How much shade is too much shade?

I'll continue to cut some small trees back this year to expand this plot, but so far it's looking like it'll get a decent amount of sun in the afternoons. Hope it's enough!

I do plan grow clover, oats and rye grain in it right now and maybe, just maybe i'll try a test run of brassicas just to see "how much shade is too much"

 

Alright now I get what your saying . That's also a good point


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

You could just buy a 1/2 pound and add it to what your doing and see if its pops or not. If they grow worth a darn they will be taller than everything else in your plot and you wont be able to miss them.

Spread them all over and see where they come up best, then focus on that area for next year.
I generalized with 1/2 pound but make it like 10 percent or less of the overall plot seed. If it goes cool, if it doesnt oh well, lesson learned.

 

Exactly what I was kind of figuring. We'll see. There's always someone asking about shady spots and crops so I'll be the guinea pig and try everything out.

 

I plant brassicas in the woods in small plots, but I have always opened the canopy, they will need 6-8 hours of sun a day to really do well. if you wait and plant in the fall, like september there in NC, the leaves will come down and get you lots more sun and better production. two questions.
1. when is your first frost date?
2. when do your leaves start falling?
I would plant about 30 days prior to that. Brassicas planted in the spring will do you little good, they would most likley go to seed and be of little value in a food plot by fall. Just a few thoughts!

 

Typically around mid October is our first frost. Leaves follow suite soon after. So I would possibly be planting in mid to early September. Sound about right? I've been thinking of ways to open the canopy without falling trees...my options vary between climbing the tree and climbing the tree....looks like i'm climbing the trees

 

You can hinge cut trees and they don't die. http://www.bowhunting.com/blog/2014...building-better-deer-habitat-with-a-chainsaw/
There is a link to Cody's article about it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Our freeze is 50% chance by October 1st I think and we try to plant aug 1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

This past year in NC I had a first planting fail so I followed it up in early September with an over seeding of turnips. Deer still ate them to the dirt and it could have just been me, but I got probably four times as much bulb and lead production in the past when I planted in mid August. Just something to think about, again it may not have just been planting dates.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

We also saw great success by planting in early august and lots of fertilizer!

 

Fertilization is definitely a key factor. I just think going early allows you to get both more tonnage and a little more flexibility as far as timing of rain. Not like the seed goes bad laying in the dirt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

So maybe an ideal time to plant would be mid to late August. Again, if it fails I can just over seed it. But, what type of fertilizer are yall using on your brassicas plots?? 13-13-13?

 

with my brassica's around 400lbs to the acre of 19-19-19. that equates out to 76 pounds each of NPK. That will make them grow like crazy!

 

Great! Thanks for the info. BTW, I checked out your new site, looks great! Plant to buy some seed soon! Keep up the hard work and I'll send you pictures of how your seed does in my plots in eastern NC