Sugarbeets

[dbltree]

Sugar beets are somewhat like brassicas in planting and growing methods but are not commonly grown in Iowa. Places like the Saginaw Valley of Michigan and Minnesota, North Dakota and Wyoming.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), a member of the Chenopodiaceae (http://iowawhitetail.com/wiki/Chenopodiaceae) family, is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production.

http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geog/agirrig/agimages/agbeets2.jpg

Sugarbeets have the potential to produce up to 22 tons per acre on fertile soils and the both the tops and roots prove attractive to deer.

Sugarbeets can be planted by tilling/broadcasting, using row crop planters or drilled in at roughly 20,000 -50,000 seeds per acre and tests show that emegence is better at a 1/2" rather then deeper depths.

Most small plotters will probally want to till the soil, cultipack or smooth it, broadcast seed and then re-cultipack to cover the seed perhaps dragging a heavy chain or plank as well or in place of a cultipacker.

Sugar beets (like brassicas) have high nitrogen requirements and soil tests will let you know P&K requirements.

40-60#'s of P&K per acre and 80-100#'s of nitrogen per acre will get you in the ball park. Broadcast the fertilizer and till in before planting.

Fertilizing Sugar Beet (http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/DC7715.html)

SugarBeet Fertilizer requirements (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/soilfert/sf714w.htm)

Planting Sugarbeets (http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/ec156/build/ec156-7.pdf)

Growing Sugarbeets (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/sugarbeet.html)

Sugarbeets Fact Sheet (http://agronomy.unl.edu/ffa/SugarBeet.htm)

Right now only a few places offer sugar beet seed in small quanities but if it proves to be a popular food plot then I suspect others will offer it.

Holly Hybrids (http://www.beetseed.com/index.php)

MAXI-RACK Seeds (http://www.maxirack.com/poundseeds.html)

BuckLunch Sugar Beet Seed (http://www.bucklunch.com/sugarbeet_seed.php)

BuckGro Sugarbeet Seed (http://www.midwestwildlife.com/buckgro.php)

Weeds can be controled in conventional suagr beets much like brassicas by using pre-emergent herbicides like Dual Magnum II or post emergent grass control like Select 2-EC (clethodim)

RR sugar beets are also available but of course at a premium seed cost.

I'm going to be testing both this season but RR seed costs roughly $100 for a 1/2 acre while conventional seed is half that.

This link will give you good info on herbicides and rates needed.

Sugar Beet Weed Control Guide (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/weeds/w253/w253-3d.htm)

Pyramin DF (http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld00O001.pdf) For pre-emergence broadleaf control.

Use clethodim for post-emergence grass control.

Sugar beets have potential but like any plot crop have pros and cons. I'm hoping that deer will avoid then early on leaving a late fall/winter food source however they may very well murder the beet tops as they do my brassicas early in the game.

This is my first planting season so I would urge you to read through the links for practical information from universities rather then myself or deer hunting guides.
http://www.coloradoguy.com/sugar-beet-harvesting/sugar-beets2.jpg



http://www.coloradoguy.com/sugar-beet-harvesting/large-sugar-beet1.jpg
http://www.coloradoguy.com/sugar-beet-harvesting/sugar-beet3.jpg

[SEIowaDeerslayer]

When can sugarbeets be planted? If they can be spring planted without rotting like brassicas, this would be an ideal plot for me!

[dbltree]

When can sugarbeets be planted? If they can be spring planted without rotting like brassicas, this would be an ideal plot for me!

Anytime now here in SE Iowa, basically along the lines of corn.

We don't want them getting exposed to extreme freezes but I think they can stand getting "nipped".

I think I'll plant mine the week of the 20th...;)

[SEIowaDeerslayer]

Anytime now here in SE Iowa, basically along the lines of corn.

We don't want them getting exposed to extreme freezes but I think they can stand getting "nipped".

I think I'll plant mine the week of the 20th...;)

This is GREAT news. So I can pretty much get the tonnage of feed per acre for the fall and winter but I don't have to go through the hassles of planting a cover crop and then going back and planting again in the summer. I'm stoked!

[dbltree]

Well it was a struggle but I finally got my sugar beets planted Monday! That's the only problem with spring plantings....weather can be a real headache and we have had a pile of rain this spring.

I planted two plots sandwhiched inbetween clover and alfalfa plots

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/5-4-09SpringPlanting.jpg

This field gets hammered so if the beets can survive till fall I'll be amazed and...delighted!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Betweenclovernalfalfa.jpg

I tilled the plots and put down 90#'s of actual nitrogen per acre using 46-0-0 urea
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Urea.jpg

I just used my bag seeder and opened it all the way up and spread it by hand.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/46-0-0.jpg

[dbltree]

Pretty easy to check coverage of the white urea against the tilled soil

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/90speracre.jpg

Then I tilled the urea in

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Nexttoalfalfa.jpg

I planted Roundup Ready Sugarbeets but the seed is very expensive! A half acre is $100 so along with urea one is looking at roughly $250-275 an acre to plant RR sugar beets.

Seed is roughly the same size as milo seed

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Teatedsugarbeetseed.jpg

and this seed was treated with Apron and very easy to see

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/RRsugarbeatseed.jpg

[dbltree]

I used a small hand seeder with the opening set barely wide enough to allow seed to pass thru

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Planteropening.jpg

On mine it was set on the "2" notch

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Notch2.jpg

Couple pics of seed coverage if you can see the blue seed against the soil

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/SeedCoverage.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Seedspacing.jpg

[dbltree]

I tried just cultipacking the seed to cover it but the soil was a little moist and it only 85-90% covered...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Someexposed.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/90covered.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Someexposed.jpg

The second plot I tilled it in lightly with the cultipacker running behind and it covered better.

So this is what it looks like as of 05-04-09

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Nexttoclover.jpg

Be interesting to follow progress this summer and see what happens...

[roadking]

I am also trying RR sugarbeets. I basically used the same fertilizer program that I do for corn. 150# starter & 150# Eurea/acre tilled in. I put my 1/2 acre patch right in the middle of my 3.5 acre corn field. I also used a hand speader and opened the hole all the way but the flow was very slow so I think I adequate coverage. I guess the key is to not get them on to thick or you just end up with smaller beets. I then cultipacked them in and you could still see lots of them after cultipacking. I'm told they just need good seed to soil contact so I should be fine.
Let me know how yours turn out.

[dbltree]

June 1st 2009 sugarbeet update...

Seems like germination is pretty poor but soe plants have emerged

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Sugarbeets5-29-09.jpg

Those that have look healthy

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Sugarbeets2.jpg

They seem spotty so I'm not sure if there was some soil crusting or perhaps turkeys got to some of the seed? :confused:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Sugarbeets1.jpg

Not sure what to think, maybe more will come up but if not I expect deer will wipe them out soon.

From a distance it's hard to tell anything is going on in this plot...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Sugarbeets3.jpg

I'll just keep an eye on them and see what happens...:)

[letemgrow]

22 tons an acre!!! That's a lot of tonnage per year!!!!

[killer buck]

mine are pretty spotty to but its getting a lot better, so hopefully the deer will stay away from them for awhile yet. Ill try to put some pics up of some of my beets.

[roadking]

was at my farm this weekend and mine actually look pretty good. I'll try to send some pics. later this week.

[killer buck]

Well here is some pics of my sugar beet plot. There not that big yet but hopefully they keep on growing, for this fall.

http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=11&pictureid=1356

You can sort of tell that there coming up. Its growing thicker in some places.

http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=11&pictureid=1357

some more pics of some of the bigger beets.

http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=11&pictureid=1358

Is there anything you can put on the beets that will kill all the weeds?

http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=11&pictureid=1359

Ill post more pics as they grow.

