Tale of two turnip plots

[kabic]

I planted two micro turnip plots a couple weeks ago. These two plots are about 100 yards apart. Planted the same day, same method. Since it was a little late in the season I went a little heavy on the seed rate.

First picture was a new area on the edge of where I frost seeded clover (spring 2013). The clover didn't come in good in this area so I tilled it up and spread the seed before a rain. This area is a little on the shady side.

The second picture is an area between a hayfield and pasture. It gets full sun, and have grown a food plot here in the past, about 3 or 4 years ago. It got some lime and fertilizer then, but none this year. I thought this plot would do the best out of the two. I was wrong.

I'm thinking that although the clover looked really thin it provided enough nitrogen to give the turnips a boost.

 

[Buckly]

Looks like a germination issue to me. Possibly, the ground was softer in the second plot and the rain pushed the seeds deeper or too deep.

 

[kabic]

Looks like a germination issue to me. Possibly, the ground was softer in the second plot and the rain pushed the seeds deeper or too deep.

That is possible. I tried to till only the top 2 or 3 inches of both plots, spread the seed with my hand seeder and then waited for rain. Maybe I tilled the plot by the hayfield a little deeper (I.E my tractor doesn't have position control on the three point plus the ground being unlevel and a little more slope than the other plot.)

This is my first time planting brassicas maybe by biggest mistake was not firming the seedbed before spreading the seed, but I'm still surprised the difference in outcome trying to do everything the same in different spots.

 

[Buckly]

Being it's only been a couple weeks I wouldn't give up on anything yet anyway. It might come around good.

 

[buckvelvet]

Anyone else notice all the deer tracks in plot 2? Maybe it was just WAY to much pressure to early?

 

[Dbltree]

1
Clover (or any legume ) requires months of growth to fix any appreciable nitrogen and very little is available to other plants until the legume is killed and starts to decompose. We plant red clover and hairy vetch in late August but nitrogen isn't released until we kill it via herbicide or tillage, there are many variables but you can nitrogen out of the equation in your brassicas ;)

 

[kabic]

The clover was planted April 2013, so it had been there for about 16 months. Are you saying that isn't long enough to fix nitrogen or a few weeks after tilling isn't enough time to for it to decompose and release it?

There are plenty of tracks in the second photo. You cant really see it but the fence for the pasture is along the top left of photo. It goes down to the tree line than to the left , the hayfield is to the right. The deer like to come out of the woods and around the corner of the fence (top center of picture) and then they either meander into the hay field or follow the fence to the other side of the field where my other plot is located. That's just a long way of saying that the deer may be just walking through because the plot is in a normal travel corridor anyways.

Here is aerial, the red outlines the 2 turnip plots, the first photo corresponds to the one on the left, the second photo corresponds. The green is where I have clover planted. Hay field to the south, pasture on the north. The hay wagon & 5th wheel trailer inside of the red plot area are no longer there :D

That is gravel drive way by the "good" plot, it sees about 1 car a day during the week when the cattle are fed\watered, maybe a few more trips on the weekend.

 

[Dbltree]

1

The clover was planted April 2013, so it had been there for about 16 months. Are you saying that isn't long enough to fix nitrogen or a few weeks after tilling isn't enough time to for it to decompose and release it?

There are plenty of tracks in the second photo. You cant really see it but the fence for the pasture is along the top left of photo. It goes down to the tree line than to the left , the hayfield is to the right. The deer like to come out of the woods and around the corner of the fence (top center of picture) and then they either meander into the hay field or follow the fence to the other side of the field where my other plot is located. That's just a long way of saying that the deer may be just walking through because the plot is in a normal travel corridor anyways.

Here is aerial, the red outlines the 2 turnip plots, the first photo corresponds to the one on the left, the second photo corresponds. The green is where I have clover planted. Hay field to the south, pasture on the north. The hay wagon & 5th wheel trailer inside of the red plot area are no longer there :D

That is gravel drive way by the "good" plot, it sees about 1 car a day during the week when the cattle are fed\watered, maybe a few more trips on the weekend.[/QUOTE
I am sorry I thought the clover was planted with the brassicas, but in your it would have provided significant nitrogen for this years brassicas.
Sorry about that I misunderstood

 

[kabic]

I have a camera on both plots. The "good" plot is seeing more daytime useage. The other plot is also seeing usage but more at night it seems.