Deer eating my brassicas

[4wanderingeyes]

I just replanted my radish and turnips on July 15th. The plants are just putting on good top growth, and now the deer are hammering it. This is the same thing they did last year, they ate it to the ground before it had a chance to put on much bulb growth. I thought deer didn't like them until later fall, winter. It is about 3/4 acre, and there is a 3/4 acre clover field less then 50 yards away, I was hoping the clover would take the pressure off the radish and turnips this year, and allow bulbs to develop this year, it doesn't look like that will happen. I have another 3/4 acre plot about 100 yards away, that will be planted with grains over Labor Day, but by then I think the radish and turnips will be eaten to the ground.

Next year I may just give up on the radish and turnips, because they are gone before they need it. Unless I can come up with a plan to stay off of it to allow bulbs to develop. Maybe I will just plant grains on 2 plots, and do 2 crops of it, spring, and fall.

 

[Terrific_tom]

Do you have any other plots or are there any farm fields in the area to take some of the pressure of off your brassica plots? If not and they continue to wipe out your brassica plot it might be better to plant a grain mix of rye, wheat ,oats with a little clover in the mix. This will stand up to the constant browsing better than the brassicas.

 

[powdefinger]

they are eating mine too. I have clover and they are eating that too. i'll be planting an area equal to the brassicas w/ grains,peas, clover and diakons by early sept. I planted pacer, pasja, diakons,dwarf Essex and PPT in my brassica mix.
top dress your plot w/ N to help the regrowth. do it just before a rain if you can.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

During my first planting on July 5th, I put down 200 pounds of urea on this 3/4 acre plot, but on July 11th, we got a foot of rain, it washed most of the seed away, and I assume the fertilizer as well. I replanted July 15th, but I didnt put down new fertilizer, but it seemed to take off well without it. I was planning on adding another 100 pounds of urea on the Aug 20th weekend, but I dont know if there will be much left by then. I may have to just replant with winter rye, oats, and sunflower, which I am planting in a different 3/4 acre plot on labor day weekend.


Tom, I have 3 3/4 acre plots. There is one farmer in the area, and he does have beans planted this year. He is about a half mile away.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Either e-fence or use milorganite on future brassica plots if you don't want them used right away.

The efence is something I plan on looking into in the future, because this is also an apple tree plot with 10 apple trees in it. None have produced yet, but once they do the bear will destroy them if I dont protect them somehow.

 

[SmallChunk]

Try milorganite, it worked for my beans early this year!

 

[bbcoach]

Too many deer???? I've had this happen before. Planted in August and I had a beautiful plot of brassicas the middle of September. Checked the plot at the end of September and the deer had nipped the centers out of the entire plot. I fertilized really well and the brassicas bounced back luckily. If they are eating them to the ground you have 3 options, plant a bigger plot, surround what you have with a electric fence or kill more deer.

 

[WTNUT]

Some deer crave them and the only solution is more acreage planted in them or less deer. Good news is either is up to you.


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[4wanderingeyes]

Luckily I have had some good timely rains since a replanted. It looks like I also over seeded too heavy again this year. So it may not be a bad thing to let the deer thin some of it out. It has been growing really well. I will still plan on throwing more urea on it on the 20th weekend. The deer seem to just come there and stay there all day long and eat.

 

[wiscwhip]

Great point stu! "Standard" brassicas we plant for food plots like PPT, DER, daikon radish, etc. are not meant to be grazed to any extent at all and the improved types you mention are far more suited to this type of usage. I really liked the performance of T-Raptor on our sand, way more tonnage than we ever got from DER or dwarf Siberian kale.

 

[NWWI]

I have the same problem, the only way around it is an electric fence. You don't need a large deer population to wipe out a plot. This year I planted a small bean plot and put the electric fence around it. There is a huge browse line completely around the plot right up to the fence. Inside the fence I have 2' tall beans. Everything I plant they mow down. I have a couple resident does with a couple fawns and 3-4 bucks that pass through regularly. The does and fawns can be in the plots at any hour of the day. It's a social gathering place. The fence has helped.

 

[H20fwler]

I'm in a very heavy agricultural area and the deer don't seem to touch mine until the first little freeze then they are all over them.

 

[powdefinger]

I see your plot is in the woods. how many hours of sun does the plot receive? I noticed that the partially shady edge of my one plot was behind in growth. it caught up over time.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

It gets decent sun, not sure on the hours in a day. This plot was planted July 15th, and this picture was taken this morning. This is the east side of the plot, so it will be the shakiest part of the plot.

 

[powdefinger]

looks shady. did you do a soil test?

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Shady in the mornings, by 10 it's in pretty much full sun. I did a soil test last spring, new plot last spring, I just followed the same treatment as last year this spring. I also added the recommended amount of line. Last spring it was , 5.8.


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[broom_JM]

I've had the same problem with pure brassica stands...for whatever reason, some deer eat the tops right away and in other parts of the country, they hardly touch them at all. I would really like to grow bulbs that deer can eat during the winter, but my deer have no sense of deferred gratification! :)

 

[4wanderingeyes]

That is why I referred to them as "my brassicas" it will be theirs come November, but until then, there mine :)


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[powdefinger]

how do you prep your soil? plow,disc,etc?

 

[4wanderingeyes]

how do you prep your soil? plow,disc,etc?

It depends on what was planted in it prior, and what I am planting, and if I want to incorporate fertilizer in it as well. But it is one of two ways, either with a disc behind an atv, or a drag. I try not to go more then a couple inches, but I have a few spots where I have to run the disc across it several times, and it will dig down deeper.


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