[roadking]

Nice pics. If you have round up ready beets you can spray with round up or like product. If not, I am unsure if you can spray with anything. Good luck.

[killer buck]

No they are not round up ready beets, I should of got round up ready ones. I decided to go with the cheaper ones.

[dbltree]

You can spray sugarbeets with Select 2EC (clethodim) to kill any type of grasses but broadleaves I think would be another story.

Generic versions of clethodim include Arrow, Volunteer, Shadow and Cleodim 2-Ec...all contain 26.4% clethodim and prices range from $85-130 a gallon. Use 6-8 ounces per acre along with one quart of crop oil concentrate per acre.

Beets look great, thanks for sharing the pics!:way:

[dbltree]

Davis County got hit with a once in a lifetime hail storm that blasted out windows in the courthouse in Bloomfield along with many other town buildings. No one in the areas had every seen anything like it...crops have been annihilated, siding destroyed on houses and trees shredded.

That doesn't bode well for my sugarbeets...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/SBDamage.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/SBDamage2.jpg

I'm going to spray them with roundup but...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/HailDamageSB.jpg

I don't know if they will recover at this point

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/6-10-09HailDamage.jpg

This brings up the problem with spring plantings, fighting weather to get them planted, having them destroyed by early summer hail and wind and then watching them die in severe summer droughts.

No wonder I gave up farming...;)

Fall plantings or using cereal grains and peas are almost can't fail and rarely endure any of the problems that spring plantings face.

I'll see what the beets do, if they recover or not? They are pretty thin and deer may finish off what the hail didn't.

If they survive at all I may try broadcating brassicas into them in late July but if they don't recover I'll end up tilling under some very expensive seed...:(

[killer buck]

Dang that sucks, looks like they got hammered. <a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253F partner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNxdm824YYUS%2526i%253D4% 252F4%255F2%255F108%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_2_108.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252F nocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egi f%253Fi%253D4%252F4_2_108%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a> I hope that your sugar beets can make it through the summer because Im going to need some insight on sugar beets.<a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253F partner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNxdm824YYUS%2526i%253D4% 252F4%255F1%255F107%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_1_107.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252F nocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egi f%253Fi%253D4%252F4_1_107%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a>

[dbltree]

I hit em with roundup today...see what happens, if they recover or not?:)

[dbltree]

A friend sent me pics of his RR sugarbeets that look considerably healthier then mine!:D

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/TomSheySugarbeets.jpg

Notice the uncovered "blue" seed to the far left next to the little stick. Like mine he had some that didn't cover well and he hopes to use a Truax Drill next year.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Healthysugarbeets.jpg

I can rent our county conservation boards Truax no-till drill for something like 5 bucks an acre and that thing will plant just about anything!

My neighbor used it last summer to no-till brassicas and they came up great!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Equipment/TruaxNo-tilldrill.jpg

Here's some more planting information that is helpful:


Planting: It is very important to have you planter in excellent condition. Seed is planted 0.75 to 1.25 inches deep for maximum germination and emergence. Use shallow depths for earlier planting. It is helpful to use depth bands to insure a more uniform planting depth.



The planters working condition should be checked daily during planting. Suggested items to check:

1. the condition of hoppers, drives, and chains.
2. seed cutoff points to see that pawls fit seed plates properly.
3. make sure plates fit properly and filler plates are installed.
4. be sure disc furrow openers are clean and turn freely.
5. be sure depth bands are clean and properly adjusted.
6. seed ejection tubes for restrictions or blockage.
7. be sure row spacings are correct, equal, and row markers adjusted.
8. lubricate the drill properly.
9. clean seed hoppers daily.
10. match seed sizes and planter plates carefully.
11. test the planter on a hard surface to check the seed distribution pattern.
Time and rate of seeding.
Sugar beet should be planted in early to mid April when soil moisture and temperature conditions permit. The potential for very high yields from early plantings is better and generally worth the risk of frost damage >
Row width of 22 and 30 inches are used. Row widths of 22 inches result in the highest yields. Higher and more uniform plant populations are easier to establish. Plant beets 2.5 to 3.5 inches apart in 22-inch rows if they are to be thinned. A planting speed of about 3 miles per hour is recommended. A good sugar beet plant population at harvest should be near 35 000 uniformly spaced plants per acre. This is 8 inches between plants in the row. This population should produce very good yields of high quality sugar beets.


I suspect that if I purchased seed cups for my JD7000 no-till corn planter I could also plant them that way, assuring more accurate planting depth and population. :way:

[killer buck]

Well last night, we had a pretty bad storm. There was 80 MPH winds and hail. The sugar beets look to be bent and some hail damage. So I dont know if they will make I hope they do. What you guys think?

http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=11&pictureid=1406


http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=11&pictureid=1405

There is some hail damage on them, they look pretty bent but the roots are still intack to the soil so I dont know, I think they will make it.
http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=11&pictureid=1404

[dbltree]

They look a whole lot better then mine! I'm new to sugarbeets but I think yours will recover.

Any grazing so far?

[bowhuntr311]

I would think as long as the stems are not broke, that a little hot weather will stand them back up.

[roadking]

They look pummeled but intact.

I think they'll be fine.

[killer buck]

Yah thats what I was thinking, now I need some hot weather! Well I cant tell if there is any grazing them or if its hail.

[dbltree]

After my sugarbeets got murdered by hail, I sprayed them with roundup and had some small hope that a few might survive. That hope was dashed when I returned to find a nice bare plot...:(

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/SBafterRUP.jpg

The only thing left in the second plot was a few small patches of clover

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Afterroundup.jpg

and one measly survivor sugarbeet

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/OneSugarbeetsurvivor.jpg

I managed to miss a strip with the sprayer to give one an idea of what it would have looked like

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Unsprayed.jpg

I carefully checked that strip, thinking perhaps deer might have nipped the others off but there were none to be found. The beets simply couldn't handle the fierce hail storm that blasted windows out of houses.

Another friend decided to spray his RR beets but made the deadly mistake of grabbing a jug of 2-4D rather then glyphosate...so his beets look like mine now....:rolleyes:

"Stuff" happens, having farmed for many years I'm used to it and go into every planting expecting the worst but hoping for the best.

One lesson all can learn fro this is that fall plantings of cereal grains and peas are almost impossible to kill by any type of weather assuring you that you will have a late fall thru winter attractant.

There are thousands of acres of drowned out corn and beans or at best they are stunted and yellow due to excessive rainfall and one farmer alone lost 500 acres of corn to the same hail storm that hit my sugarbeets.

We have lots of options to attract whitetails, choosing only one may very well leave you dissapointed in November...;)

[Sligh1]

What's the plans for your bare spot where sugar beets used to be?

[dbltree]

What's the plans for your bare spot where sugar beets used to be?

Since it's all cleaned up and ready to go, I'm going to plant brassicas. I already have urea tilled in but the heavy rains will have cause leaching so I'll add more urea and plant in about 3 weeks...:)

BTW...the hail damage was in Davis county east of Bloomfield, not aware of any other areas being hit that badly. ;)

[roadking]

For my dead patch I think I'll plant purple top turnips in Aug. or Sept. They've been a great attractant for me in past years. Can I still plant them now or do I need to wait?? READ THE LABEL BEFORE SPRAYING!!!

[dbltree]

For my dead patch I think I'll plant purple top turnips in Aug. or Sept. They've been a great attractant for me in past years. Can I still plant them now or do I need to wait?? READ THE LABEL BEFORE SPRAYING!!!

