ChicMagnet perennial chicory: what it is, how to plant it

Last updated 2026-07-24

What is ChicMagnet and how is it different from regular chicory

ChicMagnet is a forage chicory cultivar marketed specifically for deer food plots, bred and selected for wider leaves, higher palatability, and better cold tolerance than the chicory you'd find growing wild along a roadside. Wild chicory (Cichorium intybus) is the same species, but the plot-specific varieties like ChicMagnet, Puna II, and others have been selected over generations for forage quality rather than the bitter, tough-leaved plant that shows up in pastures. A food plot itself is just a planted patch of forage on hunting ground, usually a fraction of an acre to a few acres, intended to feed deer and other wildlife and to concentrate deer activity for observation or hunting. That's the whole concept. Some plots are annual (planted every year), some are perennial (planted once and mowed or sprayed to persist for several seasons). Chicory falls into the second category. What sets a bred chicory apart in the field is leaf regrowth speed after grazing and drought tolerance from a deep taproot that can run 2 feet or more into the soil profile, letting the plant pull moisture other forages can't reach in a dry August. That taproot is also why chicory plots hold up so well in years when clover looks scorched by mid-summer. Agronomically, chicory is a broadleaf perennial, not a legume, so it doesn't fix nitrogen the way clover does. That means it benefits from a real nitrogen program, which most blended perennial plot mixes account for by pairing chicory with clover.

Do deer actually eat chicory, and how does it compare to clover

Yes, deer eat chicory readily, and university trial data backs this up. Chicory forage typically tests in the 20-30% crude protein range during active growth, which is on par with or higher than most clover varieties depending on cutting stage and soil fertility ^[1]. Whitetail deer preference studies and extension forage guides regularly list chicory alongside clover and alfalfa as a preferred perennial forage for deer plots ^[2]. Do deer like clover? Yes, clover remains probably the single most planted perennial food plot forage in North America because it's cheap, easy to establish, and deer hit it hard from green-up through frost. Ladino and red clover varieties both test high in protein (often 25-30%+) and digestibility ^[1]. The practical difference in the field: clover tends to get hit harder early and mid-season, while chicory often becomes the more attractive option in the heat of summer when clover growth slows and quality drops. Chicory's deep taproot keeps producing green, high-protein leaf material during dry spells that would have clover looking stressed and thin. That's the main reason plot mixes blend the two instead of picking one. You get clover's fast establishment and spring/fall pull, plus chicory's summer stamina and longer stand life. One more note on comparison. Chicory tends to be more drought and heat tolerant than clover but somewhat less cold tolerant in the far north; extension guidance from northern states notes chicory stands can thin over hard winters more than a well-fertilized clover stand ^[3].

When should you plant chicory food plots

Chicory should be planted in spring after your last frost date, or in late summer roughly 60-90 days before your first fall frost, giving the taproot time to establish before winter dormancy or hard heat ^[4]. Both windows work; which one you choose depends on your weed pressure and soil moisture. Spring plantings (April through early June across most of the whitetail range) benefit from a full growing season to build a root system before the first winter, but they compete harder with summer annual weeds like foxtail and crabgrass. Late-summer plantings (roughly August in the North, into early September in the mid-South) dodge a lot of that weed pressure because cooler soil temps favor the chicory over warm-season weeds, but you need reliable late-summer rain or irrigation to get germination. Seeding rate for a chicory-only planting typically runs 4-6 lbs per acre; in a chicory-clover blend, chicory is often cut back to 2-4 lbs per acre with clover making up the balance ^[4]. Seed is small, so a shallow planting depth of 1/4 inch or less into a firm, well-prepared seedbed matters a lot. Broadcasting onto a clean, firm bed and then rolling or cultipacking is often more reliable than drilling too deep. This timing question comes up alongside a broader one: when to plant food plots for deer generally depends on whether you're planting an annual or perennial, and where you are in the whitetail range. Perennials like chicory and clover go in spring or late summer; most annual brassicas and cereal grains go in mid to late summer for fall/winter plots. A zone-based planting calendar is the right tool for pinning down exact dates for your latitude.

