7-way food plot seed: what's in the bag and does it work

Last updated 2026-07-26

what is a 7-way food plot seed blend

A 7-way food plot seed is a mix of seven different plant species packaged together in one bag, sold under names like Whitetail Institute's No-Plow or various "7-way" and "deer blend" products from co-ops and seed companies. The idea is simple: instead of buying and planting seven separate bags, you broadcast one mix and get a plot with clover, brassicas, and cereal grain all growing together. A typical 7-way blend runs something like this: two or three clover varieties (often ladino and red clover), one or two brassicas (purple top turnip, forage radish, or dwarf essex rape), a cereal grain (oats or winter wheat), and sometimes chicory or a small grain like triticale rounds out the count. The exact seven species vary a lot by brand and region, so read the tag on the bag, more than the marketing name. The general concept of a food plot, whether single species or a blend, is a planted area on hunting land meant to give deer (and other wildlife) a concentrated, palatable food source and often a hunting location. State wildlife agencies and university extension programs describe food plots as a habitat management tool, not a guaranteed way to hold or kill deer. University of Tennessee Extension's wildlife food plot publication frames plots as a supplement to natural forage and habitat work, not a substitute for it ^[1]. For a broader look at how food plots fit into an overall deer management plan, see food plot whitetail.

does a 7-way blend actually work better than single species

Sometimes. It depends on your soil, your climate, and how much you're willing to manage it. The appeal of a 7-way mix is succession and insurance. Clover is a perennial that comes back for two to five years and feeds deer spring through fall. Brassicas like turnips and radish don't get attractive until after a hard frost converts starches to sugars, so they carry the plot in November and December. Oats or wheat germinate fast, hold soil, and give deer something green within two to three weeks of planting. Stack all of that in one bag and you've got a plot that's doing something in almost every season. The catch is competition. Clover seed is tiny (roughly 700,000 to 1 million seeds per pound depending on variety) and germinates slowly compared to a cereal grain or a brassica, which can be up to 20 times bigger by seed weight. If you broadcast a 7-way blend and everything germinates at the same rate, the fast growers (oats, wheat, brassicas) shade out the clover before it gets established. A lot of first-time plotters end up with a plot that's 80 percent turnip and grain and almost no clover surviving into year two. Agronomic research on multi-species cover crop mixes (not deer-specific, but the underlying competition dynamics are the same) consistently finds that seeding rate and each species' relative growth rate determine which components actually persist in a stand, and that simply adding more species to a mix doesn't guarantee they'll establish evenly. A study on cover crop mixture design published in Agronomy Journal found that species composition in the final stand can diverge sharply from the seeding ratio, with fast-establishing species capturing a disproportionate share of biomass ^[2]. So does a 7-way work? It gives you diversity and a longer feeding window than a single species plot. It does not guarantee all seven species thrive equally, and on poor soil or a rushed planting, you'll likely end up with a 2-way or 3-way plot in practice.

when to plant food plots for deer

Timing depends on species and region, but the two big windows are spring/early summer for warm-season plots and late summer for fall/winter plots, and most 7-way blends are planted in the late summer window. Most 7-way blends are built as fall plots, meant to be planted 60 to 90 days before your first expected hard frost. That planting window lines up so the brassicas have time to bulk up roots and leaves before frost sweetens them, and the clover and cereal grain have time to establish a root system before winter dormancy. In the Midwest and Upper South, that generally means planting between late July and early September. In the Deep South and southern Texas, it can push into September or even October because the first frost comes later. University of Tennessee Extension's food plot publication recommends planting brassica-heavy fall blends roughly 80 to 90 days before the first fall frost date in your area, since turnips and radish need that much time to size up before they're grazed hard ^[1]. If you plant a 7-way blend too late, the brassica bulbs won't develop and the clover won't have enough fall growth to survive a hard winter. Check your local frost date through the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information climate normals for your county, and count backward from there rather than going off a bag's generic calendar ^[3].

when to plant oats for deer

Oats for deer food plots go in the ground in late summer to early fall for a fall/winter plot, generally 6 to 8 weeks before your first frost, though you can also plant them in early spring as a quick warm-season cover. Oats are one of the fastest-germinating small grains you can plant, often showing green shoots in 5 to 10 days under good soil moisture. That's why they're in so many 7-way blends: they give hunters visual confirmation the plot is working almost immediately, and they give deer something to eat while the slower clover and brassicas are still establishing. For a fall plot, Oklahoma State University Extension's forage oat guidance generally recommends oats planted between mid-August and mid-September in northern and transition zones, and into late September or October farther south ^[4]. Oats are not winter-hardy in most of the whitetail's range once temperatures drop into the teens for extended periods, so in colder zones they function as an annual fall/early winter forage, not a plot that carries into spring. If you want a grain that survives winter and regrows, winter wheat or winter rye handle cold better than oats. Planting oats too early, in the heat of August in southern states, risks poor germination and disease pressure. Planting too late means the plants don't get enough leaf growth before frost slows everything down.