I would plant them in late July to early August for best yields. You need to wait a couple weeks after spraying 2-4D before planting brassicas or residual effects can affect germination.

If you till the soil good that will be helpful as well but if you no-till I would wait closer to three weeks after spraying 2-4D to be on the safe side...;)

[killer buck]

You can spray sugarbeets with Select 2EC (clethodim) to kill any type of grasses but broadleaves I think would be another story.

Generic versions of clethodim include Arrow, Volunteer, Shadow and Cleodim 2-Ec...all contain 26.4% clethodim and prices range from $85-130 a gallon. Use 6-8 ounces per acre along with one quart of crop oil concentrate per acre.

Beets look great, thanks for sharing the pics!:way:

I went out and looked at my beet plot and a lot of grass is growing, I was just wondering where can you get select 2EC, tractor supply doesnt have it and the coops around my place dont have it either?

[dbltree]

I went out and looked at my beet plot and a lot of grass is growing, I was just wondering where can you get select 2EC, tractor supply doesnt have it and the coops around my place dont have it either?

What your looking for is "clethodim" which is in Select/Arrow/Volunteer/Shadow and other generic versions including Clethodim 2-EC.

We just bought a gallon from this source, shipped to the door for $89

Jim Bolding 919-462-1375 Crop Smart LLC

Farm elevators and ag co-ops usually carry it but just like drugs at the drug store, generics are usually less.

For those in the Chariton/Greenfield area, shoot nannyslayer a PM as he usually carries it at his co-op as well.

Any clethodim product should contain 26.4% clethodim and remember you need to add crop oil concentrate at roughly a quart per acre to make the clethodim effective...:)

[killer buck]

Hey what about fusion? That what a lot of the Co-ops have.

[dbltree]

Hey what about fusion? That what a lot of the Co-ops have.

Fusion is labled for soybeans and cotton but not sugar beets that I am aware of?

Sometimes my plantings don't turn out so good or in the case of my sugarbeets just an outright failure but I love to see others succeed and Mike from Wisconsin sent me these pics! :way:

Now doggone it that's some mighty fine looking sugarbeets and notice a few beans in with them...;)

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesSugarbeets09.jpg

The nearly 9000 gallons per acre of hog manure he had hauled in no doubt helped! :D

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesBeansnBeets.jpg

Mike was wondering about applying some nitrogen but with no rain in the near future it makes urea a pretty dicey proposition and from the looks of them I think they are just fine as they are.

One option however in situation like this is to spray a foliar fertilizer such as Coron 25-0-0 (http://www.helenachemical.com/specialty/Labels/Coron25-0-0Code25.pdf) which can even be applied via a backpack sprayer.

TSC has some foliar fertilizers available that would also work for small plots to give either brassicas or sugarbeets a boost but I also know that sugar levels increase in beets when they start to starve for nitrogen towards the end of the growing season.

Fertilizer: A crop producing 25 tons/A of beets takes up 212 lb/A of N, 38 lbs/A P <SUB>2</SUB>0<SUB>5</SUB>, and 458 lbs/A of K<SUB>2</SUB>0.

Knowledge of soil type and nutrients that are available is necessary. Sugar beet plant can utilize N from depths of 6 feet or more.

A soil test for nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium is recommended. Sampling should be to a depth of 6 feet. Other nutrients specific to an area may be deficient and these would need to be applied.

The amount of N applied should be the proper amount to reach the projected tonnage and allow for sugar accumulation. Too much nitrogen will result in top growth and reduced sugar production.

Mike you should be very proud of those beets and thanks much for sharing the pics with us here on IW! :)

[MOBEN]

The places Ive hunted that have sugar beets, Montana, Michigan, constantly irrigate them. They have pivots that run daily, or they flood the fields on a weekly basis. Not sure they will do well here unless you do the same.

[dbltree]

The places Ive hunted that have sugar beets, Montana, Michigan, constantly irrigate them. They have pivots that run daily, or they flood the fields on a weekly basis. Not sure they will do well here unless you do the same.

I've seen quite a few grown with no irrigation so for deer feed they do fine with normal rainfall. Heck, here in Iowa were trying to keep from floating away as it is! :D

[homegrownbucks]

Another Mike from WI here :)

Here are my RR sugarbeet pics, I can't compete with the other guy though.

http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m388/fisc0319/SANY0021.jpg
http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m388/fisc0319/SANY0022.jpg
http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m388/fisc0319/SANY0023.jpg

[dbltree]

Looks like they are putting on some good growth but a little spotty germination, which is the problem I had as well.

Thanks for sharing and keep us posted! :way:

[nannyslayer]

Man, I lucked out last year with my sugar beats, planted them late, just broadcast them, drug them in with a harrow, and they grew great!! Dang deer kept them clipped off though.

[bowhuntr311]

but a little spotty germination, which is the problem I had as well.



Dbltree do you know why? And if so is there a way to prevent it?

[dbltree]

Dbltree do you know why? And if so is there a way to prevent it?

No...I'm not certain why? I just planted a few seeds I had left over in my garden to see if they come up better or the same?

I had brassicas in there the previous year and brassicas have strong allelopathic chemicals that can inhibit some seeds from germinating or growing. Usually this is a plus because it controls weeds but it also can prevent clover from growing.

Rapeseed, a type of mustard, has been used to control weeds in potatoes and corn under experimental conditions. All members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) contain mustard oils that inhibit plant growth and seed germination. The concentration of allelopathic mustard oils varies with species and variety of mustard

Principles of Sustainable Weed Management for Croplands (http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/weed.html)


Perhaps it had nothing to do with it but the plot never had any appreciable amount of weeds.

I also wondered if I hadn't planted them deep enough but research shows that .5/.75" depths are better then depths up to 1.25" as it mentions in this link:

Planting Sugarbeets (http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/ec156/build/ec156-7.pdf)

I'm still learning about sugarbeets so I will have to try some different things next year and see what works best.

Sugarbeet Crop Fact Sheet (http://agronomy.unl.edu/ffa/SugarBeet.htm)

All about Sugarbeets (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/sugarbeet.html)

[dbltree]

Mike from WI sent a couple more pics showing the size of his sugarbeets at this stage of the game...

http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz307/dbltree2000/Sugarbeets/MikesBeets08-07-09.jpg

Some real good growth!

http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz307/dbltree2000/Sugarbeets/MikesBeets8-07-9.jpg

I've heard of a few other people who had had some pretty intense grazing on the tops which is something I'm afraid of. Pretty expensive seed if they won't leave it alone it fall.

Obviously this isn't a problem for everyone but something to be aware of especially if they hit brassicas hard on your property now...;)

[dbltree]

Mike from WI sent a recent pic of his sugarbeet development and they are looking good Mike! :way:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Mikes8-26-09Sugabeets.jpg

Potential is there for tons of late winter feed if one can grow them without having them murdered early on.

I would suggest anyone to test their own situation with brasicas first and see if they can grow a good crop of those first. If they kill them like mine then there is a good chance that your sugarbeets might not survive the summer.

Deer will happily forage on beet tops just like brassica tops so keep that in mind before you deicde to plant them next spring.

Nannyslayer (Brian) can get RR sugarbeet seed now that may be a little less expensive then what has been available so check with him before you buy seed next spring...;)

[letemgrow]

If sugar beets were planted in the spring, they mature in 45 days correct so another round would have to be planted for that fall or would they do their own thing and reseed/grow without a re-plant??

[dbltree]

Sugarbeets require a 150 to 120 day growing season Phil, so you plant them in the spring whereas short season brassicas are planted in mid summer as they require only 60-90 days.

