Whats your go to brassica mix

[TenPoint]

If you want a pre-mix bag of seed, consider Welters Big Buck Brassica mix. It is $2.50/lb and has a good mix of PTT, GHR, DER, & Pasja Hybrid Brassica.

I looked up Shot Plot ... it is between $6.50-$8/lb

Big Buck Brassica Mix

Welters is great but the shipping on anything less than their shipping deal (25 or 50 lbs, can’t remember) ups the price to where I’ll just go to the local coop and pay a higher price for the same stuff. It’s pretty much even in the end unless you’re planting several acres.

 

[dogghr]

DER, Daikon/Groundhog forage radish, PTT, rape. Then overseed late Oct with WR and RC or just mix it all in at the time depending my mood.
I have used WI brassica mix and like it.

 

[Tree Spud]

Welters is great but the shipping on anything less than their shipping deal (25 or 50 lbs, can’t remember) ups the price to where I’ll just go to the local coop and pay a higher price for the same stuff. It’s pretty much even in the end unless you’re planting several acres.

If you can buy from your local co-op, great! Good local resource, fresh turn over of seed, and they will accommodate your needs.

I buy over 500 lbs plus of seed every year so freight costs are important with the freight cost savings they provide. Probaly 200 lbs plus from them.

Welter's is are also AG focused so you know you are getting fresh seed, unlike the BOB's who are 3rd or 4th party re-packager's of seed.

 

[djw195]

Wow, incredible responses.

Welters looks like a really good price, but the shipping adds up. However, Ive gotten clover from there and could just stock up on everything but not 50lb worth.

I'm looking for a blend that includes radish for early season, winfred for later, and some diversity for good measure. I'm lookin at prIke time brassica from deer creek because it includes the above, is local for pick up, and is only $25 for 5 lb to do about 1 acre. That's a pretty fair price.

I will plant brassicas the end of July, then overseed with 100lb per acre WR and 50lb per acre WW to fill in the gaps, hoping for that great draw during October and November in SW WI.

 

[Tree Spud]

I saw a video with Jeff Sturgis where he talked about the brassica blend he buys and how he likes it because it has no DER. Evidently he’s not a fan of it. Not sure why.

You just heard from 10-12 very experienced hunting/ habitat resources here who find value in DER.

I don't normally add DER to my mix as the deer eat it too fast, no long term food value. It consumes growth resources from other more important brassicas. That is why I do red clover instead.

I guess if Jeff Sturgis had a promotional contract with a BOB company where here can profit from DER, he would be more favorable ...

 

[DIY]

You just heard from 10-12 very experienced hunting/ habitat resources here who find value in DER.

I don't normally add DER to my mix as the deer eat it too fast, no long term food value. It consumes growth resources from other more important brassicas. That is why I do red clover instead.

I guess if Jeff Sturgis had a promotional contract with a BOB company where here can profit from DER, he would be more favorable ...

I found Jeff's explanation for hating on DER....it's just cheap filler!

Brassica Blend
-My favorite brassica blend is available through Northwoods Whitetails, Inc., but regardless of what you use, the lower the % of Dwarf Essox Rape (DER), the better. DER is a cheap, low volume filler and the majority of high quality commercially produced brassica blends do not include DER. Variety is key! 5-7 seed varieties of rape, turnips and radishes is needed to create the highest level of attraction and use. After determining the appropriate window for your brassica planting, choose the 1/2 of your plot you want to grow the brassica base and make sure to plant before an expected rain event.

https://www.whitetailhabitatsolutions.com/blog/best-2016-food-plot-mix

 

[djw195]

Yes I've seen Jeff Sturgis make comments about DER. He's right, it's generally cheaper, but I don't see that as a bad thing, and we're just talking about feeding deer not livestock.

I might add in red clover, I like that idea. It should grow at a slightly slower pace than the brassicas and will unlikely detract from them.

I'll get some pics up of my efforts, I saw a brassica trials thread on another forum, I might start that here. Good luck to all and post yout brassica pics this year.

 

[Tree Spud]

Yes I've seen Jeff Sturgis make comments about DER. He's right, it's generally cheaper, but I don't see that as a bad thing, and we're just talking about feeding deer not livestock.

I might add in red clover, I like that idea. It should grow at a slightly slower pace than the brassicas and will unlikely detract from them.

I'll get some pics up of my efforts, I saw a brassica trials thread on another forum, I might start that here. Good luck to all and post yout brassica pics this year.

The nice thing about red clover is that it will green up in the spring. If you also over seed with winter rye in Sept, both will provide fresh green food source when does & fawns need it in early spring.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I gave up on DER. The deer on our place don't touch it. I tried Kale last year and had a little better results. They basically just ate the stalks after everything else in the plot was eaten come late winter. This year I spring planted Kale in a warm season mix.

 

[djw195]

The nice thing about red clover is that it will green up in the spring. If you also over seed with winter rye in Sept, both will provide fresh green food source when does & fawns need it in early spring.

Yeah luckily I have about 5 lb of RC laying around from spring, so I've got what I need. Plus it's pretty cheap diversity.