What soil and pH does chicory need to thrive

Chicory wants well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0, and it does not tolerate wet, poorly drained ground for long; extension forage guides consistently flag chicory as intolerant of standing water or persistently saturated soils ^[3][4]. If your plot holds water after a rain for more than a day, chicory is a poor fit regardless of how good the rest of your soil looks. Soil testing before planting is the step most first-time plotters skip and later regret. A basic soil test (often $10-20 through a university extension lab) tells you your current pH, phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter, and gives you a lime and fertilizer recommendation specific to your dirt, not a generic bag rate. Your soil test lab's recommendation is the real authority here; a food plot plan is general guidance, not a substitute for site-specific agronomy from the lab that actually tested your ground. Most chicory stands respond well to 40-60 lbs of nitrogen per acre applied at establishment and again after a cutting or hard grazing event, because unlike clover, chicory has no rhizobia partnership to fix its own nitrogen ^[4]. Phosphorus and potassium should follow your soil test numbers directly; university trial data shows chicory yield and stand persistence drop off fast on low-potassium soils, since potassium is tied closely to winter survival in perennial forages ^[3]. If you're building a full plot plan and want the fertility side handled without guessing bag rates, a food plot seed blend paired with a real soil test result is the combination that actually moves the needle, more than brand of seed.

How long does a chicory plot last, and how do you maintain it

A well-established ChicMagnet or similar bred chicory stand can persist and produce for 3 to 5 years with proper mowing, fertilization, and weed control, though stand thinning is normal by year 3 or 4 as competing grasses and weeds move in ^[4]. This is the main selling point over annual plots: you plant once and get several seasons of forage instead of replanting every spring or fall. Maintenance is mostly mowing. Clip the plot to 6-8 inches whenever chicory bolts (sends up a tall flowering stalk), usually a few times per growing season, which pushes the plant back into leafy vegetative growth that deer actually prefer over the tough, bitter flowering stem. Skipping mowing is the single biggest reason chicory plots get rank and stop getting hit hard by August. Spot-spraying grass weeds with a grass-selective herbicide (one that doesn't harm broadleaf chicory or clover) is standard maintenance in year two and beyond, since chicory has no natural grass competition defense the way a thick clover sod does. Annual maintenance fertilization, again based on a fresh soil test every 2-3 years, keeps the stand from declining early. When the stand does finally thin out past useful density, most plotters till it under and rotate to a brassica or cereal grain annual for a year or two before coming back to a perennial blend. That rotation also helps break weed and disease cycles in the soil.

Should you plant chicory alone or blend it with clover

Most experienced plotters blend chicory with clover rather than planting a pure chicory stand, because the two forages cover each other's weak points across the season and across weather extremes. A typical blend ratio runs around 60-70% clover seed by weight with chicory making up the rest, though exact ratios vary by brand and region ^[4]. Clover gives you faster establishment, nitrogen fixation that helps feed the chicory too, and strong early spring and fall attraction. Chicory adds summer heat and drought resilience, a deeper root system that scavenges nutrients and moisture from lower in the soil profile, and often a longer overall stand life once clover starts to thin. A blended plot also hedges your bet against a bad establishment year. If drought kills young clover seedlings, established chicory plants often pull through on that deep taproot. If a hard winter thins your chicory, the clover component can carry the plot's tonnage the following spring. For a reader trying to decide between a single-species plot and a blend, the honest answer is that a blend almost always outperforms a single species for whitetail attraction across a full season, which is why most commercial perennial mixes, including deer food plot seed blends built around chicory, lean on this same clover-chicory pairing rather than selling straight chicory.

Do deer eat sorghum, and how does it fit a plot rotation

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum, both the standing plant and the seed heads, and sorghum is commonly planted as a fall/winter standing grain crop or as a cover component in food plot mixes, though it's used far less often than corn or soybeans for that purpose ^[5]. Sorghum's main appeal is drought tolerance; it handles dry, low-fertility soil better than corn does, which is why it shows up more in food plot mixes for the southern Plains and parts of the Southeast. Sorghum isn't a fit alongside chicory in the same planting, since sorghum is a warm-season annual grain crop and chicory is a cool-hardy perennial broadleaf with completely different management. Where sorghum does make sense is as a separate annual plot or as a screening/security cover crop bordering a perennial clover-chicory plot, since sorghum grows tall and thick and gives deer cover to approach the food plot confidently in daylight. A practical rotation on a property with multiple plot fields might run a perennial chicory-clover plot in one field for several years, an annual brassica/cereal grain plot in another for fall hunting, and a sorghum or corn strip as screening cover along a plot edge or travel corridor.

