminate.



The buckwheat seems to be tolerating the browsing pressure so far. Most of it has branched out and while the deer eat the top out of the plant�.the rest of the plant seems to stay alive and continue to grow. The ability for a plant to withstand browsing pressure and bounce back from it is a function of plant health and vigor.



My watermelon sprout is still hanging in there and finding a niche amongst the milo. It actually ended up in a pretty good spot where it has a little room to vine out. I think it�ll grow just fine under this milo if the deer don�t demolish it one night. Going to have a few crimson sweets before the summer is over.



Actually still have a little hairy vetch blooming here and there around the field as well. That would be something I would to add to your fall planting mix this year if you are going to throw and mow long term. A good plant to have in the mix.



Will the field be able to withstand this???? I�m really not sure but it�ll be a good test.