dbltree
Super Moderator
dbltree
Super Moderator
My brassicas are a little over 3 weeks old now....(planted July 23rd)
Already being grazed heavily!
Growth is lush and robust from being well fertilized with plenty of nitrogen and blessed with plenty of rain!
Notice how thick the brassicas are and how quikly they have canopied! You can see why I don't reccomend planting other crops with them as they will suffucate them quickly!
In this pic you can see the oildseed radish amongst the rape and turnips, it's leaves appearing more uneven or frilly then typical forage brassicas.
These are in a tree planting beside a field pea planting and soon to be rows of winter rye/oats n forage peas.
Utilizing the tree planting area gives me more food plot space, more feed and because the rows are a natural travel corridor it allows me to compare usage of the various plot crops. I can compare each crops ability to survive heavy grazing and also compare how each one lasts into the late season.
Already being grazed heavily!
Growth is lush and robust from being well fertilized with plenty of nitrogen and blessed with plenty of rain!
Notice how thick the brassicas are and how quikly they have canopied! You can see why I don't reccomend planting other crops with them as they will suffucate them quickly!
In this pic you can see the oildseed radish amongst the rape and turnips, it's leaves appearing more uneven or frilly then typical forage brassicas.
These are in a tree planting beside a field pea planting and soon to be rows of winter rye/oats n forage peas.
Utilizing the tree planting area gives me more food plot space, more feed and because the rows are a natural travel corridor it allows me to compare usage of the various plot crops. I can compare each crops ability to survive heavy grazing and also compare how each one lasts into the late season.
Hat Trick
New Member
3 week update
Yours are just ahead of mine for some reason Paul, maybe the nitrogen you tilled in? I did plant 2 days later, maybe that's it. Mine are coming on really strong now. We have had 9 inches of rain in the past 3 days since I took these However my father said they are looking even better, go figure.
South Pasture Plot:
Someone found them.:grin: This is a big buck that I know well! He was in two of my plots. No grazing though.
The Crossing Plot:
The 14 Acres Plot:
I live for the weekends to check my plots for growth, take pictures of them and to check for tracks. I'm pretty partial to my 7 trail cams too though.
Yours are just ahead of mine for some reason Paul, maybe the nitrogen you tilled in? I did plant 2 days later, maybe that's it. Mine are coming on really strong now. We have had 9 inches of rain in the past 3 days since I took these
However my father said they are looking even better, go figure.South Pasture Plot:
Someone found them.:grin: This is a big buck that I know well! He was in two of my plots. No grazing though.
The Crossing Plot:
The 14 Acres Plot:
I live for the weekends to check my plots for growth, take pictures of them and to check for tracks. I'm pretty partial to my 7 trail cams too though.
dbltree
Super Moderator
Almost as an afterthought I stuck up an exclusion cage in my brassica plot and returned 2 days later to work on some mowing and couldn't believe what I saw!
In two days they have eaten nearly 2 acres of brassicas to 1/2 of what they were!
This is looking down on the young (protected) brassicas on 8-21
Grazing is very intense!
You would think they were starving!
Only 2 days before it looked like this
They have peas, clover, alfalfa and soybeans all side by side with brassicas that are in 5 different plots...yet they are literally kiling them!
In two days they have eaten nearly 2 acres of brassicas to 1/2 of what they were!
This is looking down on the young (protected) brassicas on 8-21
Grazing is very intense!
You would think they were starving!
Only 2 days before it looked like this
They have peas, clover, alfalfa and soybeans all side by side with brassicas that are in 5 different plots...yet they are literally kiling them!
Central Iowa
Life Member
Paul you need to feed lead!
bowhuntr311
IowaWhitetail Addict
Dbltree
After really studying your pics, I wondered if you planted on the heavy side, or if thats what its supposed to look like?
It really looks like your not going to have any late season hunting over those if they keep that amount of grazing.
After really studying your pics, I wondered if you planted on the heavy side, or if thats what its supposed to look like?
It really looks like your not going to have any late season hunting over those if they keep that amount of grazing.
dbltree
Super Moderator
5-6#'s per acre which is normal seeding rate
If your interested in top dressing your brassicas with some additional nitrogen, there are three main sources that may be available to plotters.
