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Food plot update - Brassicas

jagermeister

jagermeister

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Ohio
Went down to check on my food plots and pull memory cards yesterday. Unfortunately, the brassicas are not doing well at all. To say that I was disappointed would be a gross understatement. The new plot behind the barn has virtually nothing growing and the other one isn't much better. We've had great weather for growing and I fertilized.... The only thing I can figure is that the seeds were buried too deep. I disked, drug, planted, then packed with 4wheeler tires. Looking back, I should've probably packed before seeding, and then packed again. I don't know. We had a REALLY hard rain the night that I planted, so I'm sure that didn't help much either. Oh well, I guess I'll be going down in the next week or two to fill in the open areas with oats and rye.

Pictures of disgrace......

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I feel your pain. Ours is just starting to pop now. Hoping it really starts to take off soon or the weeds and grasses are going to slide back into there.
 
Darron said:
as you know brassica seeds are very small. They only need to be planted 1/8" inch deep.
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Yea.... Not firming up the soil BEFORE broadcasting probably hurt me on this one. Mark my words, next year I WILL have a cultipacker in my food plotting arsenal!
 
Jim- was a soil test done and appropriate lime added before planting?

The fortunate thing is timing. You have plenty of time to put an annual down such as winter rye and/or oats.

I had some success on some bare spots in my plots two weeks ago. I threw and grew (frost seeding technique) some white clover. It's 3-4 inches tall now in that area.

Watch the weather and throw and grow before the next rains.
 
cultipacker is nice, but not always necessary. A drag can do the same thing even allowing the tiller to run freely as you slowly go over the plot will firm it up enough. If the plot is small enough running over it with tires will do it too.

BUddy I plant with never firms up his plots and his brassicas turn out great most years. He simply tills and I go in behind and broadcast seed. The stuff usually shoots out of the ground. I've had several brassica failures due to planting them too deep.

I have even tilled, waited several weeks for rain to firm up the soil and planted with great results.
 
Buckmaster said:
Jim- was a soil test done and appropriate lime added before planting?

The fortunate thing is timing. You have plenty of time to put an annual down such as winter rye and/or oats.

I had some success on some bare spots in my plots two weeks ago. I threw and grew (frost seeding technique) some white clover. It's 3-4 inches tall now in that area.

Watch the weather and throw and grow before the next rains.
Click to expand...

No, unfortunately I never had the soil tested. This could very well be the problem. But I figured if it WAS the problem, I'd at least see some germination taking place. The bare spots in the plots are simply void of any brassica sprouts at all. Where it IS growing, it doesn't look too bad. I'll be throwing down oats and rye in the bare spots within the next week or two. I don't think it's going to be a total loss... Just not as nice as I had hoped.

Darron said:
cultipacker is nice, but not always necessary. A drag can do the same thing even allowing the tiller to run freely as you slowly go over the plot will firm it up enough. If the plot is small enough running over it with tires will do it too.

BUddy I plant with never firms up his plots and his brassicas turn out great most years. He simply tills and I go in behind and broadcast seed. The stuff usually shoots out of the ground. I've had several brassica failures due to planting them too deep.

I have even tilled, waited several weeks for rain to firm up the soil and planted with great results.
Click to expand...

Now that's interesting. I wish I would have been able to look into the future, then I would've run a test... firming up half the plot and not doing so on the other half, then seeing which side grew the best. I'm going to have to remember that for next year. It's just frustrating right now... But then again, this sort of thing happens in food plotting... it's just a matter of time I suppose. I just have to learn from the mistakes.
 
still plenty of time to redo. i disagree with darron on the cultipacker but to each their own. I just know the huge difference we see cultipacking versus any other method. cultipackers ensure uniform seed depth and superior soil to seed contact. both are necessary for proper germination. I would try some lime next time and see if that improves growth.
 
$hit happens! Like others said, there is still time to do something else. Maybe go over it all with another spreading of brassicas or turnips to get some of what you were after.
 
Milo said:
still plenty of time to redo. i disagree with darron on the cultipacker but to each their own. I just know the huge difference we see cultipacking versus any other method. cultipackers ensure uniform seed depth and superior soil to seed contact. both are necessary for proper germination. I would try some lime next time and see if that improves growth.
Click to expand...

Cultipackers are nice, but they can be $ to buy, hard to find and a pain to transport from plot to plot. I planted my brassicas this year without a cultipacker, simply allowed the rear tine tiller to run free over the plot and my brassicas turned out great. Nice thick and lush with hardly any bare spots.

I have even tilled a month before planting let the plot sit idle for a month and then go in and broadcast the brassicas with great success. Over a period of several weeks the plot firms up some and as long as you spray before planting you are good to go. One of my best plots I did this way.

Cultipackers are nice, but not absolute necessary. I have personally never used one and my plots look good.
 
Milo said:
most we have paid is 75..they are difficult to find though. we have 3
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While visiting the wife's family over the weekend, I talked a bit with one of her uncles. Her uncles own a family farm and have a bunch of implements. I got on the subject of cultipackers and he mentioned they were actually looking to get a newer one. He told me I could rob parts and pieces from the old one... So I think next year I'll be all set!
 
Another update....

Checked on the plots again today. The big one looks MUCH better than it did just over a week ago. Although it's still not what I had hoped for, it has really filled in and made a vast improvement. The small plot behind the bard still looked terrible, but I threw down about 20# of canadian oats and rye so hopefully I can salvage something out of it before it's all said and done. Time will tell...
 
Glad to hear things are looking better. With all the scattered rain we are supposed to get this week your new seed should do just fine.
 
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