dbltree
Super Moderator
I have noticed one thing...brassicas don't deal with extreme dry weather on poor soil. Glad to get some rain!
Most of them did fine but some spots literally died out in a few small areas...something to keep in mind when planting brassicas...they need good soil moisture but not wet feet or soil that easily dries out.
These are at the lower edge of a small garden sized plot and had more moisture:
Same plot but on a slope and poor soil. Most of them died in that area but we hadn't had rain in weeks along with 95 deg. temps
Most of them did fine but some spots literally died out in a few small areas...something to keep in mind when planting brassicas...they need good soil moisture but not wet feet or soil that easily dries out.
These are at the lower edge of a small garden sized plot and had more moisture:
Same plot but on a slope and poor soil. Most of them died in that area but we hadn't had rain in weeks along with 95 deg. temps
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ironwood
Active Member
I mentioned earlier that the deer where pulling purpletop turnips already. Here are a few photos. It also appeared to me that the turnips where the only thing left from the mix. Lots and lots of turnips and very little of anything else. I didn't take time to look all areas of the 10 or so acres over, this is in one of the harder hit corners. The far photos are the same mix but I didn't take time to drive down and look close.
I put the HJ boot trick in there to show you that I too have small feet.
I put the HJ boot trick in there to show you that I too have small feet.
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ironwood
Active Member
I just closed on this place 10-1-06. The brome will be gone after it comes out of this program in October of 08. I really do not have a firm plan in place for this ground. One thing is for sure and that is that a crop rotation would beat the snot out of this brome for wild life benefit.
Danno
PMA Member
What do these plots look like now? I'm thinking of putting a plot of a some kind of brassicas in for my Dad. He's 75 and we'll be building a permanant blind and the plot will be on the edge of a bedding area and with a corn file behind. We want to set it up so he has a good chance of pulling some deer to the plot during the Illinois gun seasons. Although he will probably hunt some crossbow too. Any other suggestions would be helpful. This will be our first attempt at a food plot. Dad farmed for 50 years so he does has some experience planting stuff, including turnips. When I mentioned this idea he had some saying about "wet or dry plant turnips July 25". Anything to that?
dbltree
Super Moderator
I'd say your Dad knows what he's talking about
I hope to check my main plot in the next week or so. I've tried to stay out of it during hunting season, but they had been killing it since September.
The pic below...they have not touched but it is surrounded by alfalfa, rye and oats and it remains to be seen if they will eat this patch later in the winter.
Availabilityof other food sources and the "safety" of the plot (is it hidden) has a lot to do with it.
Often it appears that deer may need to "learn" to like brassicas which might take several seasons.
I can tell you that oats and rye next to a blind will be irresistible no matter how much other feed is available.
These deer are scarcely 10 yards from my blind eating oats that are very nearly frozen off now.
Note in the foreground it is bare...I had brassicas there but several weeks of extreme dry weather and heat killed them on this hillside.
They do much better on moist soils with higher PH.
Whenever possible plant several items in case one fails, or deer prefer one over another.
A blind is an excellent place to observe what they like...just be fore you put em in the freezer
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dbltree
Super Moderator
Well if you go back thru the picks in this brassica thread...you would never imagine what they look like now!
Gone! Completely, totally eaten to the ground!
No leaves, no roots...no nothing but little stems...
No one would ever know I had a a beautiful patch of brassicas here
You can see by the pics at the home place where the deer never touched them...they grew big roots and leaves...
Nothing left here but evidence the "food plot raiders were there...
No need to worry about waiting for a frost to "sweeten" the brassicas at my place!
Anybody else check yours lately? Share some late season pics when you can...
Gone! Completely, totally eaten to the ground!
No leaves, no roots...no nothing but little stems...
No one would ever know I had a a beautiful patch of brassicas here
You can see by the pics at the home place where the deer never touched them...they grew big roots and leaves...
Nothing left here but evidence the "food plot raiders were there...
No need to worry about waiting for a frost to "sweeten" the brassicas at my place!
Anybody else check yours lately? Share some late season pics when you can...
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Central Iowa
Life Member
I watched a brassica plot last night. The rape was still a little green and was being eaten but the turnips were getting pounded. They were pulling the bulbs eating them first and working down to the forage without setting them down. Pretty neat hearing those bulbs pop when they took the first bite. Sorry no picts my head was where it normally is and fogot.
dbltree
Super Moderator
We'll let that slide for now Travis...but next time were expecting an aerial photo and a map...