The following is taken from this link
The Fertilizer Institute
All forms of N can cause some minor leaf burning and this will be worse if applied when leaves ar wet, so wait till dew has dried before applying.
Typically for brassicas top dressing with 40-60#'s of actual nitogen will be enough to spur lush rapid growth and would be best applied when plants are 3-6 weeks old assuming they are 60-90 day brassicas. Long seasons planted in early spring could use N perhaps even in two applications at 30- and 60 days.
Urea (46-0-0) is the most commonly available but it is inportant to apply it ahead of a minimum of a 1/2" rain
This link will explain more about useing urea
Fertilizer Urea
Urea fertilizer can be coated with certain materials, such as sulfur, to reduce the rate at which the nitrogen becomes available to plants. Under certain conditions these slow-release materials result in more efficient use by growing plants. Urea in a slow-release form is popular for use on golf courses, parks, and other special lawn situations.
If you can find urea treated with urease inhibitor then rain fall will ne of less importance and Agrotain makes such a product:
Where Agrotain fits
Agrotain International is the world’s largest producer of StabilizedNitrogen™ fertilizers.
Ammonium nitrate (34-0-0)
AN is a much more stable form of nitrogen in regards to volatilization losses, however it is difficult to purchase because of it's use in making bombs and liability issues for fertilizer dealers. If it is available it is an excellent albeit more expensive source of N for top dressing.
Nitrogen Sources
There are safer versions of AN being developed so perhaps it will once again be more readily available.
Honeywell Develops Safer Ammonium Nitrate-Based Fertilizer
Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)
Advantages = Minimal leaching loss, easy to use, safe to handle and sulfur boost if needed.
Disadvantages = Delayed availability during nitrification and has a high loss potential on calcareous soils if it is not incorporated into the soil. Ammonium sulfate is often one of the most expensive forms of N but when compared to the risk of applying urea and ending up with no rain, it's worth the cost!
Some FAQ's about AS
Ammonium Sulfate & Soil pH: Fact Vs. Fiction
NITROGEN FERTILIZER: What Should I Use
Purchasing Nutrients for Hay and Forage Crops
Compare N sources
Fertilizer and Lime materials
dbltree
Super Moderator
Yikes! That's some serious water! Hope they dry out quickly and do well this fall for you!
They seem to be grazing the forage radish real well! The radish leaves are a litle "feathery" compared to the broader leaves of the rape and turnips but apparantly just as tasty. I have some Ground Hog radishes arriving today from Welter Seed to scatter into my cereal rye planting for both soil improvment and forage.
Notice the dark green very thick strip of grass next to the brassicas? I was careful not to spread urea into that area so the roots are just happily sucking it up from next door!
For best results in yield and quality of forage, brassicas should be planted in mid July thru early August in most of the midwest. They should also be fertilized heavily and a minimum of 60-90#'s per acre of actual nitrogen should be tilled in at planting time.
Planted properly in this manner brassicas will grow rapidly and quickly canopy (much like soybeans) making it nearly impossible for any other crop to be grown with them.
To plant them together means something is going to suffer and nutrients may go to the wrong plants at the wrong times.
I often plant oats and berseem clover in the spring as a cover crop to till under for the next planting, works great before a fall rye/pea planting or to establish clovers but it can pose a bit of a problem for brassicas.
The following are some pics of a brassica planting I did for a friend where I followed oats and berseem. The oats of course were maturing so tilling them under just spread oat seed everywhere and of course it just loves all the nitrogen tilled in for the brassicas.
Now...you might say...heck, that looks great! Deer should love that! Yep...for now, but these oats will be mature by October and useless to attract deer and during that time they will be sucking up nitrogen and other nutrients meant for the brassicas.
Not the end of the world of course and in this case grazing pressure will be light and side by side plantings of winter rye and peas along side of a large field of corn will still create an overall very attractive food source.
I could have killed these oats with clethodim if the situation required more/higher yields of brassicas but at this point on this property we're not even sure if they will eat brassicas.
I just wanted to share the problems associated with mixing grains with brassicas and I will continue to share pics this fall to give you an idea why seperate plantings are much more productive.