 

[djw195]

I gave up on DER. The deer on our place don't touch it. I tried Kale last year and had a little better results. They basically just ate the stalks after everything else in the plot was eaten come late winter. This year I spring planted Kale in a warm season mix.

Great to know, I'm definitely interested in what people are seeing for deer use, time of year and conditions of the use, and their location. I think it could help a lot of us narrow in on seed blends that are most effective.

The one brassica I know gets hit well by me in SW WI is radish. The seem to really hit it through October, and it's pretty much done by early November. Turnips don't seem too big of a draw but all the tops from any brassica I plant gets eaten, so maybe it doesn't matter.

My biggest strategy is keeping attractive food through November which is a big struggle. WR helps me out but isn't a very powerful draw in my experience.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

The best planting for November (if the deer dont eat it before mature) is soybeans over seeded with a corn cover crop around Nov. 1. Plant your corn cover crop at about 500-1000# per acre by hand broadcasting into the standing bean field. Depending on your deer numbers though you prob wont get much for germination. The deer will more than likely eat all your seed first. Bastards

 

[Boll Weevil]

Gave up on daikon radish...my deer won't touch'em. Straight purple top turnips to feed family/friends and the deer.

 

[djw195]

The best planting for November (if the deer dont eat it before mature) is soybeans over seeded with a corn cover crop around Nov. 1. Plant your corn cover crop at about 500-1000# per acre by hand broadcasting into the standing bean field. Depending on your deer numbers though you prob wont get much for germination. The deer will more than likely eat all your seed first. Bastards

Very unique approach, do you see heavy browsing on small corn plants when planted that late? If yes, I may have to play with that idea down the road. Birds and deer may wipe out any germination chances, however.

The one thing that I've considered a lot in my planting is the opportunity cost of plantings over another. For example, let's say all you have is 1/2 acre of food space. Depending on deer density and such, maximizing tonnage will be super important and will likely rule out some plant types. Brassicas produce decent tonnage and some can withstand grazing, so I think they're a pretty good option too consider from that standpoint. Plus they're fairly cheap.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Very unique approach, do you see heavy browsing on small corn plants when planted that late? If yes, I may have to play with that idea down the road. Birds and deer may wipe out any germination chances, however.

It was a joke geared toward baiting and not plotting thus the high seed rate

 

[Tree Spud]

It was a joke geared toward baiting and not plotting thus the high seed rate

Yes, "over seeding" with 500 - 1000 # of corn per acre ...

 

[djw195]

Yes, "over seeding" with 500 - 1000 # of corn per acre ...

Haha makes sense. It sure did have me scratching my head.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

My camp orders enough seed from Welter's to hit 50 lbs. so we get the discount on shipping. Our local ag co-op doesn't carry all the stuff Welter's does, so we stick with them. Good price / good products. We get our WR, oats, buckwheat, & WW locally.

 

[eclipseman]

I found Jeff's explanation for hating on DER....it's just cheap filler!

Brassica Blend
-My favorite brassica blend is available through Northwoods Whitetails, Inc., but regardless of what you use, the lower the % of Dwarf Essox Rape (DER), the better. DER is a cheap, low volume filler and the majority of high quality commercially produced brassica blends do not include DER. Variety is key! 5-7 seed varieties of rape, turnips and radishes is needed to create the highest level of attraction and use. After determining the appropriate window for your brassica planting, choose the 1/2 of your plot you want to grow the brassica base and make sure to plant before an expected rain event.

https://www.whitetailhabitatsolutions.com/blog/best-2016-food-plot-mix

for me he is 100% WRONG. My deer absolutely HAMMER the rape first. I mean I plant early august and they are eating the rape all through September. Then they start hitting the PTT and Radish after. the only reason I don't do a pure rape stand is PTT give them bulbs to eat through winter and the ground hog radish is great for the soils.

 

[DIY]

I found Jeff's explanation for hating on DER....it's just cheap filler!

Brassica Blend
-My favorite brassica blend is available through Northwoods Whitetails, Inc., but regardless of what you use, the lower the % of Dwarf Essox Rape (DER), the better. DER is a cheap, low volume filler and the majority of high quality commercially produced brassica blends do not include DER. Variety is key! 5-7 seed varieties of rape, turnips and radishes is needed to create the highest level of attraction and use. After determining the appropriate window for your brassica planting, choose the 1/2 of your plot you want to grow the brassica base and make sure to plant before an expected rain event.

https://www.whitetailhabitatsolutions.com/blog/best-2016-food-plot-mix

for me he is 100% WRONG. My deer absolutely HAMMER the rape first. I mean I plant early august and they are eating the rape all through September. Then they start hitting the PTT and Radish after. the only reason I don't do a pure rape stand is PTT give them bulbs to eat through winter and the ground hog radish is great for the soils.

Note that he’s not saying to avoid the use of rape in a brassica mix. His beef is specifically with the Dwarf Essex variety, and he’s suggesting that food plotters avoid it in favor of other rape varieties.

I thought it was interesting because I’ve seen many people write about using DER in their fall plots and then I saw him refer to it as cheap filler seed like many people refer to rye grass. I was quite surprised by that.

I’ve been using Athena rape seed, which I believe is the same or similar to DER, so it’s probably not Sturgis-compliant.