1st plot..Have a 1/2 acre limed and ready..what to plant

[S.T.Fanatic]

Purple Top Turnips

 

[Bassattackr]

What would you recommend to substitute the Radishes for that will grow well with the Oats/Peas/Rye/Clover and will be of more value in January snow coverage??

I wouldn't recommend substituting anything out of this mix. The cereal rye is a great late winter source, even with snow coverage. JMO.

 

[driven2tri24]

Sounds like a good compromise to offer the PTT as a late season option vs the Daikon Radish. I presume I will still use the LC formula's Radish spec of 5# per acre for the PTT??
Next question is should I still include the Crimson/Berseem/Balans/Arrowleaf Clover with it or would it be better off in the un-limed Rye plot??

 

[jsasker007]

My deer love turnips too much. Radishes get planted about 3x the recommended rate here so that I still have some at the end of the year. Radishes get eaten the whole life cycle of the plant where the turnips don't get touched until a frost and then they are demolished. If they are gone before hunting season they do me no good as an attractant.

 

[PatinPA]

Mine stay right where they fall. The deer will dig under them, and the plants will grow through them.

ok I was worried it would make more of a mulch layer over everything and keep it from growing

 

[driven2tri24]

My deer love turnips too much. Radishes get planted about 3x the recommended rate here so that I still have some at the end of the year. Radishes get eaten the whole life cycle of the plant where the turnips don't get touched until a frost and then they are demolished. If they are gone before hunting season they do me no good as an attractant.

Are saying the Radishes are better than Turnips later in the season?

 

[Early Bird]

Since it is a first year plot, and if your intent is to plant the full acre. I would lime the other half of the plot asap. I believe you said you already have the seed so why not plant it as planned. If it doesn't work as well as you would like you can always save the plot with rye. I do a similar mix Brassica/cereal grains. I would plant the brassica at about 1/2 rate and add extra radishes as they tend to grow better on marginal soil and the deer tend to like them better than other brassicas. The other half, do what you were going to do and there is no problem adding more rye/ layering, as I do that almost every year to fill sparse or bare spots in both the brassicas and the cereal grain side. You will have a very good food plot one way on another.

 

[driven2tri24]

Since it is a first year plot, and if your intent is to plant the full acre. I would lime the other half of the plot asap. I believe you said you already have the seed so why not plant it as planned. If it doesn't work as well as you would like you can always save the plot with rye. I do a similar mix Brassica/cereal grains. I would plant the brassica at about 1/2 rate and add extra radishes as they tend to grow better on marginal soil and the deer tend to like them better than other brassicas. The other half, do what you were going to do and there is no problem adding more rye/ layering, as I do that almost every year to fill sparse or bare spots in both the brassicas and the cereal grain side. You will have a very good food plot one way on another.

Liming the other half would be easiest for the spreader if I were to mow it first...so I'm guessing I should wait to lime until 9/1 when I Spray & Broadcast Rye/Clover, Mow then spread Lime > then run over it with a lawn roller and pray for rain???

As far as the limed half..Am I better off like I originally planned with .25 acre of Brassicas(Winfred Brassica, Rape, Kale, Turnips,) & .25 acre in LC Cereal Mix (Oats/Peas/Rye/Radish/Clover) or am I better off planting this whole half in in the LC Cereal Mix alone and plant the Brassicas next season??

 

[driven2tri24]

Since it is a first year plot, and if your intent is to plant the full acre. I would lime the other half of the plot asap. I believe you said you already have the seed so why not plant it as planned. If it doesn't work as well as you would like you can always save the plot with rye. I do a similar mix Brassica/cereal grains. I would plant the brassica at about 1/2 rate and add extra radishes as they tend to grow better on marginal soil and the deer tend to like them better than other brassicas. The other half, do what you were going to do and there is no problem adding more rye/ layering, as I do that almost every year to fill sparse or bare spots in both the brassicas and the cereal grain side. You will have a very good food plot one way on another.

This sounds like a good plan. I picked up some PTT yesterday to substitute the Radish in the Cereal grain mix and can use it with the Brassicas as you've suggested to attract them into it.
The rate of seed for the Brassicas is supposed to be 6-8# per acre and the Radish is 10-12# per acre...so what would you use for each? 3-4# Brassica mix and how much Radish?

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

This sounds like a good plan. I picked up some PTT yesterday to substitute the Radish in the Cereal grain mix and can use it with the Brassicas as you've suggested to attract them into it.
The rate of seed for the Brassicas is supposed to be 6-8# per acre and the Radish is 10-12# per acre...so what would you use for each? 3-4# Brassica mix and how much Radish?

I don't plant anywhere near that rate. I shoot for about 4-5# of total seed with turnips and radish. If you plant them to heavy the growth will be stunted. Plus if you are going to over seed the plot with rye later you want some room for the rye.

 

[driven2tri24]

I don't plant anywhere near that rate. I shoot for about 4-5# of total seed with turnips and radish. If you plant them to heavy the growth will be stunted. Plus if you are going to over seed the plot with rye later you want some room for the rye.

So for .25 acre I would want like .5# of each (Brassica mix & Radish) planted together for a 50/50 split?? Or should I do less Radish than half of it??

