Fall Brassica Mix Planning

[southboundfishing]

Wanted to get some feedback on the below fall mix rate. We're located in the lowcountry of sc.

I have a large and small seed box on my drill so we're going to create our own brassica mix.

Below are PLS numbers
Oats - 80 lbs p/a
Diakon Radish - 6 lb p/a
Rape - 5 lb p/a
PT Turnips - 1 lb p/a

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

 

[Wild Thing]

Where are you located southboundfishin?

You do not want to plant any cereal grains with your brassica mix. It is good to broadcast some cereal rye over the brassicas 4-5 weeks after they germinate but not before then. In my experience, oats do not germinate well when broadcasted on the surface. They really need to be covered with soil for best germination. Rye will germinate well - particularly if you broadcast it just prior to a ran event.

I would encourage you to include 3-4#/acre of clover with your brassica mix so you have something other than bare soil in the spring. Clovers will not hamper your brassica planting this year at all but they will provide early spring and summer forage next year after the brassicas are long gone. This is my experience in Upper Michigan - Zone 4a.

I definitely would not want to plant the brassicas any heavier than you are suggesting and you might even consider planting at a lower rate. It is better to underseed brassicas rather than overseeding. Too many plants result in stunted plants with small bulbs. John Komp from NorthwoodsWhitetailSeeds recommends no more than 6#/acre total for brassica seeding. I am leaning towards reducing my seeding rate this year with a goal of producing bigger radish and turnip bulbs.

I would also suggest planting maybe 3#/acre turnips and only 1 or 2#/acre Rape, and no more than 5#/acre radish. Less is more when it comes to brassicas.

Check out the video on planting brassicas for some good info:

Instructions

Edit: I just saw where you said you are in S.C. I have no experience in planting other than in Michigan so someone from your area may have better recommendations. Best of luck with the no-till drill.

 

[Wild Thing]

Not trying to hijack your thread here southboundfishin, but another forum member asked me a question about my success using seed from Northwoods Whitetails seed I linked above.

I can not figure out how to post photos from the Conversation page on this forum so I will post them here. P.S. I have purchased seed from John at Northwoods twice and I have met him in person once but I am not affiliated with his business in any way. I just like his seed (and John, as well).

Here was my reply to Jerry who raised the question:

Hi Jerry - I have been mixing my own brassica blends and cover crop mixes for many years and I still do. That being said, I have used some of John's seed in the past and I had very good success with them. He lives not too far away from me in the next county over. I stopped in and chatted with him one day many years ago when he was just a small operation operating out of his garage. He has grown by leaps and bounds since then.

John's brassica mix grew to the largest sized radish and turnips I have ever grown. I did have them inside an E-Fence so that may have helped but still...they grew bigger than anything before or since.

I can not figure out how to post photos on this Conversation page on this forum. I have no trouble posting them in other forums or in the regular forum here. I will go back to the thread in the food plot forum and post some pics for you there.

And yes, it was the Sweet Feast Brassica blend.

Frank

I planted (drilled) this at about 6#/acre just as suggested in the instructions.








I planted the Northwoods Cave In Rock switchgrass at 8 1/2#/acre




If I wasn't mixing my own seed blends I would be buying the Sweet Feast Brassica mix from Northwoods Whitetails.

Sweet Feast Brassica BlendRated 5.00 out of 5 24.95$

 

[BenAllgood]

I would back off on the amount of oats. Your mix is similar to what I have going in this year:
A PLS per acre planting rate of 10 lbs crimson, 4 lbs balansa, 1 lb turnip, 2 lbs radish, and 30 lbs wheat or oats (absolutely no more than 40 lbs).

 

[TenPoint]

I tried oats w/ brassicas once before. Never again. I add clover to them now if I'm going to add anything. I can get crimson clover to survive winter up here (4a) and it feeds them next spring too. If I wasn't rotating every year I'd throw in medium red or something perennial but no need too.

 

[Wild Thing]

I tried oats w/ brassicas once before. Never again. I add clover to them now if I'm going to add anything. I can get crimson clover to survive winter up here (4a) and it feeds them next spring too. If I wasn't rotating every year I'd throw in medium red or something perennial but no need too.

X2 TenPoint. I have never included any type of cereal grain in with my brassica mix. I do broadcast rye over the top of the brassicas 4-5 weeks after they germinate but I would never include them at planting. Perhaps things are different down south? I am also in Zone 4a.

I also include some clovers in my brassica mix, and this year for the first time, I am going to mix in some Chicory - maybe 0.5 - 1.0 #/acre.

 

[TenPoint]

X2 TenPoint. I have never included any type of cereal grain in with my brassica mix. I do broadcast rye over the top of the brassicas 4-5 weeks after they germinate but I would never include them at planting. Perhaps things are different down south? I am also in Zone 4a.

I also include some clovers in my brassica mix, and this year for the first time, I am going to mix in some Chicory - maybe 0.5 - 1.0 #/acre.

It's just way too early for those (oats) to be planted. Clovers have paired really nicely with brassicas for me. I should throw some WR at them in September sometime. Perfect spring comeback w/ the clover.

 

[Foggy47]

I'm on-board with WT and Ten Point on the grains and clover. Planting a few varieties of Brassicas, two varieties of clover, and some chicory tommorow. Will broadcast rye into the brassica late August or September when a rain looks possible. The rye will also feed deer in fall.....and again first green-up in spring.....along with the clover. I use medium red clover and a ladino white (Alice) as I am in zone 3 and it's too tuff to over-winter annual clovers. My deer love clover all spring and summer long.