S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
Purple Top Turnips
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??
ok I was worried it would make more of a mulch layer over everything and keep it from growingMine stay right where they fall. The deer will dig under them, and the plants will grow through them.
Are saying the Radishes are better than Turnips later in the season?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.
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???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.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.
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.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?
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 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.
I wiuld and clover, and then expieremnt with others laterNew 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 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.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??
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).Are saying the Radishes are better than Turnips later in the season?
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.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.
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.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??
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??