Brassicas

[dbltree]

Re: Brassicas - December 13th

Quote:
It will be real interesting to see how hard they hit the turnip plots this year.




Keep us posted on usage up in the "north country"

Update on my brassicas...drastic night and day difference between my two farms despite the fact that all brassica varieties and types were planted both places.

On my high deer density farm the brassicas are just plain...GONE!

They have grubbed them down to the roots and then some!

I found a "frozen leaf" here and there...

or bit's of what was a brassica plant...

Basically every bit of available forage has been eaten! Even the long season Kale and Swedes...gone! All that is left is the dead Berseem clover that was planted with the brassicas.

At the home place, they continue to snub their noses at brassicas however they have plenty to eat, including alfalfa, rye and freshly harvested corn and beans.

The severe cold now down to 8 degrees at nights "wearing" down the plants although they still offer some great foraging.

In this picture Brian's Bullseye brassicas seem to be the tallest and upright at this point but do not have any turnips.

The Welters varieties have the most/largest turnips!

In fact, if I could get them out of the frozen soil...

I bet I could give someone a run for their money in the Monster Turnip contest!

Some things to consider, if deer adapt to and use your brassicas then it's good to know that brassicas can yield up to 3-5 ton of dry matter per acre or upwards 40 tons wet forage!!

200 bushel corn (not likely in most food plots but...) would yield upwards of 5+ tons of feed and at a VERY high cost! Brian could restate the costs but were talking hundreds of dollars per acre not to mention the difficulty in getting equipment to plant it.

Brassicas however need only a 90 day growing window. Planted in late July at a costs of $12 to 20 an acre for seed and roughly 80-90 bucks an acre for urea (46% nitrogen) at 75# actual N per acre.

Generally brassicas if well fertilized won't need any herbicide and both rape and turnips can be grazed and will regrow during the growing season.

They make a great rotation for worn out clover fields and the turnip roots will be a draw well after the New Year.

My goal this next year is to fertilize very heavily on the high deer density farm and increase acres and see if I can get maximum forage production capable of feeding/attracting and holding deer through the late anterless season.

At the home farm I will continue to plant but concentrate more on "root" varieties to provide a food source when every thing else is gone.

Brian has some new seed to try as well as the old standbys...so it should prove interesting!

Some links with great facts and info about brassicas:

Forage Brassicas

Brassicas for Forage

Brassicas by BARUSA

Modern Forage - Brassicas

Brassica Crops To Extend Grazing Season

Use of Brassica Crops in Grazing Systems

Brassicas for deer food plots

Use of brassica crops to extend grazing season

Fertility and Lime Requirements:

Good soil fertility is very important for good yields. Soil tests should be taken to assure proper fertilization. Lime acid soils to pH 6.0.

Fertilizers should be applied at the time of seeding or within 3 days of seeding to give the crop a competitive edge on weeds.

Apply 100 lb/acre nitrogen to soils containing 2 to 5% organic matter, 120 lb/acre if less than 2% organic matter and 60 to 80 lb/acre if more than 5% organic matter.

Requirements for phosphorus and potassium are similar to those of a small grain.

In Wisconsin and Minnesota, when soil tests are in the medium range, about 20 to 30 lb/acre of P2O5 and 120 lb/acre of K2O should be applied

Fertilizer applications should be banded at least 2 in. to the side and below the seed or broadcast. Boron and sulfur may also be needed. If the soil tests "low" in boron, apply 1 lb boron/acre on sandy soils, and twice this amount on other soils. Apply 10 to 15 lb of S/acre if a soil sulfur test indicates a need for this element.

Turnip

PLANT NUTRIENTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

Brassica Guide

Brassica Book

Growing Brassica Crops

Forage Brassica Facts

 

[dbltree]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

Gee whiz! Drop the temps to minus 12, add in some howling winds for a wind chill in the minus 30's, pileup a little snow and, you know...those turnips get down right tasty!

Feeding on what's left of foliage and the turnips...

Digging around for anything tasty

Here's what the plot looks like now...

Remember, that plot had all the brands and varieties and I still have found no difference except in the price of the seed...

