LC's Brassica Rotation Question

[phil@thesidehill]

I realized i posted this in Jeff's LC mix thread in the LC board. Figured i'd move it here instead.

I have a question about rotating the LC brassica mix.

It seems that most often i've read that you can get two years max of a brassica planting in one plot before rotating. Obviously the reason to rotate is the building up of pests and disease that will kill the brassicas with successive plantings. I've also read that when planting a mix of brassicas versus a mono culture (pure stand of turnips or radish etc) you have less potential for the build up of said pests and diseases.

I recently expanded my one food plot. the plot had the LC brassica mix in it last year. I would like to keep brassicas in this plot. The expansion now allows me to turn this plot into a strip plot. My question is can I plant brassicas in strips that will traverse the old section of the plot that had the brassica mix last year or will i risk a doom and gloom crop failure in the areas of these strips that had brassicas last year?

I am in the process of planting the whole plot in crimson clover now as a cover crop that will be terminated for the strip plot using LC's brassicas and his Rye mix.

 

[bueller]

I'm pretty sure you will be fine for two reasons.

#1 - this will only be your second consecutive year with brassicas, I and many others have done this with no negative effects.

#2 - some will argue that you will be breaking the "cycle" when you plant the crimson clover this spring

 

[phil@thesidehill]

I'm pretty sure you will be fine for two reasons.

#1 - this will only be your second consecutive year with brassicas, I and many others have done this with no negative effects.

#2 - some will argue that you will be breaking the "cycle" when you plant the crimson clover this spring

That is kinda what i was thinking. I just wanted hear it come from someone else so i knew i wasn't making stuff up just because i want brassicas in there again! thanks a ton!

 

[Doug Galloway]

Most of the common brassica hype is just that....hype....created from poorly planned management...or marketing schemes!

I hear the same BS about manure as fertilizer!.....Lord please forgive the ignorant!

Strip cropping...cover crops...mixes....overseeding....undersowing...and crop rotation are good practices used wisely....to a degree mimicking natural systems.

The real and valid agronomic issue with a 100% brassica sward in the US....IMO....is when brassica are either consumed and/or winter kill and there is no residue on the soil surface nor living root growing in the soil during late winter.....ahead of common heavy spring rains.....water and wind erosion potential is very high for bare soil at that time....when the erosion happens, a soil building program is 'set-back' years or decades (depending on topsoil depth)....high risk/low reward IMO.

The purpose of cover crops and above mentioned practices is to avoid soil erosion issues....NOT...create erosion soil issues....correct?

Those who can get a late winter crop of oats/legumes etc drilled into brassica ground can avoid the spring erosion issue. We are usually busy that time of year on other projects and don't have the time to drill....if you have time go for it...drill or overseed...just make sure something is living come spring!

An alternate approach is to include low rate cereal rye 10-20 lb and the same rate of winter peas with your brassica mix....we have found this to be a 'fair trade' which minimizes spring erosion.

I really don't want to get into the ins and outs of crop land management etc. Here are two very simple topics to consider when soil health is a concern...learn to evaluate both on your own accord:

1) the most fertile soils in the US were developed via plant diversity inclusive of (warm season grasses, warm season broadleaf/legume, cool season grasses, cool season broadleaf/legume, and w/ or w/o woody species)...this chart is a good one to study: http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/54452000/CCC/CCC_v13_5_2012.pdf

Learn the 5 broad plant categories listed above.

What to plant really isn't the question to ask. What your soil has not grown for some time is the important item to ponder!

2) on every acre and on every site visit evaluate 3 visualizations: a) plant canopy effect, b) thatch/mulch effect, and c) root effect....choose your own subjective scoring of 'good' or 'bad' for each effect.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

ok.....thanks doug. I'm at complete loss....not sure I understand what it is that you are suggesting?

BTW...i have no drill....let alone a tractor to pull said drill. I pretty much plot by hand and borrowed time on a 4 wheeler. The vast majority of my plotting is "zero till" to minimum till. Every couple of years i get a four wheeler in there to pull an old section of spring tooth harrow around....pretty much only scratching things up and not really turning over the dead sod. The years in between i frost seed into an previously established plot and manage mainly through mowing. Or I mow as tight to the ground as i can, allow for flush of new growth, terminate with gly, mow again, then broadcast directly into the resulting killed sod/thatch. I have a grand sum total of .4479 of an acre of food plots, two slightly separated plots that essentially act as one centralized feeding area. One plot is about a third of an acre (recently expanded to that size) and the other is 5000 sq ft. In general, I usually do not have exposed bare soil unless i am planting something right then and there. Even my brassicas even once devoured have been broadcast into sod with a thatch present. by the time the snow melts off late winter early spring, it basically looks like dormant lawn with DER stems sticking up everywhere.

So does hearing this situation bring up anything else....even though i'm not sure i completely understand what you were saying in the first place?

 

[Doug Galloway]

Phil....being lost is okay....try to re-read and understand the last 2 points of the prior post. I think you understand point 2...aka...avoid bare soil 360 d a year...5 day for planting is okay, unless the heavers open wide or shut tight those days!

Point 1 is described below.

Here is a new thread I started which may help! This is nothing more than describing what your eyes are seeing...then making a game plan for the next few years!
http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/wilflower-id.175/