Has anyone tried turnips or radishes in the spring for tillage or compaction relief? These have been garbage grassy areas forever, so there should be a surplus of N there....not looking at this as a spring planted plot, just using their tap roots for some labor and equipment. Would likely broadcast clover and rye in labor day after spot spraying problem plants and leave the good native competition be. Waste of seed or way to loosen it up? Better options like buckwheat or something that provides a bunch of biomass on top instead?
Spring planted radish/turnip to combat compaction
- Thread starter gjs4
- Start date
Telemark
5 year old buck +
Grassy areas are usually deficient in nitrogen. Turnips and radishes probably won't do well broadcast into grass. You'd be better off spraying the area with gly and harrowing/discing the ground in order for the seeds to get contact with the soil. It's probably a good idea to plant some other annuals as well, especially some annual clovers.
Personally, I would spray it to kill the weeds and grass, then disc or harrow, and plant an annual mix heavy in clovers with supplemental crops that have complementary root structures and nutrient mining characteristics. Then the following year I would plant the daikon radishes and turnips.
You haven't mentioned what you ultimately want to do with this plot. If you had a specific objective in mind, it would be easier to make suggestions that would suit your goals.
Personally, I would spray it to kill the weeds and grass, then disc or harrow, and plant an annual mix heavy in clovers with supplemental crops that have complementary root structures and nutrient mining characteristics. Then the following year I would plant the daikon radishes and turnips.
You haven't mentioned what you ultimately want to do with this plot. If you had a specific objective in mind, it would be easier to make suggestions that would suit your goals.
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This is just a 1/3ac grassy knoll that I want as a nugget feed through kind of plot making a line of travel in an area I cannot necessarily get equipment to (that I cant carry). Planned on spraying and going the radish route (no pun) to get some natural subsoiling to happen. Guess thats a no-go....was just trying to think out of the box.
If anything, I had a brain glitch on nitrogen (now thinking about lawns and additional fert). Been working a ton and sometimes i just post thoughts here on breaks in the action. Sorry for the time waster gents....
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
That’s what this place is for my man!
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
IF bringing stuff in is hard. Can you drive there with an ATV? I have a tire drag for a remote spot.
ID what kind of grass it is? Some things clethodim can't kill, if you wanted to promote certain crops while killing grass.
Spread rye and weedwhack if gly is too cold to apply. Turnips don't seem to till down deep like daikon radish does. I nmy experience dakon shares the plots less than turnips do. Those leaves spread out wide. Good powerful weedwacker and a spare spool or two of line already wound up, you should be done therein a hour more or less.
Curbing the grass with minimal equipment will be tougher than taking care of some compaction. Ive done spring tunrips, oats, and clover just fine.
ID what kind of grass it is? Some things clethodim can't kill, if you wanted to promote certain crops while killing grass.
Spread rye and weedwhack if gly is too cold to apply. Turnips don't seem to till down deep like daikon radish does. I nmy experience dakon shares the plots less than turnips do. Those leaves spread out wide. Good powerful weedwacker and a spare spool or two of line already wound up, you should be done therein a hour more or less.
Curbing the grass with minimal equipment will be tougher than taking care of some compaction. Ive done spring tunrips, oats, and clover just fine.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
If you can't get an ATV with a harrow back there, you could use a rake to tear it up a few weeks after you spray it. Then broadcast your seed mix straight away. If you can't work the ground at all then I agree rye is your best bet.
If you want a perennial plot, add some chicory. It has a long taproot that could help loosen subsoil.
If you want a perennial plot, add some chicory. It has a long taproot that could help loosen subsoil.
