How much gain does the soil get from plants like turnips and radishes? That stuff pulls from deep in the soil.
No Till Food Plots - So Easy
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Giles, my friend, that is a very good question. I will try to be somewhat brief as the answer in my mind is not very simple.
Here is my attempt to answer this in a coherent way -
Brassicas (turnips/radish/rape/etc.) are non mycorrhizal - however, there are a few written pieces out there that speak of the benefits of have non mycorrhizal plants and their root structurers in coexistence with plants that are outside of normality (aka mycorrhizal plants). See link below for some of information on this and why it can be beneficial, mostly noted is the nutrient acquisition of P.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-017-3427-2
So if I sat here and tried to tell you brassicas pull X nutrients out of the soil - I would be lying to you, as I do not know what biology/geology will react in the soil, in a specific way to yield certain results. What I can tell you, the image I attached will do a better job explaining than I, is that by having brassicas you are doing as follows:
1. Creating soil structure
2. Balancing your CtoN - brassicas have fairly low CtoN (depending on the level of maturity) - microbes will break these down faster, good to have with or following high CtoN (rye, wheat, etc.)
3. Brassica root exudates (liquid carbon from photosynthesis) will feed the soil (see image below).
Side bar - way above my pay grade - but worth noting:
One study showed them having a probability in their ability to breakdown PAH's in soil. Remember C8 from Dupont in the Ohio valley years ago? 8 Carbon atoms linked, very tough stuff, Teflon, not know to break down - they found some science that some brassica root exudes did have an impact on the degradation of these PAHs in the soil - see link - https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ees.2017.0156?journalCode=ees I do believe they have some ways of using aerobic bacteria in ponds to break these PAHs down today but I could be mistaken as I am going from memory.
Sorry for the side tracked comment, back to regular programming below:
4. Deep tap roots are mining nutrients form deep in soil
5. Brassicas naturally break up "hard pan" of soil through their tuber production/root production
6. Very attractive to whitetails, that means more deer feces and unration occur on our fields - OM baby!!
7. Although I am not 100% certain on my understanding of the symbiotic relationship between brassicas roots and micro bacteria, it does seem they are at minimum anti pathogenic - in other words - suppressive of nematode and soil born fungal pathogens. link for more information: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17949-z
As you see in the above example, soil and soil heath is extremely complicated. We know our native soils were EXTREMELY diverse. Through this extremely diverse soil structure and diversity, nature built the soils you see today in Iowa, Indiana, Western Ohio, etc.
Diversity
Not tilling
Natural decomposition to feed the soil biology
fire/buffalo/re-growth
start over
This is what occurred for thousands of years. Harnessing exorbitant amounts of carbon and feeding microbial life that scientist are learning more about every year.
So in short - yea. Plant some brassica but dont only rely on them - they do use a lot of soil nutrients so you need to replenish those with clovers, grains, etc.
Hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am - I keep learning more and more. I want this to be a resource center for folks as well.
Be safe!
AT
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Thanks, I think
I hope it was helpful! I love this stuff and if you have questions - lets chat more!! This is how we learn and figure things out through dialog. Please dont ever hesitate to ask a question. Also, if I dont articulate a response well - let me know and I will try again!
You did a fine job. Just created more questions in my own mind is all. Lol
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As we know if habitat is perfect for whitetails, a doe fawn can reach its target weight of 70lbs in her first year - which means she can go into her first estrous cycle. This only occurs in great habitat.
Interestingly enough, as OM (organic matter) rises in our soils - the nutrient density of each plant also increase. Furthermore as Phd. Jill Claperton discusses in the below video - as our OM increases, earth worms reach their target rate faster (better habitat for them), which equates to more earth worms reproducing at a faster rate - creating better soils and higher OM, further increasing nutrient density of foods deer and people eat! Symbiosis Folks - it is all linked!!
Interestingly enough, as OM (organic matter) rises in our soils - the nutrient density of each plant also increase. Furthermore as Phd. Jill Claperton discusses in the below video - as our OM increases, earth worms reach their target rate faster (better habitat for them), which equates to more earth worms reproducing at a faster rate - creating better soils and higher OM, further increasing nutrient density of foods deer and people eat! Symbiosis Folks - it is all linked!!
GMO has to play a part somewhere in all this. I read somewhere that you have to eat 3 oranges to get the same nutrients as 1 orange 30 years ago. I would imagine this is similar across the board and directly related to this subject.