 

[Fishbonker]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

I walked past my turnips last week. The deer ate some of the foliage down to the snow but didn't dig any deeper. I'll have to check again this weekend.

The 'Bonker

 

[ajadams]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

My brassicas remain untouched, like always. I have never had good luck them. Just keep planting them in hopes they will eat them someday. Might turn this plot into milo next year to give it a try.

The only tracks here go around the brassicas and straight towards the corn.

 

[risto2351]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

The snow and ice have made it hard on my brassicas and turnips.

On the upper half the brassicas are now buried.

While on the lower half they are iced in but are exposed and have been nibbled on.

Hopefully today's temps will help thaw them out.

They never seem to nibble though when I am there hunting.

Only seeing small tracks into and out. The buttons sure know where they are at.

 

[Limb Chicken]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

Just an update, sorry no pictures. I will try to get some next time. They found the brassicas and I can't believe the amount of tracks, pawing, bedding. I will definitely be planting them again next year.

 

[risto2351]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

Limb,
Did you put corn on them or did they find they by themselves??

How much snow do you have down there right now covering them?

Thanks

 

[Daver]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

Limb - were you one of the people that reported that the deer did not touch brassica's in your area? (I can't remember.)

You should have a shed hot spot there too.

 

[Limb Chicken]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

I didn't put any corn out. I would say there is anywhere from 5 to 15 inches of snow in different parts of the field. They are digging to get down to them. I think it helped that they were hitting the rye hard and they may have lost track of where the rye was and "discovered" the new groceries and I can tell you they really like them... I had three does bedding within 5 yards of them when I approached and really seemed upset they had to leave.

Daver, yes they had not touched them as of January 8th.

My ambition yesterday was to get a treestand down I had been too lazy to take down and after seeing all the activity in the plot I ended up walking trails for 2 hours looking for bone. No luck but when they fall there should be a few in the plot. Deer that were using the corn a bean fields have now made significant trails to the brassicas.

For what it is worth it is Hunters Specialties fall blend. It came up fantastic and there is a ton of food for them. I will plant it again next year.

 

[Daver]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Daver, yes they had not touched them as of January 8th.
</div></div>

Interesting, that is kind of what I thought you would say, I seemed to vaguely recall that you were one of the guys that had reported that deer ignored your brassicas. I have never had them ignore them at my place, but have been curious that several others have experienced that. I dunno, maybe the deer in my area were already pre-conditioned to pursue them because others in my general area were planting turnips several years before I started to. Whoda thunk that you have to "train" those dang deer to eat right? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

At any rate, it sounds like "your" deer have crossed over now. Maybe the lesson for all of us is that if you are planting brassicas in an area that they have not previously been present in is to add some rye or alfalfa in or around them to lure them in and "hook" them for life. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

I have planted the HS fall blend before too with good results.

 

[risto2351]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

Do you guys know what is in the H.S. fall blend?

I think they would of ate mine also but the ice
and then the 30" drift of top of half of them hurt me.

Next year a snow fence is in order.

 

[dbltree]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

Do you guys know what is in the H.S. fall blend?

I think they would of ate mine also but the ice
and then the 30" drift of top of half of them hurt me.

Next year a snow fence is in order.

It contains the same basic brassicas as most "brassica" mixes including dwarf essex rape. It's a good mix but it's nothing out of the ordinary, it's just that cold weather finally encouraged Limbs deer to give them a try.

There is no such thing as a "bad" brassica mix...they will either love them or hate them...

 

[WhitetailWarrior]

Re: Brassicas - December 25th

I planted 1.5 acres of Whitetail Institute Winter Greens and they were all gone by Thanksgiving. I will admit that I do have a high deer density but they hammered them. The only thing left was stems... I am going to plant 4-5 acres of them next year.

 

[dbltree]

Re: Brassicas - January 25th

they were all gone by Thanksgiving.

I wish mine would last that long...

I'm going to really pour the nitrogen to my brassicas on the farm where they hit them hard and plant more acres also.

If they like brassicas, it's awesome feed and one thing I have found is "brand" doesn't make a hill a beans difference.

They either devour them all or ignore them until late in the season.