When should you plant oats, turnips, and other fall annuals around a perennial plot

Oats for deer plots go in the ground roughly 60-90 days before your average first frost, which lands anywhere from mid-July in the far North to September in parts of the mid-South, since oats need to establish and put on leaf growth before cold weather ends active growth ^[6]. Oats are a cool-season annual grain, cheap, fast-germinating, and reliably attractive to deer almost as soon as they emerge, which makes them a popular standalone fall plot or a nurse crop planted alongside brassicas. Turnips follow a similar clock: plant turnips for deer roughly 80-90 days before your first expected hard frost so the bulbs have time to size up and the plant reaches the sugar-conversion stage that makes turnip tops and bulbs genuinely attractive after a few frosts, typically mid-to-late summer depending on latitude ^[6]. Turnips actually get sweeter and more palatable after frost converts starches to sugars, which is why deer often ignore turnip plots in September and hammer them in December. Neither oats nor turnips belong in the same seedbed as a perennial chicory-clover plot; they're both annuals meant for a dedicated fall food plot, planted and terminated (by winter kill, in most zones) on a yearly cycle. A property with good plot rotation typically runs both: a perennial chicory-clover field for spring-through-fall tonnage, and one or more annual brassica/oat/cereal grain fields timed for peak fall and winter attraction. For exact regional windows, a seasonal planting calendar built around your zone is worth checking before you buy seed. What are deer's favorite foods overall? There's no single universal answer since preference shifts by season, region, and what's available, but repeated forage preference studies and extension trial data consistently rank soybeans, clover, chicory, and acorns near the top of the list, with brassicas and cereal grains becoming highly preferred after fall frosts sweeten them ^[2][6]. Do deer like honey? There's no real research or established forage use tying deer to honey specifically; deer are occasionally reported investigating exposed hive damage or sap, but honey isn't a forage crop or attractant with any agronomic backing, and most state wildlife agencies regulate supplemental feeding and baiting (including sugar-based attractants) separately from food plots, so check your state's rules before using any bait product ^[7].

What does chicory cost compared to other perennial plot options

Chicory-clover perennial	3-5 years	$50-90 (blend)	Mowing 2-4x/season, spot spray, N top-dress
Pure clover perennial	3-5 years	$30-60	Mowing, spot spray, N not needed (legume)
Brassica/turnip annual	1 season	$15-30	Terminate/replant yearly
Oats/cereal grain annual	1 season	$15-25	Terminate/replant yearly, winterkills	These are planning-level numbers, not quotes; actual seed prices swing by region, dealer, and year, so check current pricing before budgeting a full property plan.

Chicory seed alone typically runs somewhere in the range of $8-15 per pound depending on brand and whether it's a bred variety like ChicMagnet or generic forage chicory, and since seeding rates run only 2-6 lbs per acre in a blend, per-acre seed cost is often lower than people expect, usually landing under $40-60 per acre for the chicory component alone ^[4]. Full clover-chicory blend bags marketed for food plots often run higher per acre once you add the clover seed, lime, and starter fertilizer into the real cost of establishment. Compared to annual plots you replant every year, a perennial chicory-clover plot's real savings show up over 3-5 years, not in year one. Year one costs (seed, lime if needed, fertilizer, seedbed prep) are often similar to or higher than an annual planting. The payoff is that years two through four or five need only mowing, spot spray, and maintenance fertilizer, no repeated tillage or seed purchase. Here's a rough side-by-side for planning purposes: | Plot type | Typical stand life | Rough seed cost/acre | Main upkeep |

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum in food plots?

Yes. Deer browse both the leaves and grain heads of sorghum, and it's planted as a drought-tolerant summer annual grain or screening crop in some regions, though it's used less often than corn, soybeans, or brassicas for direct deer forage plots.

Do deer like clover more than chicory?

