? What can I plant to attract ducks???

Robert Van Sant

Active member
We have a timber hole that is dry right now in Mississippi. It normaly is flooded this time of year, but because of the lack of rain it is dry. My question is what can we plant now (November) that would be a perennial food that can grow in water. The normal winter and spring depth is about 12-18 inches. Anybody have any ideas? Wild Rice? Sago Pond weed? Wild Celery?????
 
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Unless it is a big hole that gets lots of sunlight, wild celery & other submerged aquatic grasses will not work. Also, wild celery needs to be flooded year round.

There isn't much that can be planted this time of year other than trees. Plant some water oaks around the perimeter, you won't see results for some years though.
Other than that, you generally need to wait until spring to plant millet, etc.. You may be better off just letting the wild plants & weeds recruit on their own.
 
That makes things easier. HOwever, wild celery still needs permanent flooding so that is still out.

One thing I did not think of before that you could plant now would be winter wheat and rye grass. Not the best duck food but it would bring in the deer!
 
I am not sure on the posted planting dates but you may want to look into Jap milleit in that large hole it will start flooded or dry (with some watering/rain) and return next year
 
Robert,

You might well consider letting the hole "go to seed" naturally, and then come back in the spring and plant millet or other vegetation.

I think the problem you will run into at this point is that nothing will sprout in such a short time, so it might be a wasted expense to just broadcast seed around...not to mention the wardens thinking you are baiting (if the water comes up).

Even if you planted now, you wouldn't see seed from millet, buckwheat, etc. for 90 days, minimum - something like that? And besides that, I sure wouldn't want the warm weather it would take to get that crop up and out of the ground!
 
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