These oats will not be so tasty in November while the oats and rye we plant right now will be perfect.
no room in here for anything but brassicas!
Now if deer murder your brassicas early as they are mine, then broadcasting winter rye into them in early September will be fine because the brassicas have already been decimated.
This farm is also one where I wil be able to show you strip plotting and crop rotations and how they will work in anyones habitat program...better then planting single crop plots in different fields or attempting to throw a bunch of incompatiable seeds together all in one plot...
They seem to be grazing the forage radish real well! The radish leaves are a litle "feathery" compared to the broader leaves of the rape and turnips but apparantly just as tasty. I have some Ground Hog radishes arriving today from Welter Seed to scatter into my cereal rye planting for both soil improvment and forage.
Notice the dark green very thick strip of grass next to the brassicas? I was careful not to spread urea into that area so the roots are just happily sucking it up from next door!
For best results in yield and quality of forage, brassicas should be planted in mid July thru early August in most of the midwest. They should also be fertilized heavily and a minimum of 60-90#'s per acre of actual nitrogen should be tilled in at planting time.
Planted properly in this manner brassicas will grow rapidly and quickly canopy (much like soybeans) making it nearly impossible for any other crop to be grown with them.
To plant them together means something is going to suffer and nutrients may go to the wrong plants at the wrong times.
I often plant oats and berseem clover in the spring as a cover crop to till under for the next planting, works great before a fall rye/pea planting or to establish clovers but it can pose a bit of a problem for brassicas.
The following are some pics of a brassica planting I did for a friend where I followed oats and berseem. The oats of course were maturing so tilling them under just spread oat seed everywhere and of course it just loves all the nitrogen tilled in for the brassicas.
Now...you might say...heck, that looks great! Deer should love that! Yep...for now, but these oats will be mature by October and useless to attract deer and during that time they will be sucking up nitrogen and other nutrients meant for the brassicas.
Not the end of the world of course and in this case grazing pressure will be light and side by side plantings of winter rye and peas along side of a large field of corn will still create an overall very attractive food source.
I could have killed these oats with clethodim if the situation required more/higher yields of brassicas but at this point on this property we're not even sure if they will eat brassicas.
I just wanted to share the problems associated with mixing grains with brassicas and I will continue to share pics this fall to give you an idea why seperate plantings are much more productive.
These oats will not be so tasty in November while the oats and rye we plant right now will be perfect.
no room in here for anything but brassicas!
Now if deer murder your brassicas early as they are mine, then broadcasting winter rye into them in early September will be fine because the brassicas have already been decimated.
This farm is also one where I wil be able to show you strip plotting and crop rotations and how they will work in anyones habitat program...better then planting single crop plots in different fields or attempting to throw a bunch of incompatiable seeds together all in one plot...
bowhuntr311
IowaWhitetail Addict
Anybody know how long it takes for purple top turnips to actually start producing the meat of the plant. Im at 6weeks and all of my plants look the same and I cant find 1 plant that has any sort of bulb. Or how long it takes for the leaves to start turn colors. Im starting to think my "turnips" maybe rape instead.
bowhuntr311
IowaWhitetail Addict
Hope so, I had LIGHT frost last two mornings.
dbltree
Super Moderator
September 1st and the deer have nearly decimated my brassica plots already, despite being planted side by side along clover, alfalfa, oats and peas! I watched them troop out the other night as I was planting cereal grains, oblivious to me a 100 yards away.
I caught this one greedily munching away as I drove out...
The exact same seed mix and fertilizer I put on a friends farm hasn't been touched yet but no such luck for me.
Because they have eaten away the canopy, there is some foxtail coming up so I sprayed that with clethodim and will broadcast some winter rye onto the now, nearly bare ground...
I caught this one greedily munching away as I drove out...
The exact same seed mix and fertilizer I put on a friends farm hasn't been touched yet but no such luck for me.
Because they have eaten away the canopy, there is some foxtail coming up so I sprayed that with clethodim and will broadcast some winter rye onto the now, nearly bare ground...
nannyslayer
New Member
You need to start feeding those poor things over there!! :grin: