How much fertilizer do you put on your brassicas.
- Thread starter WTNUT
- Start date
Mibowhunter91
A good 3 year old buck
I'd like to hear what everyone else does as well I didn't get a chance to do any last year and I paid for it the growth wasn't as good as years we spread nitrogen (46-0-0) about a month after planting 2 years ago I think it was like 150 pounds per acer we spread and they jumped like crazy best top growth we ever had and also the first year the deer really hammered the purple tops late season
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Someday isle
5 year old buck +
Great question. I'll be following along.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I'm with Mikmaze...
For the most part, I avoid monocultures. I'll use turnips as part of a cover crop including WR and CC surface broadcast into soybeans. I fertilize to meet the P and K requirements of the beans based on soil tests in the spring and add nothing else in the fall.
I also like to drill GHR into perennial clover that is dormant or suppressed (by glyphosate or low mowing) in the fall. Again, I don't add any fertilizer.
Thanks,
Jack
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
4-5 five gal. buckets of 46-0-0 when I till just before broadcasting. This year my brassicas are a throw and mow so I'm going to wait until I see some decent germination and rain is likely before fertilizing. I'm not sure on weight but a 5 gal bucket of urea runs me $5 at the local co-op. As my food plotting continues to evolve and I find out what the best rotation/cover crop is for me I will also be letting the plants do it for me.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I aimed for about 140 pounds total. About 50 pounds per acre at planting, in a 19-19-19 mix, then at 3 weeks another 90 pounds. They grew like mad, and the deer having been in there eating the tops since I planted them. 2 years ago I only added some at planting, but they never kept up to the deer eating them. With adding 90 pounds more 3 weeks later they are staying way ahead.
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mikmaze
5 year old buck +
we are all pretty smart here, but I'll toss this in just in case....... when we talk fert, I see folks using tripple 19, 46 0 0........ when it all comes down to it, we should keep in mind the content of what we are using, those numbers mean something, and it is easy to forget and just go at a bags per acre, but in reality, there is a big difference. lets say you have 20 20 20, and want 40 lbs of N per acre..... it is way to easy to grab 2 50 lb bags and think you are doing it right. but that is only half of what you are trying to apply, 100 lbs of 20 20 20 only adds 20 lbs N to the plot, you would need 4 bags. if I am babbling, let me know, otherwise, just trying to help.
bueller
Moderator
1/2 acre plots and 50lb bags make it easy. Each bag gives the full credit. Example a 50lb bag of 17-17-17 spread over a 1/2 acre gives 17 N credits, 17 P credits, and 17 K credits.
Someday isle
5 year old buck +
For a relative newbie with new plots amending my soils is a priority right now. It seems to me there's no substitute for a good soil test and then using one of the many available online calculators to find the right amounts to add.
With regard to the OPs question though I think the advice of others experience is a great question to ask. I know I learn a lot from all of these responses. It helps me feel like my guesswork is at least educated guesswork.
With regard to the OPs question though I think the advice of others experience is a great question to ask. I know I learn a lot from all of these responses. It helps me feel like my guesswork is at least educated guesswork.
WTNUT
5 year old buck +
Let me throw a hat in and let you know what I have done in the past. When I have drilled brassicas into a clover plot, I have used 100 pounds of urea and 200 pounds of 6-24-24. That gives me 58 pounds of nitrogen and 48 pounds of Potash and Phosphorus.
When I have done a pure brassica plot, I use 200 pounds of urea and 100 pounds of 6-24-24. That is 98 pounds of nitrogen and 24 pounds of Potash and Phosphorus.
When I have broadcast into standing beans I add 100 pounds of urea and that is it.
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When I have done a pure brassica plot, I use 200 pounds of urea and 100 pounds of 6-24-24. That is 98 pounds of nitrogen and 24 pounds of Potash and Phosphorus.
When I have broadcast into standing beans I add 100 pounds of urea and that is it.
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FarmerDan
5 year old buck +
I kinda go at it differently. I don't fertilize the crop. When I do use fertilizer it's because my soil reserves of P & K need a boost. Now, what that means to you might be different than what it does for me. It also depends on the soil you have to work with. Generally I want to keep the phosphorous levels between 40 and 60 lbs per acre and K between 130 and 180 lbs per acre. That put's P at what might be considered below optimum, but that's ok. Potassium seems to be my limiting nutrient. So, it gets a little more attention.
What amount of nitrogen I might apply depends on what the plants look like after they get out of the ground, what the last crop was, the organic matter in the soil. Brassicas respond well to nitrogen, but I have enough plot space that I'll add a little extra area instead of trying to squeeze a big yield out of a small space.
Now, to answer the question, the practical solution for me is 300 lbs of 19-19-19 per acre. In round numbers, 60 lbs N, 60 lbs of P and 60 lbs of K. Too much P and not enough K, but on average life is just perfect!
What amount of nitrogen I might apply depends on what the plants look like after they get out of the ground, what the last crop was, the organic matter in the soil. Brassicas respond well to nitrogen, but I have enough plot space that I'll add a little extra area instead of trying to squeeze a big yield out of a small space.
Now, to answer the question, the practical solution for me is 300 lbs of 19-19-19 per acre. In round numbers, 60 lbs N, 60 lbs of P and 60 lbs of K. Too much P and not enough K, but on average life is just perfect!
I have never added any fertilizer or lime, and have not done a soil test. I know I'm breaking all the cardinal rules, but haven't had the money for all of that. Only thing I've done is one of the cheap ph test strips, which gave me a 6.3. Brassicas did show some yellow leaves last year, but still had turnips the size of grapefruit. I do have lots of red clover and alfalfa growing wild in my plot area, so I'm sure that has helped with some nitrogen. I am only in year two for my plots, so they haven't been depleted by my plantings yet. Hoping I can afford that stuff next year.....
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
A great example of a nutrient cycling soil heath focused sustainable approach. You know your soils and are focused on ensuring they are not depleted rather than maximizing short-term yield like the high-input approach. In my case, I focus a bit more on K as I've noticed that my legumes seem to respond more to K than to P. The amount of fertilizer I've needed has been dropping over time as I've reduced tillage, mixed compatible crops, kept the soil covered, and am slowly building OM.
Thanks,
Jack