 

[DeerHunter1]

New guy here... Have read lots of good info on here...
Live in NE Ohio with just under an acre available to me for a food plotting (an hayfield) surrounded by woods with several large soybean and corn fields nearby. Hunting pressure HIGH and baiting with corn piles /feeders along everyone's back property line is the norm. The deer become nocturnal in response and only smaller deer are seen during daylight until hunting pressure lets up as the temperature drops and so does most people's motivation.
I've ran a soil test (PH was 4.9) and limed only 1/2 acre with 1600# of pell lime. Sprayed, mowed, and drag harrowed it. After reading lots on here and other sites, I planned (and purchased)on running a 1/4 ac of LC mix Brassicas and 1/4 ac of LC mix Cereal grains and layer in WR. Now that plant time for the Brassicas is here, I'm thinking of skipping them and just going with cereal mix for all of the 1/2 acre.
With my late season hunting being so good for chances on nice Bucks...I hate to make the wrong move and have nothing to attract them in January.
My 1st question :
For those of you who who run Rye up North, is How attractive is Rye in Jan if it's seeded as late as possible??
My 2nd question:
Should I stick to my original plan with 1/4 acre of each , just 1/2 acre of one?
If 1/2 acre is too small to work with, I could try my hand with a Throw and Mow /Roll on the other 1/2 acre if I got busy today??

I wiuld and clover, and then expieremnt with others later

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

So for .25 acre I would want like .5# of each (Brassica mix & Radish) planted together for a 50/50 split?? Or should I do less Radish than half of it??

I cant give you the answer your looking for. If the plot is only 1/4 acre i'd up the rate a bit just to ensure it doesn't get wiped out to early. This however will all depend on your deer numbers and what there is for ag crops within a 1 mile radius of your planting. If your plot does get mowed to the ground it isn't a problem though. You can always go back in and rescue it with winter wheat or winter rye.

If I only had 1 plot that was 1/4 acre and I was using it for bow season attraction I would go 100% radish and leave out the turnips. This is based off of what the deer in my area have taught me over the past 15 years of plotting. Your results may be entirely different.

This is the start of the marathon for you. It is going to take years of experimenting to find out what works best for YOU in YOUR area. The best anyone on here can do is offer advice. Some of it will slow the curve and some of it will be off for your situation. One thing to keep in mind is none of us can control the weather. You may do everything right and your plots fail for weather related reasons. (happened to a lot of people last year and will again for some this year)

Keep a journal with detailed notes and don't give up on one particular planting if it doesn't work out for you the first time around. DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL!!!! In the end you will only be able to get the results that the soil and weather allows. Soil test, amend the soil early on with fertilizer, some nutrients can be "banked" others can not. A good percent of the fertilizer that gets applied isn't even plant available. Rely heavily on "cover crops" to do the grunt work for you and make those nutrients available for the next seasons planting.

Good Luck and have fun.

 

[Tree Spud]

This thread is the classic example of overthinking and turning the simple into the complex.

Broadcast your brassicas, radishes, & clover now ... overseed with WR in early September.

Forget the peas, on a 1/2 acre they will never make it.

 

[jsasker007]

Are saying the Radishes are better than Turnips later in the season?

Where I'm at the turnips are completely gone because the deer like them too much and I don't have enough area to plant enough that they won't get wiped out( I planted 5 acres and it wasn't enough). Turnips can be in the mix but I can't count on them feeding my deer very long. Rye,clover,winter peas,winter wheat are all better options where I live. I focus more on things that will feed deer all year long over things to just draw deer for hunting season. Corn is great but I'm not a farmer( weeds don't bother me much).

 

[driven2tri24]

This thread is the classic example of overthinking and turning the simple into the complex.

Broadcast your brassicas, radishes, & clover now ... overseed with WR in early September.

Forget the peas, on a 1/2 acre they will never make it.

Ok. Thanks everyone for all your opinions..I'll get the Brassica/Radishes in tomorrow as we are expecting rain Sunday. As said if they wipe them out as well as the Peas/Oats, I can always over-seed with Rye. When Labor day comes I'll plant the other 1/4 in the LC Cereal Mix with Turnips instead of Radishes and also TnM the other 1/2 acre in Rye/Clover mix.

 

[driven2tri24]

Got the Brassicas in yesterday. Added 33 percent Radish to the mix. Got about an inch of rain last night. I went on the light seeding rate and plan to fill in the bare spots labor day when I plant my Cereal grains.
Given I plan on doing a whole half acre in Rye(currently un-limed section)...Can I fill in any bare areas in the Brassicas with Oats or does it have to be Rye??

 

[PatinPA]

Got the Brassicas in yesterday. Added 33 percent Radish to the mix. Got about an inch of rain last night. I went on the light seeding rate and plan to fill in the bare spots labor day when I plant my Cereal grains.
Given I plan on doing a whole half acre in Rye(currently un-limed section)...Can I fill in any bare areas in the Brassicas with Oats or does it have to be Rye??

You can fill in the bare areas with whatever you'd like to. I'd try the brassicas or oats early. Rye you can usually broadcast into the end of september and still get growth. Try something. If it works take note of it. If it doesn't try something new next year. I'm trying my 5th mix in 5 years this year. It takes time but it's fun. If I had it to do over, I'd keep a journal with what I planted at what time and notes on how it did.

 

[Bassattackr]

Given I plan on doing a whole half acre in Rye(currently un-limed section)...Can I fill in any bare areas in the Brassicas with Oats or does it have to be Rye??

Any cereal grain is fine with that planting date. Oats, wheat, rye, triticale, barley, etc..

 

[driven2tri24]

I’ve been keeping a journal so far. Today I went out and the landowner brush-hogged the un-limed 1/2 acre and said he was clearing an area for the Grandkid to ride his 4 wheeler when he comes over. So after some discussion we decided to plant it in Rye/Clover anyways and if the grandson rides on it, then no big deal to me because whatever survives will still be better than the weeds that were there…
Besides. I highly doubt he will even ride on it more than once like last year..