It sounds like RR sugarbeets may be off the table just like RR alfalfa while they duke things out in court so one might have to use conventional seed and herbicides for awhile...;)

[dbltree]

RR sugarbeet seed may be hard to come by until this is resolved...;)

A federal judge overturned government approval of a variety of sugar beet genetically engineered to resist a popular weed killer produced by agricultural giant Monsanto, according to a ruling released Tuesday. Wednesday, September 23, 2009


They are still fighting to get RR alfalfa re-approved so it may be awhile...

[homegrownbucks]

Here is how mine turned out in Wisconsin, even with the drought they came out pretty good.

http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m388/fisc0319/_000_0116.jpg

http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m388/fisc0319/_000_0115.jpg

http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m388/fisc0319/_000_0114.jpg

http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m388/fisc0319/_000_0113.jpg

[dbltree]

Wow! That's amazing growth!! Keep us posted on how deer use them this winter!:way:

[jmm46]

any winter pictures of the sugar beets people planted??

[bowhuntr311]

Anybody want to comment on the deer grazing of the tops. Looks to me like the stem and leaves are alot larger than most brassicas?

[dbltree]

Anybody want to comment on the deer grazing of the tops. Looks to me like the stem and leaves are alot larger than most brassicas?

Several people complained that deer mowed the tops of the beets early on just as they did their brassicas, so that can be a problem in some cases.

Others said deer didn't touch the the tops but are digging up the roots now so you can see that while beets are not brassicas, deer will treat them much the same.

If they don't touch your brassicas through out the summer, the beets may also be safe until the late season. If they mow your brassica tops early on, I doubt that sugarbeets will work well for you....;)

[bowhuntr311]

while beets are not brassicas,

Thier not? Reason? I figured beets were a relative of the turnip so I guessed beets would fall under the brassica name?

In the event a person planted beets, and the deer did mow the tops early, I assume it would stunt the growth and/or kill the whole plant?

[dbltree]

Thier not? Reason? I figured beets were a relative of the turnip so I guessed beets would fall under the brassica name?

In the event a person planted beets, and the deer did mow the tops early, I assume it would stunt the growth and/or kill the whole plant?

Sugar beets are members of the Chenopodiaceae (http://iowawhitetail.com/wiki/Chenopodiaceae) family rather then the brassica family.

If deer hammer the tops early on it will most certainly stunt root growth just as it does with brassicas...;)

[dbltree]

My friend Mike from up north in WI sent some update pics from his sugarbeet and brassica plots here in late January....

Remember his summer time pics of his RR beets and beans planted together?? Dang they looked awesome!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesSugarbeets09.jpg

The pics of the big ole beets themselves!!:eek:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Mikes8-26-09Sugabeets.jpg

and now it's January...bitter cold and tons of snow and here is his beet plot now!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesJanuarysugarbeetandbeanplot.jpg

They are doing a right fine job of digging thru the snow and cleaning up anything they can get too!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesJanSBplot.jpg

Now to be fair they are doing a number on his brassica plot as well...bulldozing snow away to forage on the turnips!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MIkesJanuaryBrassicaplot.jpg

Hmmm...so what...season is over right?

Ahhh...not quite because now my friends shed season is open and Mike is cleaning up walking solely through his food plots!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MIkesFoodplotFinds.jpg

I have to say I am jealous of the beautiful plots Mike is able to grow up there while mine get grubbed off to the roots by the end of summer! I'm greatful Mike is willing to share his pictures and successes with us.

As of right now RR beets will not be available in 2010 so we'll have to give conventional sugarbeet seed a try and use conventional herbcides on them.

We'll discuss seed and herbicide options very soon! :way:

[Daver]

Clearly the deer are working hard to get to those beets and turnips, but is there such a thing as inadvertantly creating a "trap" by "making" them dig through frozen dirt to get to the food that could actually be undercutting the benefits of those food plots, at least when the ground is frozen solid?

In other words, do they expend too much energy pawing at the frozen tundra relative to the nutrition that they get from gnawing on the tops?

Nice plots and sheds, and those beets look awesome too. Certainly the deer were well fed there this fall.

[dbltree]

Clearly the deer are working hard to get to those beets and turnips, but is there such a thing as inadvertantly creating a "trap" by "making" them dig through frozen dirt to get to the food that could actually be undercutting the benefits of those food plots, at least when the ground is frozen solid?

In other words, do they expend too much energy pawing at the frozen tundra relative to the nutrition that they get from gnawing on the tops?

Nice plots and sheds, and those beets look awesome too. Certainly the deer were well fed there this fall.

I guess my thoughts would be...what is their alternative? They are naturally going to use the least energy possible to gain the most nutritive value...in otherwords if there is better natural browse that requires less energy and has equal or greater nutritive value, they will seek it out.

Otherwise they simply go hungry and lose weight, surviving but not thriving...;)

[Jetboatgreg]

dbltree....? i have on sugarbeets.

We planted brassicas in several of our food plots this year. They came up great, deer ate the heck out of em. (if i had to do over i would have planted about 2 weeks earlier than i did so they would have grown a tad larger)

Can i grow sugarbeets in those plots this year without them getting diseased?
As i understand it you should not plant brassicas in successive years. After this years success with them i wish i could!

What else would your recommend for hunting plots and or late fall/winter feedings for the flea bags!:D

G

[dbltree]

dbltree....? i have on sugarbeets.

We planted brassicas in several of our food plots this year. They came up great, deer ate the heck out of em. (if i had to do over i would have planted about 2 weeks earlier than i did so they would have grown a tad larger)

Can i grow sugarbeets in those plots this year without them getting diseased?
As i understand it you should not plant brassicas in successive years. After this years success with them i wish i could!

What else would your recommend for hunting plots and or late fall/winter feedings for the flea bags!:D

G

Beets are not brassicas so I am not aware of any possible disease problems between the two but they are heavy nitrogen users and have other similarities so anything is possible.

The best bet is to not plant only one crop in any plot or field but to divide it into strips or blocks so you can have multiple food sources growing at the same time and then rotate them each year.

Corn, soybeans and alfalfa are common ag crop rotations that help farmers control disease and pest problems and the corn will utilize any nitrogen from the legumes as they decompose.

In the same manner we can plant clover, brassicas (or beets) and cereal grain mixtures (winter rye, oats, peas) and rotate those.

I share these examples often...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/SDC12971.jpg

Strips of brassicas planted in July and winter rye, peas and red clover planted in September

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Viewofplotstrips.jpg

Those same plots ended up feeding 40-50 deer this winter

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Brassicas/Deer%20in%20brassicas/500deer.jpg

In the spring the red clover will provide a food source all spring and summer and then is tilled under for brassica.

You can learn more about all of that in the cereal grain thread but winter rye and peas are another awesome attractant to use along side strips of brassicas.

The problem you will be faced with when planting sugarbeets is weed control because they need to be planted in the spring. There are some herbicides available but you would need to budget for that expense that one doesn't have to worry about with short season brassicas like rape and turnips.

If deer eat your brassica forage before fall they may also decimate the beet tops in which case they will never produce a sizable root.

Just some things to consider if you decide to give them a try...;)

[dbltree]

RR sugarbeet seed will not be available this year but there other alternatives.

ND Weed Guide (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/weeds/w253/w253-3d.htm)


M3. Assure II (quizalofop) at 8 to 10 fl oz/A plus petroleum oil adjuvants controls annual grasses in sugarbeet. See discussion on Assure II under soybean for additional information. Allow a 45 day PHI.