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It is a complex issue. You are correct I believe I mentioned that earlier on to Jesse but you probably heard it from the Gabe Brown book “dirt to soil” or a similar Ted like talk he gave.
Nutrient density is a bi product of regenerative agriculture.
I am trying best to share resources and others as my own farm is simple anecdotal evidence. The above videos and resources I have shared are 100s of years of cumulative PhD level research in 20min videos. The books are even better but I know not everyone likes to read.
Really enjoying this thread so far. Hope you all are as well.
AT
Stressless
Active Member
Yepper, another one of my Ol'man'isms.... 'For every question I work on to get the answer correctly, I have four more unanswered questions."
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Haha it is a blessing and a curse!!
Thanks for following along guys.
Happy New Year.
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So I wanted to share a few images I took from last spring. These were all clover fields the year before.
The previous fall I decided to try to seed rye and radish into clover.
I located some radish but the rye seemed to fail. Well I came back the next spring and look at what happened!
This is an easy and great way to add diversity to your plots. Deer love rye grain and the next spring the rye will bolt - you can roll it over and the stem will break down further feeding the microbes.
I am ready for these days on the farm again soon.
Happy New Year!
AT
The previous fall I decided to try to seed rye and radish into clover.
I located some radish but the rye seemed to fail. Well I came back the next spring and look at what happened!
This is an easy and great way to add diversity to your plots. Deer love rye grain and the next spring the rye will bolt - you can roll it over and the stem will break down further feeding the microbes.
I am ready for these days on the farm again soon.
Happy New Year!
AT
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This was an interesting video - they interviewed farmers from around the US, spoke about benefits of cover cropping, how it has increased and the positive impacts it is having on the watershed. Pretty darn interesting to see where we have came from, and where our AG industry is headed - good watch for a cloudy/rainy/cold day!
Stay safe and enjoy!
Stay safe and enjoy!
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Yo! Lets talk soil!!
So a few things I wanted to add/share that I have observed on my own place, picture to follow.
1. No till (broadcast method, drill would be far more efficient) - can take time
2. Often with grain plantings, folks want to wait until right before the season to "offer the highest level of palatability for the deer". I personally dont worry about this at all. Grains (rye/oats) are cheap and I can always "fill the gaps" in right before season. Soil is my #1 goal, so when I plant my grains early, I see them growing a substantial root structure as far more important that losing a touch of palatability. What I have observed is little to no difference. The deer seem to "smash" the grains regardless of height, specifically in the fall.
3. Because of number one, I try to plant my mix around the end of July, with a timely rain or two in the forecast. This past year I planted around July 25th and got rain a few days later. The dying thatch layer held moisture in and even the morning dews don't "burn off" from the heat of the August sun. This allows the seeds to grab hold, and grow. Note that on bare soils, once the soil temp reaches over 100 degrees, soil microbes slow WAY down, once over 112 (I think I recalled that correctly) soil microbes begin to die off. A thatch layer will reduce soil surface temp significantly.
These images were 4-5 weeks after planting...... we had a VERY dry August. However, because I knew I had a solid thatch layer and the seed was germinating, I did not worry. I did save a few bags of my mix and I spread seed where I felt it was overly thin, to fill in gaps. As you all have seen in the other pictures, these plots filled in tremendously well. Most of the thatch you see in these pictures has been consumed by soil microbes, and much of the green is being consumed by deer!
So a few things I wanted to add/share that I have observed on my own place, picture to follow.
1. No till (broadcast method, drill would be far more efficient) - can take time
2. Often with grain plantings, folks want to wait until right before the season to "offer the highest level of palatability for the deer". I personally dont worry about this at all. Grains (rye/oats) are cheap and I can always "fill the gaps" in right before season. Soil is my #1 goal, so when I plant my grains early, I see them growing a substantial root structure as far more important that losing a touch of palatability. What I have observed is little to no difference. The deer seem to "smash" the grains regardless of height, specifically in the fall.
3. Because of number one, I try to plant my mix around the end of July, with a timely rain or two in the forecast. This past year I planted around July 25th and got rain a few days later. The dying thatch layer held moisture in and even the morning dews don't "burn off" from the heat of the August sun. This allows the seeds to grab hold, and grow. Note that on bare soils, once the soil temp reaches over 100 degrees, soil microbes slow WAY down, once over 112 (I think I recalled that correctly) soil microbes begin to die off. A thatch layer will reduce soil surface temp significantly.
