Brassicas

[6x6]

I'm going up to the farm tmrw to pick the velvet leaf. I pulled some the other day and it came up easy, it's just tedious. Other then that my plot looks great!

A machete or weed wacker works good once they are taller than the brassicas. Mine was solid button weed if I would have done nothing, but the brassicas were perfect underneath. This year the deer are eating what few button weeds I have, right away.

 

[goatman]

I urea they look pretty yellow, have they had to much water? Clethodim won't hurt broadleaves unless you had something else in your sprayer?

Velvetleaf is everywhere yet we have never had a problem with it or any other broadleaf weeds for that matter, not sure what we are doing different?

I'm going to put on urea ahead of tomorrows rain. They looked great a week ago when I sprayed clethodim. On a hillside and no rain last week. I do have velvetleaf in one brassicas patch.

 

[dbltree]

September 2014

Brassica growth as of September 1st, and they look great!



At 10# per the brassicas are plenty thick but in our area deer thin them quickly.





They devour the forage radish first and the turnips and rape later in the winter. They tend to focus on the rye, oats and peas during October and November but turn on the brassicas again as weather turns cold in late November.





Last years drought caused much of the red clover seedlings to fail so we fertilized with 200# of urea 46-0-0 urea (nitrogen) to get maximum growth.



Eventually we hope to eliminate all synthetic fertilizer as the cover crops build organic matter and mine nutrients deep in the subsoil.



Brassicas have tap root's that drill 5' or more into subsoil and not only do they pull up nutrients but there's more!



When the root's decompose water flows in those channels and the freezing /thawing action pulverizes hard pan soils. The crops that follow (winter rye )send their root's down those channels to subsoil moisture and nutrients. After years of using the brassica /rye mix rotation the soil becomes rich with organic matter, holding nutrients and becoming impervious to droughts.

Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks

Alice, Kopu II, Durana (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, sow at 6#'s per acre with the rye combination in the fall or in the spring with oats and berseem clover. Correct Ph and P&K with soil tests

Brassicas in 45% of plot

Purple Top Turnips 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost, Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-28-28 per acre. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring at 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or crimson and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...we use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all planted in half of each feeding area

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 50-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Frostmaster Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre

Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre (or 20-40 pounds hairy vetch and 20-30#'s crimson clover on sandy soils)
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas use 100 - 200#'s of urea, if starting a new plot add 400#'s of 6-28-28 but for best results soil test and add only what is necessary.

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year

 

[MN Hunter]

Love all your information and pictures Paul, I like reading through all your threads. I've learned so much. And my wife has learned that I spend way too much time on iowawhitetail! ha

 

[goatman]

May have to redo the urea. 2.25" rain and more to come.

 

[dbltree]

Just under 5" here, that is going to push nitrogen deeper and suffucate plant's in already waterlogged soils, we need some serious sunshine!

 

[skyleralan]

Just under 5" here, that is going to push nitrogen deeper and suffucate plant's in already waterlogged soils, we need some serious sunshine!

LOL, 14 inches in the last two weeks here in Bedford. I want to say my brassica plots are "toast", but that doesn't sound right!

Going to go to a rye mix on everything, but was reading about Appin Forage Turnips and their fast maturity rate. Would you take a change in getting a few pounds to mix in with my rye or just forget about any type of brassica?

Will get everything in, in the next week to week and half weather permitting.

 

[Tim Hull]

Skyleralan,

I would just top dress everything if possible. I think early frost this year. The sooner the better.

 

[dbltree]

LOL, 14 inches in the last two weeks here in Bedford. I want to say my brassica plots are "toast", but that doesn't sound right!

Going to go to a rye mix on everything, but was reading about Appin Forage Turnips and their fast maturity rate. Would you take a change in getting a few pounds to mix in with my rye or just forget about any type of brassica?

Will get everything in, in the next week to week and half weather permitting.

It won't hurt to add a pound of turnips but at this point it's to late to get much growth unless we have a late fall. Keep us posted if you do.

 

[skyleralan]

So here is the damage. View attachment 2549 View attachment 2550 Don't think these are suppose to be there.... View attachment 2551 Here is an elevated shot from the tree stand. View attachment 2552

Here is a close up.

View attachment 2553

Any chance they bounce back at all? Was already going to go over the spots once they dry out to bare soil and try and get some rye in the bare batches.

 

[dbltree]

Yikes! That stinks

 

[skyleralan]

Yikes! That stinks

The sad part, this is the better looking of the two plots. The other is a complete wash. This one at least has some on "higher" ground that seem to be doing so-so.

 

[SQUID]

Getting hammered!!!

Currently my brassica plots are getting hammered. My questions is how tolerant are brassicas to browsing pressure? The plants are just starting to form bulbs and if they can handle the pressure I was planning on broadcasting some urea tomorrow before the rain hits?

 

[dbltree]

Urea will sure help if you get it on just before a rain, like anything brassicas have a limit to how much grazing pressure they can stand. That's why we have clover around the perimeter and the rye mix to decrease pressure on the brassicas.

It's pouring here in SE Iowa again this morning!

 

[SQUID]

Missed my opportunity, stopped raining around 10ish!! I'm leaving for Zimbabwe so hopefully they will keep struggling against the browsing pressure and ill have a nice plot for the fall. Thanks for advice.

 

[gundog870]

Another thank you is in order Paul! I have not followed everything to perfection but these threads have been the most usefull thing I have come across!! Thanks a million.. Besides over seeding, lacking FERT and extreme shade. The dbltree mix is thriving. This plot will be much better next year, but you have definitely shortened the learning curve and I know what to do better next time! Thank you.

A few happy does

 

[MN Hunter]

My brassica's started out looking awesome but have faced heavy browse about 3 weeks after germination. Some of the leaves are now turning yellow. Im wondering if this is due to the browsing pressure or lack of nitrogen.

 

[dbltree]

I think heavy browsing, they may wipe it out anyway but urea wouldn't hurt to encourage additional growth

 

[goatman]

I think heavy browsing, they may wipe it out anyway but urea wouldn't hurt to encourage additional growth

Mine wasn't from browsing but did have yellow leaves. Urea brought it out of it even after 5.5" of rain after I put down urea.

 

[skyleralan]

Yikes! That stinks

Amazingly, my plot is coming back! I wasn't able to do much with the wet conditions, but decided to go in with a liquid foliar fertilizer and my backpack sprayer. After 1.5 hours and 12 gallons of the mixture I thought I did a so-so job of hitting what I could. I wasn't holding out much hope, but just shy of two weeks and getting a bushel of rye overseeded into the brassicas and the plot is really turning around. I figured I owed it to myself after all that work to try something at this point. Just a little more sweat equity!

The bulb size isn't there in much of the plot, but the leaves are all turning back to a nice dark green. Still some growing left after getting them back on track I hope. The rye that is only a week and half old is already 3-4 inches tall in the places that were completely flooded.

One thing I do want to ask, is my other plot that I completely disced under that was brassicas, I hit with 2 bushels of rye, 6lbs of ladino clover, and just a couple of pounds of turnips for the heck of it. It is only a week or so old, but hasn't done much. We just got .68 of rain the on Tuesday-Wednesday. Any chance my brassicas I had planted before sucked up all the nitrogen or will I see some benefit in discing them under as far as helping the newly planted mixture? When new rye starts to sprout does it have a purplish tint or is it a potassium issue?