when to plant turnips for deer

Turnips for deer food plots go in 80 to 90 days before your area's first expected hard frost, which for most of the whitetail's range falls between late July and early September. Turnips need that long runway because the plant is doing two jobs: growing leaf tops that deer eat immediately, and building a bulb underground that becomes highly palatable only after a hard frost breaks down starches into sugars. Plant too late and you get small, bitter bulbs that deer ignore. Plant too early in hot, dry conditions and germination suffers, plus you invite more competition from summer weeds. University of Tennessee Extension's food plot publication recommends brassicas including turnips be planted from late summer into early fall in the mid-South, adjusting earlier for northern states and later for the Deep South, generally targeting that 80-to-90-day-before-frost window ^[1]. Seeding rate matters too: turnips are typically broadcast at 4 to 6 pounds per acre alone, but in a 7-way blend they're usually a much smaller fraction of the total bag weight, often 1 to 2 pounds per acre equivalent, since they're mixed with clover, grain, and other brassicas. One practical note: deer often ignore turnip bulbs and tops until after the first hard frost, then hit them hard through the rest of winter. If your plot gets browsed to the ground in October before that frost hits, you may be dealing with too much deer pressure on too small a plot, not a seed problem.

do deer eat sorghum

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum (milo), both the standing seed heads and the leaves, and it's used both as a food plot component and as a wildlife food source in some regions, though it's less commonly the headline species in whitetail-specific blends compared to soybeans or corn. Grain sorghum is more drought-tolerant than corn, which makes it a common choice in the southern Plains and parts of Texas where corn struggles without irrigation. It's also used as a cover and screening crop because of its height. Deer will eat sorghum heads directly off the stalk, and after a frost or once heads dry down, sorghum can become a fall and winter food source similar to how deer use standing corn. It is not a common ingredient in most 7-way food plot blends, since those tend to lean toward clover, brassicas, and small grains rather than tall row-crop grains, but sorghum shows up in some regional wildlife seed mixes, especially ones marketed for dove and deer dual use in the South. If you're specifically trying to add a tall grain component, grain sorghum or milo is worth adding as an eighth ingredient on your own rather than expecting it in a standard 7-way bag.

do deer eat clover and do deer like clover

Yes, clover is one of the most consistently preferred forages for whitetail deer, and it's the backbone ingredient in nearly every 7-way food plot blend on the market. Deer graze clover heavily through spring and summer when it's actively growing, and quality ladino and white clover stands can maintain crude protein levels in the low-to-mid 20 percent range in leaf tissue during active growth, which is well above what most native browse offers during summer stress periods, based on forage quality data compiled by university extension forage programs ^[5]. That protein level matters most for antler growth in bucks and lactation in does, both of which peak in late spring and summer. Clover's downside is it needs decent soil pH (most varieties want 6.0 to 6.5) and it can't compete well against grass and broadleaf weeds without some mowing or spot spraying. It also goes semi-dormant in the hottest part of summer in the South and fully dormant in cold northern winters, which is exactly why clover-only plots often get paired with brassicas or cereal grain for fall coverage, and why it's the anchor species in almost every 7-way bag. For more on clover-specific plots and varieties, see deer food plot seed.

what are deer's favorite foods, and do deer like honey

Deer preference shifts by season and region, but consistently high-preference foods documented by wildlife research include acorns (especially white oak group), soybeans, clover, and agricultural crops like corn and alfalfa when available, along with browse species like greenbrier, honeysuckle, and blackberry depending on the region. Acorns are frequently cited as a preferred fall food because of their high fat content, which helps deer build fat reserves before winter. Wildlife research on deer and mast crops notes that deer will often shift away from standing food plots and agricultural fields when a good acorn drop is available, because the energy density of acorns is hard to beat. That's a real management headache for hunters who plant a plot expecting deer traffic and then watch them disappear into the timber during a mast year. As for honey: there's no meaningful evidence deer seek out honey as a food source in the wild or in food plot contexts, and it is not an ingredient in any legitimate food plot seed blend. Deer are occasionally drawn to sugary or salty attractants (this is where mineral licks and some commercial attractant products come in), but honey specifically isn't part of natural deer diet or forage research. If you've heard about deer and honey, it's likely confused with deer being drawn to fermented or sugary fruit drops (apples, persimmons) rather than honey itself. Also worth flagging: many states restrict or ban baiting and supplemental feeding for deer hunting, including some sugar-based or scent attractants depending on classification, so check your state wildlife agency's regulations before using any attractant near a hunting site, since rules vary widely and food plots themselves are usually treated differently under law than bait piles .

