How many pounds of brassica seed?

[Prairie Acres]

I'm planting about 1.5 acres of brassica this year. This is the blend I'm considering:

20% Turnip
20% Rape
20% Kale
20% Forage Brassica
20% Radish

The seed company recommends 9lbs per acre. That rate seems a little high. They sell 3,6 & 9 pound bags. 9 pounds is $55. I'm not so concerned about the cost I just know you can plant brassicas too thick and stunt their growth. Could I plant my 1.5 acres with 9 pounds? I'm broadcasting the seed. How many pounds of this seed would you order for 1.5 acres?

Also, I thought about adding clover to this blend. If I did how many pounds should I add?

 

[RGrizzzz]

If you're broadcasting 9lbs/acre seems about right to me.

What kind of clover? Where are you located?

 

[T-Max]

I just planted .75 acres with 2 lbs of turnips, 2 lbs of forage rape and 3 pounds of tillage radish so that’s 9.33 lbs/acre and I think I’ve had good success in the past.


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[Foggy47]

I just did a similar mix on Monday. I put down 7 # / acre with my drill. I think I was pretty light....but I usually over populate brassica.....so....what do I know?

 

[Prairie Acres]

What kind of clover? Where are you located?

The seed company I'm buying from sells the following in 3-5 pounds, so I could choose from these...
Balansa Clover
White Dutch Clover
Ladino White Clover
Alsike Clover
Medium Red Clover
Crimson Clover
Frosty Berseem Clover

Southwest Wisconsin.

 

[swat1018]

I just bought a 50# bag of radish for $60. Your place is high!

 

[Prairie Acres]

I just bought a 50# bag of radish for $60. Your place is high!

Sounds like you got a great deal! But I'm not looking to plant straight radish and I don't need that much seed.

 

[T-Max]

The seed company I'm buying from sells the following in 3-5 pounds, so I could choose from these...
Balansa Clover
White Dutch Clover
Ladino White Clover
Alsike Clover
Medium Red Clover
Crimson Clover
Frosty Berseem Clover

Southwest Wisconsin.

I don’t know all those, but ladino is like 500k seeds per pound while MRC is 150k-ish? Big variability in planting rate to get the populations right. I’ll let the pros chime in, but a few pounds of MRC wouldn’t scare me on a plot like that. I’m not a northern guy though.


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[Jerry-B-WI]

Six pounds per acre is recommended by Northwoodswhitetails. That was the rate I used and it was perfect.

 

[bigboreblr]

While those are cosnidered small seeds. Some of those seeds are like 4 times the volume of another.

I have never done a full rootcrop / brassica plot alone. I always mix with clovers, peas, and grains. However, I an quite surprised 1 lb / acre of those small seeds can do.

Whats the plan for next year? Some clovers run out of the gate fast, others need to establish roots before putting mass on. Red clovers in general grow faster than white clovers. I'd put 4 or 5 lbs of red if wanting a bit of variety to the plot. If hoping clover show us strong in the spring 8-10 lbs of ladino.

Need a spring crop? Broadcasting oats in the spring if the clovers isn't what you expected.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

When I planted brassicas two years ago and this year I threw in some chicory.

 

[Brian662]

Like most things- it depends.
Depends on planting methods, soil conditions, seed selection, etc.

The best brassica mix for my money is NW Whitetails and they recommend 6#/acre. Jon Komp will also tell you to up that rate a few # for broadcasting or heavy thatch. I think the recommended numbers are for a prepared seed bed or drilled rate.

As for the clovers, I wouldn't go more than half rate for annuals. Me personally, I would not try to establish slower growing perennial clovers in brassicas because the potential for them to be canopied over and killed by shade is too high. You can try frost seeding the perennials in March if you desire.

 

[Stubborn1VT]

I lean toward 5-6lbs an acre for brassicas. At that rate, your 9lbs would plant your 1.5 acres.
I would also put down at least 6lbs an acre for a clover mix.

I'm doing a .50 acre strip of brassicas and adding red, alsike and ladino clovers. I believe the clovers will establish fine. I will frost seed more clover in the early spring and hopefully leave that strip in clover for 3 years.

 

[swat1018]

Sounds like you got a great deal! But I'm not looking to plant straight radish and I don't need that much seed.

I don't either. I also bought 25# of PTT for $30.

 

[farmlegend]

FWIW - I don't believe I've ever seen brassicas UNDERplanted. With good prep and growing conditions, you can get great results with amazingly low seeding rates.

 

[Maddog66]

This ‘various’ brassica strip was planted at 3#/acre after discing lightly, surface broadcasting, and cultipacking. I add about 7# per acre of various clovers….totaling 10# per acre of seed. Not including the chicory.

I hit it once with a 50# bag of triple 19 when the brassicas reach about 4” tall and it’s a turnip jungle every year.

I started doing this with 6+# of brassica seed and it smothered out the clover. Not everywhere but it was patchy the following spring.

With 3# I get great clover every time. Plus plenty of nice turnips and daikons.

 

[Foggy47]

Drilled my brassica about 9 days ago....and took a pic today. Put down 6.5 lbs / acre.....and I got about 3.5 acres. Weather has been near perfect. I saw some better plots...but only snapped one pic. Nice, even rows for the most part.

 

[swat1018]

Drilled my brassica about 9 days ago....and took a pic today. Put down 6.5 lbs / acre.....and I got about 3.5 acres. Weather has been near perfect. I saw some better plots...but only snapped one pic. Nice, even rows for the most part.
View attachment 80906

What were your settings? I planted mine a week ago, but am not there to see what's going on.

 

[Foggy47]

What were your settings? I planted mine a week ago, but am not there to see what's going on.

Dont remember exactly.....but I think I had the small seed box at about 40 ? I used the data for alfalfa....and calibrated using that number....then tweaked it just a bit and let 'er rip. It came out real close to 6.5 lbs / acre. My best guess is that I have 3.5 acres planted in total of a mix of brassica that is sold by Welter Seed. PTT / DER / GHR/ Forage Brasicas.

I keep a page of setting used in the drill and keep that in a ring binder. Hard to remember such stuff from year to year.....or sometimes even a day later.....lol.

My disk openers were not too deep.....and the seed was dropped behind the seed trench into the disturbed soil and packed by the wheels. Soil was damp....not much depth needed. Great rainfalls since then. Golden.

 

[Foggy47]

I'm going broadcast into the brassica a mix of 5 lbs Medium Red and 2 lbs Ladino Clover and about 75 lbs /a of winter rye in early September.

I think I will need to do two passes as the rye and clover can't be blended into a mix very well. Next spring I am hoping the rye and clover will come back in spades.

This should give my brassica a running head start to outcompete the clover which wont get much sun. I think the rye will do fine....not sure about the clover with all the canopy I should have at that point.

I think this plan should work. I don't get back from AZ until mid May....so I gotta plan next year in fall.