These images were 4-5 weeks after planting...... we had a VERY dry August. However, because I knew I had a solid thatch layer and the seed was germinating, I did not worry. I did save a few bags of my mix and I spread seed where I felt it was overly thin, to fill in gaps. As you all have seen in the other pictures, these plots filled in tremendously well. Most of the thatch you see in these pictures has been consumed by soil microbes, and much of the green is being consumed by deer!
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On Sept 19th, I decided to check the plots. We got several much needed rains from Sept 6th to the 19th and I was excited to see what had grown or not. Much to my satisfaction, I could see that the farm would have more food then ever before. The fields filled in fantastically and to describe them as lush - would be an understatement. The brassicas continued to grow beneath ground and as I have posted earlier - produced an immense crop of bulbs in from various brassica types. Some of the grains did grow to be fairly mature (started producing seed heads) but as I had filled in early in the month, I had ample amount of young rye, triticale, ww and oats growing as well - staggering the root structure under ground as well.
As always - be safe and thanks for reading along!
As always - be safe and thanks for reading along!
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Now that carbon capture is being monetized and companies like Bayer (owner of Monsanto) are finding ways to profit from carbon sequestration, also with politics playing a roll - watch how fast the regenerative agriculture movement gains momentum. Please don’t forget the numerous soil scientist and farmers who have been working and pushing for this movement for decades!
Anytime you want to speed a process/movement up - find a way to monetize it.
Long way to go but this is fairly exciting read for the soil nerds out there!
www.wsj.com
Anytime you want to speed a process/movement up - find a way to monetize it.
Long way to go but this is fairly exciting read for the soil nerds out there!
Agriculture Industry Bets on Carbon as a New Cash Crop
U.S. farmers make their living raising crops from the soil each year. Now, some are getting paid for putting something back into their fields: carbon.
www.wsj.com
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Ok, so by now you all have either got bored of me or are enjoying this as much as I am hahaha so I will keep sharing information I find useful and/or interesting.
I tend to be someone who likes to learn something, and then reconfirm it several times over. In the great world of GOOGLE, we are able to search questions through various wording combinations, resulting in new articles darn near every time.
So this week, I have started using Google to ask "rye grain root structure" or similar questions. Here are a few links that I have found interesting (*note - often these are written for farmers so some concerns they have may be irrelevant to food plotters).
www.sare.org
ag.umass.edu
Rye - fiberous root system, nitrogen scavenger, does well with a legume planting along side it, allopathic weed suppression
Brassicas - deep tap roots, bio drilling capabilities, some root exudates work as pathogen reducers, as some call them "nutrient banks" as they store nutrients before decomposing for the next crop.
There is almost to much information on these topics and it continues to be updated annually! A guy can spend years reading on all that has been written, but it is always continues to fascinate.
Thanks for following along, be safe!
I tend to be someone who likes to learn something, and then reconfirm it several times over. In the great world of GOOGLE, we are able to search questions through various wording combinations, resulting in new articles darn near every time.
So this week, I have started using Google to ask "rye grain root structure" or similar questions. Here are a few links that I have found interesting (*note - often these are written for farmers so some concerns they have may be irrelevant to food plotters).
Cereal Rye - SARE
Cereal Rye (Secale cereale) Also called: cereal rye, winter rye, grain rye Type: cool season annual cereal grain Roles: scavenge excess N, prevent erosion, add organic matter, suppress weeds Mix with: legumes, grasses or other cereal grains See charts for ranking and management summary. The...
Cover Crops, Brassicas
Brassica and mustard cover crops are known for their rapid fall growth, great biomass production and nutrient scavenging ability. However, they are also attracting interest because of their possible pest management characteristics. Most Brassica species release chemical compounds that may be...
Rye - fiberous root system, nitrogen scavenger, does well with a legume planting along side it, allopathic weed suppression
Brassicas - deep tap roots, bio drilling capabilities, some root exudates work as pathogen reducers, as some call them "nutrient banks" as they store nutrients before decomposing for the next crop.
There is almost to much information on these topics and it continues to be updated annually! A guy can spend years reading on all that has been written, but it is always continues to fascinate.
Thanks for following along, be safe!