Perennial Trail Mix
Treasure Trail is a perennial mix of shade-tolerant grass and legume varieties formulated to create quiet walking paths for hunters and wildlife.
Treasure Trail performs well in partially shaded areas like forest trails, along fence rows, or under trees – where other food plot mixes have trouble or can’t survive.
Planting Time:
April/May or August/September
Seeding Rate:
10 pounds covers 1/3 acre, 25 pounds covers 1 acre
Ingredients:
Bronson Tall Fescue, Tetramag Hybrid Ryegrass, Italian Ryegrass, Advantage Ladino Clover, Creeping Red Fescue, Crimson Clover, Meadow Fescue, Orchardgrass, Aberlasting White Clover, Redtop
Notes on varieties:
– Bronson Tall Fescue – low endophyte; exhibits high yield and toughness associated with tall fescue; persistent; soft, palatable leaves; best animal acceptance per Penn State University grazing trials
– Tetramag Hybrid Ryegrass – a dually-beneficial hybrid; carries the superior forage yield and feed value of an Italian ryegrass with the persistence and durability of a perennial ryegrass in one; excellent seedling vigor and establishment; fast regrowth; superior forage quality
– Italian Ryegrass – a short rotation grass; high yielding; excellent drought tolerance; winterhardy; low aftermath heading
– Advantage Ladino Clover – remains in vegetative state during whitetail deer antler growth; high crude protein content with large, succulent leaves; early vigor and hardiness; bred under grazing pressure
– Creeping Red Fescue – thrives in shady areas; excellent for high traffic areas
– Crimson Clover – performs well in mixes; known for its fine, fibrous root system, shade tolerance, and quick establishment
– Meadow Fescue – a cool-season, semi-bunch type grass; yields slightly less than orchardgrass or tall fescue, but has better fiber digestibility; performs better than most forage grasses on moist soils; performs well under drier conditions
– Orchardgrass – high yielding; drought tolerant; winterhardy; shade tolerant; produces high-quality high yielding forage
– Aberlasting White Clover – a hybrid between white clover and caucasian clover; drought-tolerant; excellent tolerance of cold temperatures and freezing; good forage quality; shows excellent tolerance of grazing, recovering faster than conventional varieties
– Redtop – a cool-season, sod-forming, perennial grass; germinates very rapidly and performs well on acidic, low-fertility soils; broadly adapted to a wide range of soil and weather conditions
The pictures above of the new Treasure Trail mix show that it survived its first winter.
The stand and the new growth both look good. It’s about 10-12 inches tall on May 9th (Lansing, MI area). The grass is thick, and there is a fair amount of clover.
The deer and turkey are using the trail a lot, but there is no sign of them eating anything yet – which is a good thing. Other shaded trail mixes tend to use too many tasty species, and because growth in the shade is much slower than in sunny fields, those shaded trail mixes end up being destroyed.
The verdict on Treasure Trail is still out – but so far so good.
Questions? Please email us at hey@pilgrimseed.com
Check out all our plot mixes here.
