Chufa Food Plot Guide

Overview

Chufa is a warm-season sedge grown for the small, nutty tubers it forms just below the soil surface. It's planted mainly for wild turkeys, which scratch the tubers out from late fall through spring. Deer browse the grassy tops, and hogs, ducks and other wildlife dig the tubers too. It's a long-standing Southern food plot crop that grows best in sandy, well-drained soil, and it needs about 90–110 days to make tubers, so it doesn't fit short northern seasons. One quirk: turkeys that have never eaten chufa don't know it's there. Lightly disking a strip in late fall exposes some tubers and gets the birds started.

New to food plots? Read our beginner's guide for step-by-step planting instructions, or use the Chufa seed calculator to plan your plot.

Soil & Growing Conditions

Check our planting calendar for the best planting window in your state.

Planting Tips

1. 1

   Plant once the soil is warm, about 65°F, from mid-spring into early summer, with at least 100 frost-free days left.

2. 2

   Broadcast 40–50 lbs/acre and disk it in, or drill 25–30 lbs/acre in rows.

3. 3

   300 lbs/acre of 13-13-13 at planting, then side-dress 30–50 lbs/acre of nitrogen when plants are 6–8 inches tall.

4. 4

   In late fall, lightly disk a strip through the plot to expose tubers and introduce the turkeys.

5. 5

   Don't plant chufa on ground that will go back to crops or a garden. It's a cultivated form of yellow nutsedge, and leftover tubers can sprout for years.

When to Plant Chufa by State

Planting windows from each state's average frost dates. Colder parts of a state plant fall crops earlier and spring crops later; open a state for its frost dates and every crop.

Weed Control

• Few herbicides are labeled for chufa. Start with a clean, weed-free seedbed, plant at the full rate, and mow tall weeds above the chufa if they get ahead of it.

Herbicides are named by active ingredient as examples, not endorsements. Read and follow the label of the product you buy: it sets the crops it is safe on, the rates, and any grazing or harvest limits, and registrations vary by state.

No-Till & Throw-and-Mow

Chufa does best in tilled, loose soil, both for planting and so turkeys can scratch out the tubers. It isn't a no-till crop.

How Big Should a Chufa Plot Be?

Half an acre to an acre feeds a flock for months. Small plots get cleaned out quickly where hogs are around.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Recommended Chufa Seed Products

Best Paired With

These crops complement chufa in a food plot rotation or mix:

Frequently Asked Questions