This plot on one of my farms has ALL the major brands and varieties in it, including Wintergreens but they never touched a leaf on ANY of it!

All the same brands and varieties on the other farm got absolutely murdered before November...

One can plant any "flavor" brassicas you choose and it will get the same results so I'll be darned if I'm going to pay 2-3 times as much for seed from a "pretty bag"...

 

[Fishbonker]

Re: Brassicas - January 25th

Finally starting to hit mine also. Like Limb, they have to paw through about 12 inches or so of snow to get to them. Don't know why they started to eat them. They have been coverd with snow since December. I went back to back tunrips so this year I better rotate to something else.

The 'Bonker

 

[dbltree]

Re: Brassicas - January 30th

Finally starting to hit mine also. Like Limb, they have to paw through about 12 inches or so of snow to get to them. Don't know why they started to eat them. They have been covered with snow since December. I went back to back turnips so this year I better rotate to something else.

The 'Bonker

I checked on my brassicas that had not been eaten earlier and the patch is solid mass of tracks and pawing now.

We don't have that much snow here but still the combo of cold, snow and the fact that they have cleaned up the "easy picken's" in crop fields means they are kicking into survival mode and eating what ever they can find.

They are eating both some of the leaves left over and the turnips

Most of the turnips have at least some signs of "gnawing"...

That patch had ALL the varieties and brands in it and still, they are feeding in all of it equally.

Turnips are turnips!

 

[ajadams]

Re: Brassicas - January 30th

I went for a walk today and checked out my plots. The rye is still under several inches of snow and ice and no action taking place. They have been hammering the picked been field. And Finally the brassicas. After three years of planting them I was about to give up. But they figured it out now.

A month ago

They have eaten all the leaves and are starting to dig deeper.

They have been digging all over. You can see some of the tracks on the far hill side.

Here is all the tracks going from the beans to the brassicas.

I might just have to plant them again next year, along with a bean plot.

 

[dbltree]

Re: Brassicas - Mid winter

Guys, thanks for all the info. I never planted brassicas before but it seems like a shame to have all those turnips under the frozen ground. Have you ever tried loosening them up in October before it freezes with a plow or cultivator? In theory, the deer would be able to get at the bulk of the food easier. Just curious.

I have seen them root the entire area up just like hogs had been loosed in the plot! No worries about them getting to them if they want them.

Most of my turnips are actually pretty big and sticking above the ground like this:

Deer are pretty resourceful animals and don't need much help in that regard, usually they just have plenty of crop waste grain to feed on before getting hungry enough to attack the turnips.

 

[dbltree]

Re: Brassicas - Mid winter

First I know you're supposed to rotate them to avoid diseases and so forth. Does that mean don't plant them two consecutive years with nothing in between. If I have buckwheat in a plot during summer then disc in and replant to brassicas in late July and back to buckwheat the following summer and so on is that ok. Or should you keep brassicas to a every other year rotation.

It's recommended to NOT plant them for more then two years in the same spot but if you plant a cover crop in the spring and till that under I think you can get away with it for a longer period time.

Buckwheat is ok...but why buckwheat? Frost seeded red clover or spring seeded berseem clover are much better options because they will be adding some nitrogen each time they are tilled under, along with copious amounts of organic matter.

Buckwheat doesn't have all of those attributes and brassicas are heavy nitrogen users...just something to keep in mind.

It's great that you see the advantage of improving your soil and using a green manure cover crop but now go a step further and plant a legume cover crop rather then a "nitrogen user"...

how early can you plant them, if I planted in june would they be that much taller by fall or do they mature before that??

Short season brassicas (rape and turnips) have a 60-90 day growing season after which they will mature and go to seed, then start to rot and smell!

Planting them earlier will leave you with a rotting mess by October!! Plant them in late July, feed them well with 150#'s of urea and they will give all they can possibly produce by fall.

If you want to further maximize yields then switch to LONG SEASON brassicas (Swedes and Kale)that have 150-220 day growing seasons.

Plant these brassicas in early spring and again add 150-200#'s of urea along with P&K (after soil testing). Consider top dressing another 50-75#'s of urea just before a rain in late July to further increase yields.

Spray any grasses that invade with Select herbicide as needed and you'll have a tremendous amount of tonnage compared to short season brassicas.

Here's a selection of short season brassicas:

Short season brassica seed

Here's an example of a long season brassica mic:

Long Season Brassica Seed


Cooper Seeds has both Winton Swedes and Kestrel Kale

Adams Briscoe Seed carries long season brassicas as well.


LONG SEASON BRASSICS

Quote:
Kale (Brassica oleracea L.)

Varieties of kale differ markedly in rate of establishment, stem development, time required to reach maturity, and in winterhardiness. The stemless type kale (e.g. Premier) has a faster rate of establishment than varieties which produce stems. Crop height of the stemless type is approximately 25 inches, whereas that of marrow stem kale is 60 inches with primary stems often 2 inches in diameter. Stemless kale attains maturity in approximately 90 days, allowing two crops/year, whereas varieties that develop stems require 150 to 180 days to attain maximum production. Premier has consistently survived winters in central Pennsylvania, whereas other varieties of kale usually are winter-killed in December.

Swede (Brassica napus L.)

Like turnip, swedes produce a large edible root. Yields are higher than those of turnip, but they grow slower and require 150 to 180 days to reach maximum production. Swedes usually produce a short stem (neck), but can have stems 2 1/2 feet long when grown with tall crops which shade the swede. Unfortunately, stem elongation is at the expense of root development. The variety Calder was found to be cold hardy in central Pennsylvania and thus ideal for stockpiling and late fall or early winter grazing. In general, all swede varieties are recommended for late fall grazing.





SHORT SEASON BRASSICAS

Quote:
Rape (Brassica napus L.)

Mature forage rape is one of the best crops available for fattening lambs and flushing ewes. Rape is a multistemmed crop with fibrous roots. The stems vary in length, diameter, and in palatability to livestock. Forage yields of spring- planted rape increase until plants become physiologically mature. Growth slows or ceases at maturity and yields plateau until leaves senesce and die. Varieties differ in when this occurs, however, Rangi rape retains its leaves longer than most varieties. Generally, yields of rape varieties in Pennsylvania are maximized with two , 90-day growth periods. However, performance of Emerald and Winfred rape varieties, is best with one 180-day growth period, and yields of rape hybrids were greatest with 60 days of growth before the first harvest and a 30-day growth period before the second harvest.

Turnip (Brassica rapa L.) or Turnip Hybrids

These crops grow very fast, reaching near maximum production levels in 80 to 90 days.

Studies in southwestern Pennsylvania showed that turnip can accumulate dry matter in October as fast as field corn does in August. Growing "out of season" (October/November) makes turnip a valuable crop for late fall grazing.

The proportions of tops and roots varies markedly depending on variety, crop age, and planting date. Research by the USDA Pasture Laboratory showed that turnip crops can vary from 90 percent tops/10 percent roots to 15 percent tops/85 percent roots. Some hybrids have fibrous roots which will not be readily grazed by livestock. All varieties produce primarily tops during the first 45 days of growth. Sixty to 90 days after seeding, turnip varieties such as Savannah and All Top continue to produce a high proportion of tops. During the same period, other turnip varieties have nearly equal top and root production and Purple Top has a greater root than top production.

The significance in the proportion of tops and roots is that the crude protein concentration (8 to 10%) of roots is approximately one-half of that in turnip tops. Therefore, greater root production tends to reduce the crude protein yield of the total crop. On the other hand, stockpiled tops appear to be more vulnerable to weather and pest damage than roots. Varieties differ in resistance to diseases, but this often is not evident until the crop is more than 80 days of age and the plants are reaching full production.

 

[dbltree]

Re: Brassicas - Mid winter

Buckwheat is cheap and it grew exceptional for me in multiple locations.

That it is but it is also the exact same cost per acre as a plow down red clover. When you add the cost of the nitrogen you could have saved by including a legume...buckwheat then is suddenly more expensive and less productive.

You have on advantage in that you know deer love your brassicas so you just need to get the most out of them with good soil fertility and proper planting dates to maximize production!

Your liming and using plowdowns...kudos on doing it right!