Any good gardener is well aware that a productive garden takes work. You don’t merely till the ground, stick some seeds in the dirt, and shortly thereafter begin picking fresh vegetables off the vines. If one wants a good harvest, then they must spend the time to eliminate weeds that take needed nutrients and moisture from the soil in competition with the vegetable plants. Similarly, elimination of weeds is essential to maximize the benefits of a food plot.

During this past spring, there was enough rain to plant and develop food plots, but so far, the summer rains seem to be a bit sparse.

That means that any unwanted weeds throughout a food plot that are competing for moisture in the ground are even more troublesome. With some effort on our part, the majority of these weeds can be eliminated with various techniques that can be used, depending on the species in question.
Autumn olive, Barberry, Tartarian honeysuckle, and Multiflora rose:

Unfortunately, each of these species was offered to landowners for free by the Pennsylvania Game Commission quite a few years ago.

Each one was touted as “the latest and greatest thing to plant for wildlife feed and cover.” Now, years later, and after each of them has continued to spread throughout the landscape, they are now classified as “invasive species,” and the current recommendation is to eliminate them whenever and wherever possible.

As they mature, each of these plants produces fruit containing seeds. Various birds eat the fruit, and some of the seeds pass through the birds undigested. Thus you often see some of these plants growing under power lines and trees.

Deer will sometimes browse on some of these plants, but not enough to control or impede their spread across fields and through the woods.

In the young plants, control can be achieved mechanically by mowing. Once they reach a mature stage, chemical treatment by application of herbicides becomes the most effective method of elimination. Glyphosate (Roundup) is extremely effective on all of these. The autumn olive may be so large that they may have to be physically pulled out of the ground or cut off at ground level and treated with a few drops of Garlon 4 on the stump to stop regeneration at the stump.
Corn and Soybeans:

With either corn or soybeans that are planted and left unharvested for later use by wildlife, the issue of weed control is best addressed before planting. That is to say that “Roundup-ready” corn or soybean seeds should be used so that the plot can be sprayed with an application of Roundup to eliminate the competition from weeds.
Warm-season grasses:

These are the tall (sometimes reaching a height of 5 feet or more) grasses that were once native to our landscape that have slowly been replaced by cool-season grasses and weeds over the decades. They include such species as Indian grass, Little blue stem, and Big blue stem grasses, and they provide excellent cover and some food for various wildlife. Once these plots of warm-season grasses are established, unwanted weeds will slowly creep in. Treatment with 2-4D will eliminate any competing broadleaf plants.
Clover:

Clover is one of the most beneficial plants that can be easily planted for longer-term food plots and are heavily used by deer throughout the year. Clover also provides food for turkeys and grouse from the plant leaves as well as the grasshoppers and other insects that are found there. As with any food plots, make sure to conduct a soil sample analysis and follow the suggested recommendations that you receive as to additional minerals and lime needed. Once established, you can thicken the clover production by “frost-seeding” in late winter. But clover is also subject to unwanted weeds slowly choking out the clover itself.

Weed control in clover plots is best done with a combination of mechanical and chemical processes. First, mow off the clover plot by setting the cutting height to just above the top of the established clover. This will take the stems and tops of many of the weeds that stand above the existing clover. Wait one week, and then do a chemical application. This application should be a mix of Butyrac 200 and Clethodim. Caution: Verify with your supplier the proper mixture and use of these products for clover food plots.

Food plot maintenance is just as important as maintaining a garden properly. Controlling any weeds that compete with the desired plants for moisture and nutrition will be the most effective way to ensure maximum yield.