M4. Betanex/Des/Alphanex (desmedipham) and Betamix/D-P Mix/ Phen-Des (desmedipham & phenmedipham) applied POST control annual broadleaf weeds. Sugarbeet injury occasionally occurs from Betanex* and Betamix*. Sugarbeet with four true leaves are much less susceptible to injury than smaller sugarbeet and they gain additional tolerance with increased size. Betanex* or Betamix* may be applied to sugarbeet with less than four leaves. Application rates totaling 3 pt/A or less should be followed by a second application in 5 to 7 days if living weeds are present after 5 days. Split application with reduced rates has reduced sugarbeet injury and increased weed control compared to one full-rate application. See Table 1 below for information on adjusting rates for sugarbeet size, sprayer pressure and presence of a soil-applied herbicide. Risk of sugarbeet injury is reduced by starting application in late afternoon so cooler temperatures follow application. Risk of injury is increased by recent flooding, high temperature, and especially, a sudden change from cool, cloudy conditions to hot, sunny weather. Allow a 75 day PHI for Betanex* and Betamix*.

M5. Eptam (EPTC) PPI in the spring at 2.3 to 3.4 pt 7E/A or in the fall at 4 to 5 pt 7E/A or 17 to 22 lb 20G/A controls annual grasses and certain broadleaf weeds but may cause sugarbeet stand reduction and temporary stunting. However, no yield reduction will occur if adequate sugarbeet population remains after thinning. Use extreme caution in choosing a safe rate on sandy loam or lighter soils with low OM. Herbicides such as Ro-Neet, Nortron*, or Pyramin cause less sugarbeet injury on the low OM soils where Eptam injury may be excessive.

Ro-Neet (cycloate) spring-applied at 4 to 5.3 pt/A or fall-applied at 5.3 pt/A gives weed control similar to Eptam. Eptam tends to give better weed control than Ro-Neet on fine-textured, high OM soils or under relatively dry conditions while Ro-Neet gives better control than Eptam when spring rainfall is adequate to excessive. Ro-Neet causes less sugarbeet injury than Eptam and is safer on more coarse-textured, low OM soils.

M6. Eptam (EPTC) plus Ro-Neet (cycloate) has less potential for sugarbeet injury and is less expensive than Ro-Neet alone. The rate of the mixture must be adjusted for soil texture and OM.

M7. Far-Go (triallate) spring- or fall-applied at 1.5 pt/A or 15 lb 10G/A controls wild oat. Incorporate Far-Go immediately after application at 3 to 4 inches deep. Deep and thorough incorporation will provide the best wild oat control. Delaying the second incorporation for three days or longer delay after the first incorporation often improves wild oat control. One incorporation in the fall followed by spring seed-bed preparation is sufficient for fall-applied Far-Go. Far-Go should be fall-applied when temperatures are consistently below 50 F, which generally occurs after October 15. Far-Go may be applied until snow cover or soil is frozen too hard for incorporation. Far-Go will control wild oat that have developed resistance to ACCase-inhibitor POST herbicides for grass control.

M8. Micro-rate or Mid-rate programs use low rates of herbicides in combination applied three or more times at a 5 to 7 day interval starting when weeds are just emerging. The micro-rate treatment is Betanex* / Betamix* / Progress* plus UpBeet plus Stinger* plus a methylated seed oil (MSO) adjuvant at 8 to 12 / 8 to 12 / 5.7 to 8.7 fl oz/A plus 0.125 oz/A plus 1.3 fl oz/A plus 1.5% v/v. The MSO is essential to increase weed control when low herbicide rates are used. The mid-rate treatment includes Betanex*/Betamix*/Progress* at 12 to 16 / 12 to 16 / 8.7 to 11.6 fl oz/A after sugarbeet has four leaves along with the same rate of UpBeet, Stinger* and MSO.
Add Assure II at 4 fl oz/A or Select* at 2 fl oz/A or Poast at 5.3 fl oz/A to the micro-rate to improve grass control. The micro-rate will not control lanceleaf sage or ALS-resistant kochia.

The micro-rate and mid-rates should be applied a minimum of three times. Three applications of the micro-rate generally has given better weed control than two applications of conventional rates. Three applications of conventional rates sometimes gave better weed control than three applications of the micro-rate. Four micro-rate applications frequently have given better weed control than three applications of conventional rates or the micro-rate due to controlling late-emerging weeds.

Precipitation and nozzle plugging is common with ground application of the micro-rate. Several factors may reduce nozzle plugging. 1) Start with a clean sprayer, spray out the tank load immediately after mixing, spray until tank is dry, flush sprayer between loads, clean sprayer frequently, and never allow spray solution to set in the tank. 2) Allow the sprayer tank water to warm before mixing and increase the pH of water to 8 or 9 by adding ammonia, Quad 7, or other pH increasing agents. 3) Pre-mix the UpBeet in hot water or water with pH 8 to 9. Put UpBeet in the tank first and be sure it is dissolved before adding, in order, Betanex*/Betamix*/Progress*, Stinger*, and MSO type oil adjuvant. A 2% solution of household ammonia at 1 gal/100 gal of water will give about pH 9. Add ammonia slowly as the tank fills so water pH does not go much over pH 9. 4) Add a grass herbicide. Tests using a single nozzle and a small volume of spray solution indicated that Assure II reduced precipitation more than Poast and Select* but all had an effect. 5) Gentle agitation resulted in less precipitation than vigorous agitation.

M9. Nortron/Etho/Ethotron (ethofumesate) at 6 to 7.5 pt/A controls broadleaf and grass weeds including redroot pigweed and wild buckwheat but is weak on yellow foxtail. Nortron* is the best of the soil-applied herbicides for kochia control, providing fair to good control. Nortron* may be applied PRE but research results in North Dakota and Minnesota indicate that incorporation generally improves weed control. Nortron* incorporated at 2 to 4 inches deep gave slightly better weed control than when incorporated at 1 inch deep. Band application of Nortron* reduces cost and soil residue. Nortron* has been relatively safe on sugarbeet but use of Nortron* with Ro-Neet or fall-applied Eptam can cause sugarbeet injury especially on medium to coarse textured soils. Nortron* plus spring-applied Eptam may cause serious injury and should only be used on fine textured soils with over 6% OM. See labels for Nortron* rate adjustment for various soil types.

M10. Poast (sethoxydim) at 0.5 to 1.5 pt/A plus oil adjuvant controls annual grass weeds and quackgrass in sugarbeet. See discussion on Poast under soybean for additional information. Allow a 60 day PHI.

M11. Progress/Des-Phen-Etho (desmedipham & phenmedipham & ethofumesate) applied POST gives increased control of some weeds and greater risk of sugarbeet injury than Betamix* alone. The active ingredients are in a 1:1:1 ratio. Adjust the rate of Progress* so the total lb/A of the active ingredients is equal to the lb/A of Betamix* if the Betamix* were applied alone. For example, if the normal rate of Betamix* was 0.3 lb/A then Progress* also should be applied at 0.3 lb/A. Risk factors are the same as for Betamix* alone. Allow a 75 day PHI.

M12. Clethodim (several trade names) at 6 to 8 fl oz/A or Select Max (clethodim) at 9 to 16 fl oz/A plus oil adjuvant at 1qt/A controls annual grasses and quackgrass. See table in the soybean section for rates of clethodim according to weed species and weed size. Quackgrass control requires two sequential applications. Tank-mixing POST sugarbeet herbicides or applying the herbicide within 1 day after clethodim may reduce grass control compared to clethodim applied alone. Reduced grass control can be avoided by applying clethodim at least 1 day before or 5 days after applying the broadleaf herbicide. However, NDSU research indicates less antagonism of grass control with clethodim tank-mixed with Betanex* or Betamix* than Poast or Assure II. Allow a 40 day PHI.