Welter Seed gets their brassica seed thru Ampac Seed
and they have a great article on growing brassicas as well as descriptions between the different types.
Brassica Information
Welters newsletter notes that brassicas could use as high as 150-200# of nitrogen per acre for maximum production!
Ironwood's post on Turnips in Corn sure looks like a great idea to try this next year for a "double crop"...
Here's a few pics of ironwoods "Purple Top turnips in corn"....
This is Bonar Rape done the same as the PT turnips...
Kind of interesting to go back and look at comments like:
Hard to believe they went from this:
to this:
It's doggone hard to get something to last until after New Years...so if any of you have a little less of a "deer problem" then I...let us know how your brassicas ended up late in the season.
Mean while we'll still be holding out hope for a report (with PICTURES) from Central Iowa
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Central Iowa
Life Member
Sat on a turnip plot last night and it was getting hammered. This was a secluded plot off a bedding area. The deer all showed up about 3:30 and left after a little buck to doe ratio balancing.
This plot was really pulling them in.
This plot was really pulling them in.
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dbltree
Super Moderator
Now that it's turned cold and snowy...how is everyone's brassica plots?
Mine has been gone for months so there are no roots to ""root" up
Timberspirit posted this pic of his plot where the deer have been "hogging" thru it
Have you thought about what you will follow your brassica plot with this spring?
As CI noted brassicas should be rotated to keep from having disease problems.
Either way it will be a bare plot this spring so even if you go back to back with more brassicas (which won't be seeded until late July/early August) you need something there or you'll just have a "mess a weeds"
I'm going to plant buckwheat on some of it in very late spring.
Some of it I'm going to plant oatlage.
In both cases I'll till them under for fall food plots.
I'm going to test some by planting brassicas every year after spring planting a cover crop...just to see what happens.
The others I'll rotate and only plant brassicas every other year.
Share some late season brassica pics if you have any
Mine has been gone for months so there are no roots to ""root" up
Timberspirit posted this pic of his plot where the deer have been "hogging" thru it
Have you thought about what you will follow your brassica plot with this spring?
As CI noted brassicas should be rotated to keep from having disease problems.
Either way it will be a bare plot this spring so even if you go back to back with more brassicas (which won't be seeded until late July/early August) you need something there or you'll just have a "mess a weeds"
I'm going to plant buckwheat on some of it in very late spring.
Some of it I'm going to plant oatlage.
In both cases I'll till them under for fall food plots.
I'm going to test some by planting brassicas every year after spring planting a cover crop...just to see what happens.
The others I'll rotate and only plant brassicas every other year.
Share some late season brassica pics if you have any
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dbltree
Super Moderator
I checked some small plots that unlike the larger field...never got touched. Not so much as a nibble....until now..
Funny how snow and cold have a way of "encouraging" them to try something new..
These patches have rye and alfalfa on either side of them but the brassicas are the only thing they are digging thru the snow for...
Because I have two different farms and completely different situations I find myself running into both ends of the spectrum when it comes to feed and deer.
If I only had either one, I would have either swore that deer loved brassicas...or hated them...
It just proves that each landowner has to experiment on their own and see what works for them.
Funny how snow and cold have a way of "encouraging" them to try something new..
These patches have rye and alfalfa on either side of them but the brassicas are the only thing they are digging thru the snow for...
Because I have two different farms and completely different situations I find myself running into both ends of the spectrum when it comes to feed and deer.
If I only had either one, I would have either swore that deer loved brassicas...or hated them...
It just proves that each landowner has to experiment on their own and see what works for them.
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risto2351
Well-Known Member
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Tyfon Forage Brassica
Dwarf Essex Rape Seed
Purple Top Turnips
Appin forage turnip
Barkant Forage Turnip
Barnapoli Rape Seed
Bonar Rape Seed
Pasja Hybrid Brassica </div></div>
Ironwood,
Did you use all these in the mix that you used last year?
Dwarf Essex Rape Seed
Purple Top Turnips
Appin forage turnip
Barkant Forage Turnip
Barnapoli Rape Seed
Bonar Rape Seed
Pasja Hybrid Brassica </div></div>
Ironwood,
Did you use all these in the mix that you used last year?