I have a 4 acre plot that’s 1/2 brassica mix and 1/2 old clover plot. I’m surrounded by alfalfa, corn, and beans but the deer pile into the brassica plot every evening. I based off that, I would like to move all 4 acres to brassica. The prior 2 years I was able to frost seed clover into the dirt left from brassica but due to drought last year it has a lot of grass. What would you guys recommend to get ready for a late summer throw n mow of brassica? Thanks
How to prep for fall brassica
- Thread starter tbarile
- Start date
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
What growing zone are you in?
scott44
5 year old buck +
I plant my brassicas around the 4th of July by rolling down last years cereal grains, I broadcast into last years cereal grains roll it and spray it at the same time. I've had it look like way too much thatch on top of the seed but it has always turned out when we've got enough moisture, last year we had one of those years and I turned all my brassica plots into cereal grains in Sept. I believe throw and mow would work good this way too.
What they look like after rolled and sprayed.
Looking real spotty.
Turned out pretty good.
What they look like after rolled and sprayed.
Looking real spotty.
Turned out pretty good.
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yoderjac
5 year old buck +
The idea of having brassica in the whole 4 acres is great, but I don't like the idea of planting a 4 acre monoculture of brassica. I would plant the 4 acres in a mix that included brassica. Complementary plants support one another and will let you continue to plant brassica in the plot for many years without a big disease concern that you can get from planting a monoculture.
I would probably plant an annual clover this spring. Crimson works well in my area, I'm not sure if Berseem would be better in yours. It will bank N to support the brassica planted later. Consider a mix of 60-100 lbs/ac of Winter Rye, 10 lbs/ac of Crimson Clover, and 2-3 lbs/ac of brassica. I like PTT and GHR. The WR provides an early season attraction along with the Crimson. The PTT provides a later season attraction. In my area, the Crimson Clover will bounce back in the spring and provide a great food source.
Thanks,
Jack
I’m in 5b
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
I'd lean toward doing an annual clover. If hunting over i'd also plant it in 10 yard wide strips for easy ranging. Using TNM works great in my experience if the rain is even barely adequate. TNM your brassica in strips in early August. In early September TNM the strips in between into a cereal/pea/sunflower mix. Rotate the strips every year. I wouldn't bother spraying the strips between your brassica when you do your fall cereal mix. If any clover grows back it will feed deer and you wont risk killing your August planted brassicas.
My mix has a few forage brassicas, PTT, and GHR. Is that diverse enough?
are you suggesting to plant the WR, clover, and brassica mix in the spring?
I would prefer not to disc the field to plant clover. I’m in sandy soil and can usually spray, wait for all vegetation to burn up, spread seed, and roll and the clover does great. I’ve never done it in the spring though. Thoughts?
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
Do you fertilize your brassicas? Do you need clover for the green manure? All I do is mow a couple times then spray a couple times leading up to planting time. Works fine for me, but I also live close enough that it's easy to spread more seed if I didn't catch enough plants.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I'm not being clear. I'm suggesting annual clover in the spring to build N. I'm also suggesting that forage brassicas, PTT, and GHR are all brassica. Diversity means mixing other types of plants with your brassica or rotating strips as some suggest or both. I'm suggesting rather than using all brassica in the fall, mixing WR/CC/GHR/PTT for your fall plant. In addition to this approach avoiding the potential disease issues of planting brassica as a monoculture in the same plot every year, it makes the plot attractive for a longer span as each type plant peaks at different times.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
No need to disc, especially with sand. Spray, broadcast, and cultipack should work for both spring and fall plant.
scott44
5 year old buck +
Here's a pick of my strips, clover on the bottom then cereal gains then brassicas and out back is ceral grains. I rotate the cereal grains and brassicas every year and rotate the clover into the mix when it's looking thin (about 3yrs). I'm always planting brassicas into cereal grains which usually has the most thatch and in the spring I'll plant clover and oats into last years brassicas because it is usually dirt just broadcast and cultipack.
now I got you. Will the crimson clover come up in the spring so I wouldn’t have to do a spring planting next year?
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
For your zone MAYBE. If you plant it early enough and you get decent snow cover before the over night temps reach single digits you should be fine. I'm to far north to have it over winter so I don't plant it. Maybe someone else further south of me will weigh in.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Crimson Clover acts as a reseeding annual in my area (zone 7a) that may or may not be the case in 5b. I was not trying to suggest that my mix/rotation is exactly right for you. I was just trying to provide it as a starting point and the reason I use it. But in my area, you are correct I don't have to plant in the spring. However, I'm further south and trying to do QDM, and summer is probably a slightly stronger stress period than winter. So, for me, the Crimson Clover covers the early spring. I can then wait for the soil to warm up. I've been planting a mix of buckwheat and Sunn hemp for the summer. That is another option for your summer plant rather than an annual clover. Buckwheat is often called "green manure" and sunn hemp is a legume that can fix a lot of N into the soil. Sunn hemp grows very tall.
One of my foci is soil health. I have heavy clay but I'm minimizing tillage just like you with sand. Buckwheat/sunn hemp is a good summer rotation with the fall mix I suggested for building OM over time.
i was referencing the clover I would be planting with my brassicas. Does that make it through or do you still need to plant something again in the spring until you replant the brassica/wr etc in the late summer?
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
My response was in reference to Crimson Clover
swat1018
5 year old buck +
I think as far north as you are, I don't blame you for doing straight brassica. When they need them, they really go at them, more than you can get in a mix. I'd just do strips of clovers, rye, and brassica. I wouldn't overlook pumpkins/squash, been a pretty good addition for me.
Bill
Administrator
red and white clovers should make it through. I always add red and white clover to my brassicas. Clover won’t grow enough in the fall to compete and it comes on in the spring. I also add rye to my brassicas later in the fall so it doesn’t complete in the fall but nurses the clover in the spring and summer.
