dbltree
Super Moderator
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 family, is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production.
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
SugarBeet Fertilizer requirements
Planting Sugarbeets
Growing Sugarbeets
Sugarbeets Fact Sheet
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
MAXI-RACK Seeds
BuckLunch Sugar Beet Seed
BuckGro Sugarbeet Seed
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
Pyramin DF 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.
Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), a member of the Chenopodiaceae family, is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production.
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
SugarBeet Fertilizer requirements
Planting Sugarbeets
Growing Sugarbeets
Sugarbeets Fact Sheet
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
MAXI-RACK Seeds
BuckLunch Sugar Beet Seed
BuckGro Sugarbeet Seed
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
Pyramin DF 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.
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