Instructions
Purchase chicory seeds at a nursery or seed supply company. You will want about five pounds of seed for every acre you are planting.
Plant the chicory seed in the spring or fall. Spring is better than fall as cold temperature will slow the growth of the plant. Planting it in spring allows the root to grow during the warm summer months before slowing down for the winter and ensures blooming the next year.
Put the seeds 1/4 inch into the soil and cover with topsoil. Chicory does best in soils that are well drained.
Plant chicory with other companion plants that also attract deer and other wildlife. Clover and other legumes make good companions that attract wildlife and rye and other grasses attract grazers, which keep the chicory trimmed and healthy.
Mow the clover periodically to keep it low and healthy, which is what attracts deer. You want to keep the tall flower stalks, which grow fast, shorter that 10 inches so they don't discourage the deer from feeding. During the summer season, mow the chicory once a month, especially if the deer and other grazing animals are not keeping it down themselves.
How to Feed Chicory to Deer
For those who would like to attract deer to their rural land, there are several plants that make great deer food plots. Chicory, a green perennial, is one of these. Chicory produces highly nutritious large green leaves that deer love to munch on and provides the animals with a host of vitamins and minerals. Chicory has a higher vitamin content than alfalfa when properly grown. Chicory is drought-tolerant and the long taproot sustains it during harsh winters. Once planeted, a good plot of chicory can last for up to seven years if properly maintained, bringing deer back to it season after season.