M13. Clopyralid (several trade names) at 0.25 to 0.66 pt/A applied POST controls several broadleaf weeds and volunteer crops. Clopyralid at 0.25 to 0.5 pt/A is most effective when applied with MSO adjuvant to common cocklebur, giant ragweed, volunteer sunflower, wild sunflower, volunteer alfalfa, and volunteer soybean up to the 6-leaf stage, common ragweed up to the 5-leaf stage, and wild buckwheat in the 3- to 5-leaf stage before vining begins. Apply clopyralid at 0.5 to 0.66 pt/A to Canada thistle in the rosette to pre-bud growth stage. Rosette application will give better control than later application. Clopyralid must be applied to sugarbeet in the 2- to 8-leaf stage and allow a 45 day PHI.

M14. UpBeet (triflusulfuron) at 0.25 to 0.5 oz/A should be used with an adjuvant when applied with clopyralid but without adjuvant when applied with Betanex*, Betamix*, or Progress* except in the micro-rate. UpBeet is a postemergence herbicide that should be applied in combination with other broadleaf herbicides mentioned above. UpBeet will antagonize grass control from Assure II, clethodim, or Poast similar to antagonism caused by Betanex*, Betamix* or Progress*. Research in eastern ND and MN has shown that Betamix* + UpBeet applied once at 1.5 pt + 0.5 oz/A followed 7 days later by 2 pt + 0.5 oz/A generally gave less control than Betanex* + UpBeet applied three times at 7 day intervals using 1 pt + 0.25 to 0.3 oz/A in each treatment. Allow a 60 day PHI. Do not exceed 2.5 oz/A UpBeet in a single growing season.

M15. Trifluralin at 1.5 pt/A can be used on 2- to 6-inch tall sugarbeet for annual grass and broadleaf weed control. Broadcast and incorporate immediately with cultivators or tillage tools adjusted to mix the herbicides in the soil without excessive sugarbeet stand loss. The crop should be clean cultivated before application since established weeds are not controlled. Trifluralin with good moisture conditions will control late germinating weeds that may become a problem late into the season.

M16. Dual Magnum (s-metolachlor) applied preplant incorporated or preemergence has caused excessive sugarbeet injury. A form must be signed before use that releases Syngenta from all liability for sugarbeet injury from Dual Magnum. Apply PPI or PRE in the spring or fall at 1.3 to 2 pt/A. Adjust rate depending on soil texture and OM content. Make fall applications after October 15 but before ground freezes. Lay-by applications can be done without signing a liability release form. Apply lay-by at 1.3 to 1.67 pt/A after sugarbeet has four true leaves. More than one lay-by application can be made but the total applied must not exceed 2.6 pt/A per season. Rain or sprinkler irrigation after application is required for activation.

M17. Outlook (dimethenamid-P) at 18 to 21 fl oz/A on medium- to fine-textured soils may be used as a lay-by treatment when sugarbeet has 4 to 8 leaves. Apply once or sequentially but the total applied must not exceed 21 fl oz/A per season. Rain or sprinkler irrigation after application is required for activation. Weeds that emerge prior to activation will not be controlled.

M18. Combinations of postemergence herbicides give more broad spectrum and greater total weed control compared to individual treatments. Clopyralid* + Betanex* or clopyralid* + Betamix* have controlled wild buckwheat, eastern black nightshade, common lambsquarters, buffalobur, giant ragweed, ladysthumb, lanceleaf sage, and Russian thistle superior to clopyralid* alone and superior to Betanex* or Betamix* alone.
UpBeet* plus Betanex*, Betamix* or Progress* has provided improved control of redroot pigweed, prostrate pigweed, kochia, common mallow, nightshade, ladysthumb, Venice mallow, nightflowering catchfly, wild mustard and velvetleaf compared to Betanex*, Betamix*, or Progress* alone.

UpBeet generally has little effect on sugarbeet injury. A three-way combination of Betanex + UpBeet + clopyralid has given good to excellent control of all common broadleaf weeds in sugarbeet in research conducted in ND and MN except ALS-resistant kochia.


Weed Control Guide for Sugarbeets (http://www.sbreb.org/95/weed/95p3.htm)

Sugarbeet Integrated Weed Management (http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r735700111.html)

Clethodim is perhaps the most effective way to control post-emergence grasses like foxtail and Dual Magnum II can be applied at that time to keep grass from returning.

Planting sugarbeets into killed winter rye will also help control small seeded weeds and it is very effective if the rye mulch is left on the soil surface and the beet seed no-till planted.

As with any crops, rotating and making use of natural weed control by utilizing crops with allelopathic chemical affects will be helpful.

Frigid Forage has SB seed for 1/2 price at $1.50 a pound but if anyone knows of a better/less expensive source please post a link!

Sugarbeet seed (http://www.frigidforage.com/Product/product.taf?_function=detail&_ID=222&pc=42)

Eventually the courts will resolve the RR seed issue but that could be several years and understanding conventional herbicides will allow you to still grow sugarbeets...:way:<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="SciName" --><!-- InstanceEndEditable -->

[Deerwatcher]

Thanks for Posting this dbltree; this will be a first for me planting non round up ready sugar beets. But if they perform half as good as mine did last year I will still be happy:).

[homegrownbucks]

Well the deer only hit my rr sugarbeets a little bit, so I'm thinking since they are a biennial I may just let them go another year? Anyone see a problem with that?

[dbltree]

Well the deer only hit my rr sugarbeets a little bit, so I'm thinking since they are a biennial I may just let them go another year? Anyone see a problem with that?

I think they will rot this spring so you'll need to re-plant with something else...;)

[bowhuntr311]

I think they will rot this spring so you'll need to re-plant with something else...;)

Yes. Go dig one up and squeeze it. I found some leftover turnips in the neighbors plot and they were mush. Im 99% your beets will be the same way.

[dbltree]

Since we can't plant RR sugar beets this year, some conventional seed and herbicides are in order...;)

This herbicide will work for sugar beets and and red beets as well...this link mentiones the broadleaf weeds controlled.

Pyramin® DF (http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld00O001.pdf)

Herbicide for weed control in fodder beet, red beet, sugar beet,
mangolds, onions, chives and leeks:

Pyramin® DF BASF (http://www.agro.basf.co.nz/tt/basfnz/1310158701.pdf)

Apply pre-emegence right after planting for best results!

Clethodim can be applied post-emergence to control foxtail so I'm going to get some sugar beet seed in the ground later this month and see what happens...:way:

[homegrownbucks]

I had an idea but no clue if it could actually work so I'm posting it up to see what you guys think. Since RR sugarbeets are not readily available, and I don't want to fool too much with trying to grow regular beets in spring, could they be planted in late summer/fall like a brassica. The plan would be to spray glyphosate a couple times on the field to eliminate competition, broadcast (wish I had a no-till drill) a HIGHER seed rate than spring seeding and cultipack.
My goal would be to have a lot of little beets versus a lower amount of the huge beets that come from spring planting. I would want it to canopy over quick like brassicas so the seeding rate would need to go up. That should help control weeds along with the couple roundup sprayings. I'm growing them for deer not beet production.

Do you guys think they would grow fast enough??? Any chance this would work?

[dbltree]

Do you guys think they would grow fast enough??? Any chance this would work?

I guess it might work but you would get higher yields from brassicas at that point in the summer.

If you really want some small beets then I reckon your plan will probably work...;)

[dbltree]

I planted conventional sugar beets the end of April so it will be interesting to see how they do this year.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/CIMG1140.jpg

I applied 250#'s of 46-0-0 urea (115#'s actual N) and 200#'s of 6-24-24 and tilled it all in before planting.