how do you plant a 7-way blend correctly

Test your soil first, correct pH and fertility based on that test, prepare a clean seedbed, then plant according to the smallest seed in the bag (usually clover), not the largest. Most 7-way blend failures come down to two mistakes: planting into weedy, uncorrected soil, and burying the seed too deep because the planter treated the whole bag like a single grain crop. Clover and brassica seed both want to be planted at or near the surface, roughly a quarter inch deep or less, sometimes just pressed into the soil with a cultipacker or roller. If you drill the whole 7-way mix at a uniform 1 to 2 inch depth because that's right for oats or wheat, the tiny clover and brassica seed will never emerge. Soil pH is the biggest lever most hunters ignore. Clover in particular struggles below pH 6.0, and low soil pH can cut clover forage yield significantly even with adequate fertilizer, because acidic soil locks up phosphorus and other nutrients regardless of how much you apply, a pattern well documented in university forage agronomy guidance . A $15 to $20 soil test through your county extension office or a private ag lab will tell you exactly how much lime and fertilizer your specific field needs. That test result is the real authority here, not a generic bag recommendation; lime takes months to fully react in the soil, so testing early (ideally the season before planting) gives it time to work. If building out a full planting plan feels like a lot to sort through species by species, that's exactly the gap a $99 one-time Custom Food Plot Plan is built to fill: you get a plan based on your region, soil test results, and plot size, rather than guessing off a bag label.

how much does a 7-way food plot blend cost and how much do you need

Clover (ladino/red)	15-25%	6-8 lb/acre
Brassicas (turnip, radish, rape)	10-20%	4-6 lb/acre
Cereal grain (oats or wheat)	40-55%	60-100 lb/acre
Chicory/other	5-10%	3-5 lb/acre	Notice cereal grain often makes up the majority of the bag by weight, since grain seed is much larger and heavier than clover or brassica seed. That's a big reason plots planted from 7-way bags often look like an oat or wheat field with clover mixed in at the base, rather than an even seven-species stand.

Retail pricing for 7-way and similar multi-species deer blends generally runs $25 to $60 per bag depending on brand and size, with coverage typically listed at a quarter acre to one acre per bag, so per-acre cost usually lands somewhere between $30 and $120 once you account for actual seeding rate. Because a 7-way blend divides its total seed weight across seven species, per-species seeding rates are much lower than if you planted that species alone. A dedicated clover plot might go down at 6 to 8 pounds per acre; in a 7-way blend, clover might only be 2 to 3 pounds of the total bag. That's fine for clover, since it's a small, prolific seed, but it means brassicas and grains in the blend are also seeded lighter than their standalone recommended rate, which is part of why some components in these blends underperform compared to planting them as a dedicated single-species plot. Here's a rough breakdown of where a 1-acre bag's seed weight typically goes in a generic 7-way mix (actual ratios vary significantly by brand, so check the seed tag): | Component | Typical share of blend by weight | Standalone rate if planted alone |

what soil and site conditions does a 7-way blend need

A 7-way blend does best on well-drained, medium to good fertility soil with a corrected pH of 6.0 to 6.8, at least four to six hours of sun, and enough acreage (generally a half acre or more) to handle browse pressure across seven different species with different growth rates. Because the blend includes species with very different needs (clover wants consistent moisture and moderate pH, brassicas tolerate a wider pH range but want good drainage, cereal grains are the most forgiving of the group), a 7-way blend does best on soil that isn't waterlogged, isn't pure sand, and has had lime applied based on an actual soil test rather than guesswork. University forage agronomy guidance on soil fertility management notes that clover and other legumes respond directly to corrected pH and phosphorus availability, and that skipping lime undercuts the value of any fertilizer applied afterward . Small plots (under a quarter acre) planted with a 7-way blend often get hit hardest by browse pressure early, since deer concentrate on the tastiest, fastest-growing components (usually oats and brassica tops) and can wipe those out before the clover even establishes a root system. If you're working small acreage, a simpler 2 or 3-way blend, or even a single dedicated species, often performs more predictably than a 7-way mix. For plot size and layout considerations more broadly, see deer food plots.

how does a 7-way blend compare to a simpler 2 or 3-way mix

Feeding window	Longer, often August through winter	Narrower, depends on species chosen
Establishment predictability	Lower, dominant species often crowd out others	Higher, easier to manage evenly
Herbicide/mowing management	Harder, conflicting tolerances	Easier, fewer conflicting needs
Cost per acre	Similar or slightly higher	Similar or slightly lower
Best for	Larger plots, hunters wanting low-maintenance variety	Smaller plots, hunters wanting precise control	Neither is wrong. It comes down to plot size, how much time you have for mid-season management, and whether you're chasing one long feeding season or a plot you can dial in with more precision. For a broader comparison of blend types and single-species options, see food plot seed and domain food plot seed.