Deer readily eat both, and preference often shifts by season. Clover tends to get hit hardest in spring and fall; chicory, with its deep taproot, often pulls more attention during summer heat and drought when clover quality drops. Most plotters blend the two rather than choosing just one.

When is the best time to plant food plots for deer?

It depends on the plot type. Perennials like chicory and clover go in during spring after last frost or in late summer 60-90 days before first frost. Annual brassicas, turnips, and cereal grains are typically planted mid to late summer for fall and winter attraction. Local extension planting calendars give exact windows by zone.

When should you plant oats for deer plots?

Plant oats roughly 60-90 days before your area's average first fall frost date, so anywhere from mid-July in northern zones to September farther south. Oats germinate fast and deer often browse them within a few weeks of emergence.

When should you plant turnips for deer?

Turnips go in about 80-90 days before your first expected hard frost, since bulbs need time to size up and the plant needs a frost or two to convert starches to sugars, which is when deer attraction really picks up, often in late fall or early winter.

What exactly is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area, often a fraction of an acre to a few acres, established specifically to feed deer or other wildlife and to draw and hold animals on a property for observation, management, or hunting purposes. Plots can be annual or perennial depending on the forage species used.

What are deer's favorite foods?

Preference shifts by season and region, but forage trial and preference studies consistently rank soybeans, clover, chicory, and acorns as top choices, with brassicas and cereal grains becoming highly attractive after fall frosts sweeten them through starch-to-sugar conversion.

Do deer like honey or sugar-based attractants?

There's no real agronomic research supporting honey as a deer forage or attractant. Deer aren't documented as seeking it out the way they seek natural forage. Many states also regulate sugar-based baits and supplemental feeding separately from food plots, so check your state wildlife agency's rules before using any bait product.

How long does a ChicMagnet or similar chicory food plot last?

A well-maintained bred chicory stand, mowed regularly and fertilized based on soil test results, typically persists and produces usable forage for 3 to 5 years before thinning enough to warrant renovation or rotation to another crop.

What soil pH does chicory need?

Chicory does best in well-drained soil with pH between 6.0 and 7.0. It does not tolerate wet, poorly drained ground, and stands decline fast on saturated soil regardless of fertility, so drainage matters as much as pH when picking a plot location.

Should I plant chicory alone or mixed with clover?

Blending is the more common and generally better approach. Clover establishes faster, fixes its own nitrogen, and pulls deer hard in spring and fall; chicory adds summer drought resilience and often extends total stand life. Most commercial perennial plot blends combine both for that reason.

How much nitrogen does a chicory plot need?

Chicory typically responds well to 40-60 lbs of actual nitrogen per acre at establishment and again after a hard mowing or grazing event, since unlike clover it has no rhizobia relationship to fix its own nitrogen. Follow your specific soil test recommendation over any generic rate.

Sources

1. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, AGR-208, "Forage Chicory": Chicory and clover forage crude protein levels commonly fall in the 20-30% range depending on growth stage
2. Oklahoma State University Extension, PSS-2913, "Establishing and Managing Wildlife Food Plots": Extension guidance ranks chicory, clover, and acorns among preferred whitetail deer forages
3. USDA NRCS Plant Guide, "Chicory, Cichorium intybus L." (PLANTS Database, symbol CIIN): Chicory stand persistence and winter survival depends on soil fertility and variety-specific winter hardiness
4. Mississippi State University Extension, Publication 2699, "Producing and Improving Wildlife Habitat": Recommended chicory seeding rates, planting depth, pH range, and nitrogen fertilization guidance for food plots
5. USDA NRCS Plant Guide, "Sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench" (PLANTS Database, symbol SOBI2): Sorghum drought tolerance and use as a wildlife forage/cover planting
6. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Extension, PB1730, "A Guide to Successful Wildlife Food Plots": Planting windows for oats and turnips relative to first frost date and frost-driven palatability increase in brassicas
7. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 50 CFR 20.21, migratory bird baiting definition (referenced by analogy in state deer baiting regulations): Baiting and supplemental feeding rules for deer are regulated separately by state wildlife agencies and vary by state
8. Noble Research Institute, "Chicory: An Alternative Grazing Option": Chicory's deep taproot and drought tolerance compared to shallower-rooted perennial forages like clover