I used prilled urea which is difficult to spread because it is about the consistancy of flour so I would avoid using this verus the pelleted form.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/CIMG1138.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/CIMG1139.jpg

I tilled down both alfalfa and white clover that has been there for several years so additional nitrogen will become available as those legumes decompose thru out the summer.

I sowed seed on the heavy side because it was only 70% germination, lightly tilled in the seed and cultipacked to cover.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/RRsugarbeatseed.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/CIMG1141.jpg

The seed is about the size of milo seed and could easily be planted with a planter or drill as well.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/CIMG1142.jpg

I sprayed Pyramin® DF (http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld00O001.pdf) on at 5#'s per acre right after planting and will use clethodim as needed for grass control.

Stay tuned...we'll see how they do!:way:

[bowhuntr311]

If you really want some small beets then I reckon your plan will probably work...;)

Dbltree, could you keep an eye on them and maybe keep a small log of how big they get how fast. Then a person might have an idea that it takes X weeks to get Y size?

[dbltree]

Dbltree, could you keep an eye on them and maybe keep a small log of how big they get how fast. Then a person might have an idea that it takes X weeks to get Y size?

You bet! I need to get a good exclusion fence up so i can see how they do without grazing too...;)

[dbltree]

My friend Mike up in WI said he had maybe 50% germination of his sugarbeet seed from the same source as mine and from what I can see that's 100% better then mine! So far I haven't found a single plant that has germinated.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/SugarBeetseed5-15.jpg

The Pyramin® DF really smoked the clover that I had tilled under so perhaps it was a little "hot" for the beets but the label does not mention any precautions at all as far as over applying and causing damage to the beets themselves.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/SugarBeetplot5-15.jpg

The rains just won't quit this year so I'm not sure that I will have a chance to try another batch of seed or not but since I do have unopened packages I may do a ragdoll test and see if that yields any clues?

The seed only had a 70% germ test right from the get go and perhaps that was even just a tad "optimistic"...:rolleyes:

So far it seems I am destined to fail in the sugarbeet area... :confused:

[Fix]

Bought sugarbeets from fridgid forage this year.Germination was ok..however not what i expected.Planted almost one whole bag in .36 of an acre.got beets averaging 1 ft apart.expected a little thicker than that.Oh well its time for weed killing.I understand stinger can be used on beets?Also i have a nutsedge problem any solutions?I miss my roundup ready beets!

[dbltree]

Bought sugarbeets from fridgid forage this year.Germination was ok..however not what i expected.Planted almost one whole bag in .36 of an acre.got beets averaging 1 ft apart.expected a little thicker than that.Oh well its time for weed killing.I understand stinger can be used on beets?Also i have a nutsedge problem any solutions?I miss my roundup ready beets!

Look back at the first page os this thread for more information on herbicides and mode of action. Clethodim will work on grasses in emerged sugarbeets ad I believe the Pyramin® DF can be pplied pot-emergence also.

Not as easy as using gly that's for certain...;)

[Fix]

Ended up paying an unemoloyed friend to weed wack the sedge down and leave the beets.Sprayed with stinger the day before yesterday.Went back yesterday and looked.Ragweed pigweed blackberry etc.. was cooked the beets were standing tall with just some burn spots.The day before spraying i spread 50 lbs of urea which would be about 25 pounds of N.Its only a little more than a third on an acre i used a little less than a half oz. of chemical in 4 gallons of water.The sedge is still there however I believe i will spread some winter rye on the plot in late oct. when the beets are mature.Then nuke everything in mid may to try to get rid of the sedge.Then plant a plot of brassicas in late july.

[dbltree]

Mike sent some pics of his conventional sugarbeets, he sprayed them the end of May with 2 pints of Betamix and the looked like this on June 9th.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesBeets6-9.jpg

He then sprayed them with Select (clethodim) on the same day the pic was taken and on the 15th of June they look like this

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesBeets6-15.jpg

He got the year old seed from Frigid Forage as I did and germination of his was 50% at best but what came up is looking great!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Mikessugarbeets6-15.jpg

The clethodim and Betamix seem to be doing the trick on weeds so hopefully Mike will keep us updated on his beets as the summer progresses.

I have some seed left but the non-stop rains make re-planting out of the question at any time in the forseeable future. I may toss some in with my brassicas and see if any of the seed germinates then, that of course is assuming July is dryer then June... ;)

[dbltree]

Update on Mikes sugarbeets up in WI...looking great!!

June 27th

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikeSB6-27-2010.jpg

Root growth is getting started

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Mike6-27SB.jpg

When the rains stopped for a few days and the wetaher heated up these things really took off!!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Mikes6-29-2010SB.jpg

Too much of anything is not good for crops that need plenty of moisture along with sunny days and warm humid nights for optimum growth. The wet spring/summer has been hard on many midwest crops and Mikes pictures show how much difference a few days of sunshine can make on a crop!

Mike is happy with his post-emergence weed control of Betamix and Select 2EC (clethodim) and he has some beets to be very proud of! :way:

[dbltree]

Guess Mikes deer aren't gonna wait til winter to start chomping on his beets!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Sugarbeet3.jpg

It's not like they don't have anything to eat around his place either!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Sugarbeet2.jpg

Some little groundhog radishes coming up that he overseeded into some thin areas in the beats.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/Sugarbeet1.jpg

For those just checking out sugarbeets...plant them in the spring not unlike corn, feed em plenty of nitrogen and do your homework on suitable herbicides and you'll have some great deer feed by fall!

[dimk]

Hello!
I want to ask you a question:
What is the value of RR sugar beet seeds?
And how you sow them?
The idea is to buy RR seeds, for example 36711RR and trying to sow them in Ukraine.
Because the climate and soil here is almost identical.
So think how much money we have to :-), where these seeds to take, and how to deliver to Ukraine?

[dbltree]

Hello!
I want to ask you a question:
What is the value of RR sugar beet seeds?
And how you sow them?
The idea is to buy RR seeds, for example 36711RR and trying to sow them in Ukraine.
Because the climate and soil here is almost identical.
So think how much money we have to :-), where these seeds to take, and how to deliver to Ukraine?

Right now RR sugarbeet seed is not available...it's been taken off the market by court order and it's not known when they will allow it to be sold again...:confused:

[dbltree]

Mike sent a pic of his sugar beets as of 9/6/2010....lookin' good! :way:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesSugarBeets.jpg

Mike noted that he has some foxtail and lambsquarters creeping in to the beets but the beets are beyond the point of the weeds interfering for the season.

Normally he has few deer on his farm until later in the fall and winter but he watched nearly 35 deer coming and going from his beet plot and as many as 10 bucks! Now Mike has tons of feed...literally...with chest high soybeans, 170 bushel corn and lush brassica plots...yet deer are focusing on his beets long before cold weather!

Growing conventional sugarbeets requires a little more herbicide management and several applications using Clethodim and Betamix herbicide or others such as Stinger and Pyramin DF but in the absence of RR sugarbeet seed, beets can be grown successfully.

Based on the number of deer in Mikes beet plot I suspect he will continue to plant them... ;)

[dbltree]

Mike got some sugar beets planted this week...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/2011planting041.jpg

Looks like it worked up nice!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/2011planting043.jpg

Conventional beets are a little more difficult to control weeds in but if one is willing to spend the money on herbicides you can get the job done.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/2011planting044.jpg

No question whitetails love those beets so we'll follow progress on Mikes place this summer... :way:

[cfalck]

Is it too late to plant sugarbeets? Maxirack ....where had good luck with other seeds said to wait till fall....that just due to weed control? Can't get them plant for another wk tho......should I wait or plant them in a wk? Any help would be great thanks!