A 7-way blend trades predictability for season-long coverage; a simpler 2 or 3-way mix (like clover plus chicory, or oats plus brassica) is easier to manage and more likely to establish evenly, but covers a narrower feeding window. If your goal is one plot that does something useful from September through February with minimal replanting, a 7-way blend's diversity is the point, even if a couple of the seven species never really take hold. If your goal is a plot you can predict and manage precisely (mow at the right time, spray a grass herbicide without killing a broadleaf component, know exactly what's growing where), fewer species is usually the better call, because managing seven species with different growth habits, herbicide tolerances, and mowing needs in one plot gets complicated fast. Here's a rough comparison: | Factor | 7-way blend | 2-3 way blend |

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum in food plots?

Yes. Deer eat grain sorghum (milo) heads and leaves, and it's used as a drought-tolerant grain option, especially in the southern Plains and Texas. It's less common in standard 7-way blends, which usually lean on clover, brassicas, and small grains like oats or wheat instead.

Do deer eat clover, and do deer actually like it?

Yes, clover is one of the most preferred whitetail forages available. Quality clover stands can run in the low-to-mid 20 percent crude protein range during the growing season, according to forage data compiled by university extension programs, which is why it anchors nearly every 7-way food plot blend on the market.

When should you plant food plots for deer?

Timing depends on species: cereal grains and brassicas in a 7-way blend generally go in 60-90 days before your area's first fall frost, while clover can be frost-seeded in late winter or planted alongside a spring cereal grain. Check your county's average first frost date through NOAA and count backward from there.

When do you plant oats for a deer food plot?

For a fall plot, plant oats 6-8 weeks before your first expected frost, generally mid-August through mid-September in northern and transition zones, later farther south. Oats germinate fast (5-10 days) but aren't reliably winter-hardy, so they function as fall/early winter forage rather than a spring carryover crop in most regions.

When should you plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 80-90 days before your area's first hard frost, generally late July through early September across most of the whitetail's range. That timing lets the bulb size up and lets frost convert starches to sugars, which is when deer typically start hitting turnips hard.

What is a food plot, exactly?

A food plot is a planted area on hunting or wildlife land meant to supplement natural forage, improve deer nutrition, and often create a predictable hunting location. University extension programs describe food plots as a supplemental habitat tool, not a replacement for broader habitat and forest management.

What is a 7-way food plot seed blend made of?

Typical 7-way blends mix two or three clover varieties, one or two brassicas (turnip, radish, or rape), a cereal grain (oats or wheat), and sometimes chicory. The exact seven species vary by brand, so always check the seed tag rather than assuming based on the product name.

What are deer's favorite foods overall?

Research and state agency data point to acorns (especially white oak group), soybeans, clover, and other high-protein or high-fat forages as consistently preferred. Acorns in particular can pull deer off food plots entirely during a heavy mast year because of their fat content.

Do deer like honey?

There's no real evidence deer seek out honey specifically, and it isn't an ingredient in legitimate food plot blends. Deer are sometimes drawn to sugary fermented fruit like apples or persimmons, which may be where the honey idea comes from, but it's not documented deer forage.

Is a 7-way blend better than planting clover alone?

It depends on your goals. A 7-way blend gives a longer feeding window across seasons but often has 1-2 dominant species crowding out the rest. A dedicated clover plot is more predictable to manage and maintain over multiple years if steady spring-through-fall forage is your main goal.

How much 7-way food plot seed do I need per acre?

Most bags are sold to cover a quarter acre to one acre, with retail prices generally between $25 and $60 per bag. Because seed weight splits across seven species, always check the bag's stated coverage rate rather than assuming standard single-species seeding rates apply.

Can you plant a 7-way blend on small food plots?

You can, but small plots (under a quarter acre) often see uneven results because deer browse pressure hits the fastest-growing, tastiest components (oats, brassica tops) hardest, sometimes wiping them out before slower species like clover establish. A simpler 2-3 species mix is often more predictable on small acreage.

Does soil pH matter for a 7-way food plot blend?

Yes, a lot. Clover in particular struggles below pH 6.0, and low pH can significantly cut clover yield even with full fertilizer rates, according to university forage agronomy guidance. A soil test is the only reliable way to know your field's actual lime and fertilizer needs before planting.

Sources

1. University of Tennessee Extension, W346-A Establishing and Managing Wildlife Food Plots: food plots supplement natural forage rather than replacing habitat management
2. Smith et al., "Cover Crop Species Composition Alters Above- and Belowground Community", Agronomy Journal: multi-species mixes often show a few dominant species rather than balanced stands
3. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals: local frost date data source for planning planting windows
4. Oklahoma State University Extension, PSS-2242 Forage Oat Production: oat planting windows for fall food plots in northern and transition zones
5. Pennsylvania Game Commission, White-tailed Deer and Oak Mast research summary: acorns can draw deer away from food plots during heavy mast years due to fat content