Mowing greenbriers where they are accessible during mid-June causes the rhizomes to produce new canes during the otherwise stressed nutritional months of late summer.įertilizing greenbrier according to a soil test can increase the quality and the quantity of the stems and leaves available to deer.Īs I prepared this article, I could not find a commercial source for obtaining greenbrier seed or rhizomes. When greenbrier canes climb into trees beyond the reach of deer, controlled burning can stimulate the rhizomes and tubers to produce new growth. Unlike other species of greenbrier, lanceleaf will not spread from the planting point except by seed because it has a tuber rather than rhizomes. However, canes generally will not appear until the second year after planting. ![]() Greenbrier can be propagated by digging up and replanting existing rootstock. About 50% to 60% of the annual growth of greenbriers may be eaten without root mortality. Browsing actually helps make new growth available. If the tips are eaten, new branches form at one of several remaining nodes. Rhizomes produce new canes annually, which grow quickly. Some species of greenbrier have canes or individual stems that may grow to 40 feet or more in length, climbing by tendrils. They may persist for years before putting out stems. Stems or canes grow from underground tubers or rhizomes, depending upon the species. In its western range, greenbrier is generally associated with slopes and bottoms of hills. Throughout the east, it is associated primarily with lowlands. It grows in a variety of soil types and terrain, including dense and cutover forests, swamps, stream bottoms, abandoned fields, and along fencerows. Greenbrier is generally thought of as a plant that grows in moist lowlands and creek bottoms, but I have found it in healthy stands on upland ridges as well. ![]() Overpopulated deer herds will easily cause highly visible browse lines where no greenbrier leaves remain at the 5-foot level. He states in his excellent book Deer & Turkey Management Beyond Food Plots that greenbrier is an indicator plant for deer abundance throughout the year, but especially in late winter. ![]() Research in east Texas indicates that during the winter, greenbrier can contain 11% crude protein (necessary for body growth, development, and maintenance) – more than twice the amount found in other native winter browse.Īccording to white-tailed deer biologist Kent Kammermeyer, greenbrier is one of the highest quality native plants in the white-tailed deer diet. The new growth leaves, stems, and canes are a highly preferred and extremely important deer browse. The young stems and leaves of the vine are favored food of deer and rabbits, and the fruit is eaten by a variety of birds as well as deer, bear, and wild turkey.ĭeer biologists have found that deer prefer greenbrier over many other browse plants. The seeds are blue to black colored fruitlike berries that can be single or clustered. Most species produce a pale-green trumpet-shaped flower in spring. The leaves generally are heart-shaped or round and shiny with jointed tips. This climbing plant can grow vines 30 to 40 feet long. Unless the vines are heavily browsed, they retain their leaves throughout the year. ![]() Some of the more important species of greenbrier include common, laurel, lanceleaf, cat, and saw.Īlthough there are several species, most look much the same. As a group, it occurs throughout the eastern half of the U.S. The perennial thorny and woody vine is often called Smilax, after its scientific name. There are over two dozen greenbrier species in the United States and southern Canada. Many wildlife biologists and hunting land managers consider greenbrier to be one of the most important groups of naturally occurring food. Greenbrier (Smilax spp.) is a high-protein (from 30% in spring to 10% in late fall), perennial evergreen that deer prefer over many other browse plants. And hunters who manage thickets of greenbrier growing on their hunting lands find it attracts deer, since deer relish the plant as a favorite browse species. However, many wildlife biologists consider greenbrier to be one of the most important groups of native deer food. It can be difficult to walk through and its briers can scratch the skin. Hunters often curse the perennial thorny vine most call greenbrier. Greenbrier – The Natural Evergreen Food Plot
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