[cfalck]

How should I control the weeds also...Thx again for all u do on the site

[Deerwatcher]

Weeds are a big problem with spring planting but I like what the finish product of a spring planted crop (football size) does compared to a late summer planting. The bulbs if planted later in the summer will be less than half the size(about grapefruit size at best) of spring planted crop. A good clean plot to start will help big time; but if you just have grasses then 6 oz a acre of a Clethodim product will do wonders. Broadleafs are much more a problem but if you plant the seed and give a shot of GLY before the seeds germinate if weeds are present of course that will help also. I use Betamix and am trying Upbeet this year as a post emerge; but those are quite costly but it is worth it to me just by the late season attraction. I may try a late summer plot this year since I have about 5 pounds of seed left...Good Luck...

[waylonb19]

I thought I heard RR sugarbeets were back on the market...guess not huh

[Deerwatcher]

I believe it is only available to producers of sugar and seed. NO PLOTTERS!! I also heard that the producers have a hard time getting seed. Alot of paper work and all seed must be accounted for before seeding and after. Crazy

[dbltree]

Is it too late to plant sugarbeets? Maxirack ....where had good luck with other seeds said to wait till fall....that just due to weed control? Can't get them plant for another wk tho......should I wait or plant them in a wk? Any help would be great thanks!

You cannot wait til fall to plant sugar beets...terrible advice! Sugar beets require 120-150 day growing season so planting them in the fall would be like planting corn in the fall...a waste of time!

Get them planted ASAP if that is your intent but be mindful of the need for some fairly complicated weed control via special herbicides used for beets.

Here is a look at what Mike just used...

I sprayed 1.5 pints of Betamiix and 1/2 ounce of Upbeet herbicide per acre with about 13 gallons of water. I am using the micro dosage or multiple application. I will come back in 6-10 days and hit it again. Depending on the grasses coming in I will hit them with 5 ounce of Clethodim per acre at some point I am sure.

Look back towards the beginning of this thread for more information on SB herbicides...as mentioned RR beets are not available to us and may never be again?

[cfalck]

Could I use SHARPEN?

[dbltree]

Could I use SHARPEN?

You can use Stinger but haven't heard of Sharpen?

[vman]

I planted a couple of acres of sugar beets from Fridge Forage this spring. It was a new food plot and I knew that weeds would be an issue.

I controlled the grass a couple weeks back with some generic select I got at the local coop. The ragweed then began to come in. It actually started to take the plot over. So after getting laughed at at the local coop, I found this online. http://www.keystonepestsolutions.com/clopyralid-3-herbicide-1-qt-replaces-stinger-garrison-herbicide-282.html
Was it cheap? Nope, however the one gt will do 6 acres. I sprayed 12 oz of this stuff last saturday on two acres. The photo below is the result from today. Looks like the ragweed got smoked!
http://iowawhitetail.com/gallery/files/390-beetsfullsmall.jpg

[nannyslayer]

Could I use SHARPEN?


If you are talking about Sharpen from BASF, then NO, you can not use it on any standing crop, it will fry it to the ground within 12 hours. Sharpen is only to be used as a pre-emergence herbicide.

But as far as using at a pre-plant herbicide, I think 2 oz/acre will do the trick and give you some residual.

[dbltree]

June 23rd, 2011 Sugar beet report

Mike sent pics of his WI sugarbeets that look great despite the cool rainy weather up his way, he has used the following herbicide mix twice now and has one more application to go.

combination of 1/2 oz of Upbeet per acre and the 5-6 pints of Betamix

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikeSB1.jpg

Some sunny summer weather will have these beets growing like crazy!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikeSB3.jpg

Gonna be a busy place this fall! :way:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikeSB2.jpg

[jerred44]

any updates on the sugar beets?

[dbltree]

July 10th, 2011

Mike says not much to report on the sugar beets except that they need rain!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesJulySB1.jpg

They look pretty doggone good despite the dry weather! :way:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/MikesJulySB2.jpg

[jerred44]

When do the deer really start to notice the sugar beets? is its like brassicas after the 1st frost? do the deer on his farm like the sugar beets over the brassicas or is it just to have another different food source for the deer?

[dbltree]

When do the deer really start to notice the sugar beets? is its like brassicas after the 1st frost? do the deer on his farm like the sugar beets over the brassicas or is it just to have another different food source for the deer?

They don't need a frost and often will star feeding on them a little "too early" on some farms. Mikes sugar beets largely succumbed to drought this year unfortunately so we won't get to see much from them this year.

Sugar beets are not for the novice since they require special herbicides and spring planting, that being said they are a very attractive food source for whitetails...:way:

[vman]

To bad about mikes plots they looked really good. Mine were the same way. No rain killed them. Will try again next year.

[dbltree]

September 14th, 2011

Mike sent me some pics of his sugar beets in a lower area of the field that didn't burn up during the drought and they look pretty good!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/2011planting129.jpg

The high ground is toast but it looks like his deer will still have some good eatin' this winter! :way:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Sugarbeets/2011planting128.jpg

[Sligh1]

Ok, has anyone heard any updates on RR sugar beets? Here's one article of about a dozen available...
http://www.bushnell.com/products/trail-cameras/trophy-cam/119466C/?CFID=22969895&CFTOKEN=b08a3a5e2e537024-F64E01DC-C605-7B66-7607445827D78E39&

says Feb 2011 but it looks somewhat restricted?? Maybe like RR alfalfa is? Is there a viable source to purchase this and has anyone had any success obtaining since these announcements in Feb? I am not sure the difficulty on these restrictions BUT it would be nice to 1st find a source they could be obtained from???

Side question, we all know the reasons to not have brassicas planted year after year. Simply for DISEASE reason - what are your thoughts on going from turnips/radishes one year to Beets the next? Just based on disease. I know you'd miss out on soil building & nitrogen fixing BUT just curious.

[dbltree]

I don't think were going to see RR beets approved for food plots Skip and although you could rotate brassicas and beets that would be a little like rotating corn and milo.

Always best to rotate to a legume if at all possible (soybeans or clovers) and then back to a nitrogen using crop.

[dbltree]

November 14th, 2011

Mikes sugar beets did much better on the better soil with more moisture during this drought year

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Brassicas/2011planting169.jpg

but even the dry areas didn't fare to bad!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Brassicas/2011planting174.jpg

Still a lot of feed that whitetails find hard to resist! :way:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Brassicas/2011planting170.jpg

[jerred44]

when do the deer generally start to hit the sugar beets?

[dbltree]

when do the deer generally start to hit the sugar beets?

Often in late summer to early fall depending on other food sources

[cfalck]

wondering at which rate u plant sb. I only have a hand seeder. thanks

[dbltree]

wondering at which rate u plant sb. I only have a hand seeder. thanks

Visit the 1st page of this thread for more planting info but 20,000 - 50,000 seeds per ace is planting rate. ;)

[cfalck]

Yea i seen that but i just got them given to me in a big zip lock bag. No idea on how many seeds r in there.... thanks

[Fix]

I couldnt get any rr beets so I planted fodder beets this year.Only a strip 9 ft by 350 ft.Thought it would make weed controle easier.I use stinger works fairly well however last year ended up with a sedge problem.So that plot ended up in brassicas.Hopefully the fodder beets canopy quicker also helping in weed controle.To set your hand spreader just put a paper bag under it to catch the seeds.Know your spread width walk and spread a preset distance.Count the seeds in the bag adding 10 -20 percent for failure.Shoot for 1 plant per square foot.I planted mine a littlle thicker and they worked out fine.