^ Ever deal with Northwoods Whitetails? Northwoods Whitetails, Inc. I heard good things about them and got a bag of their brassicas blend to try out this year.
Their brassica is basically kale, radish and the 2 common turnips. The people i deal with sell 5-7 times more straight ingredients than mixes.. I wish more people wouldn't buy mixes but plant what will give them success. Build your own mixes. Make it fun.... I'll be shooting video and planting in 2 different areas tomorrow. So, if someone said that i can only plant 3 different things every year in my food plot, what would it be. My answer use to be... Radish...it handles lower pH's, loosens soils, scavanges nutrients, is cheap and deer eat it. Winfred brassica....it's a kale/turnip cross that stays green and i can't not get it to grow anywhere.. Berseem clover..nothing fixates more nitrogen, it grows fast, tolerates low pH's and wet soils. But there is one product that i will add to the list at seasons end, that i is making all my buddies excited as this stuff is explodes out of the grown and i can't not get it to grow. Anywhere i put it, this stuff takes right off....I need to see how it handles sandy soils and the July and August heat, before i crown this my new favorite.
interested in the latest and greatest mix you got going. Always like learning about what is what out there. Are you going to add the companies you are affiliated with in your signature like everyone else does here?
I will be planting antler kings honey hole this year and pastor Andrews intro brassica mix, never planted brassicas before so I am excited to see how deer like them. Scoot
If people are going to plant early, i like 3 maturities of brassicas planted. A 45-60 day type, a 60-90 day type and then a full season brassica. There are various maturities of rapes, kales, turnips, forage turnips, and swedes. I believe i have 11 different one's planted this year in various combinations.
Brassica 101 TYPES OF FORAGE BRASSICAS The forage brassicas can be divided into 5 main types: Forage rape- Forage rape: Forage brassicas are also referred to as rape. Maturity is indicated by a change in leaf color to a purplish or bronze color that occurs 10-14 weeks after sowing. Leafy turnips or forage brassica hybrids: Leafy turnips or forage brassica hybrids: Hybrids are crosses between various species of the brassica family. Most hybrids are crosses with turnips and various forms of oriental vegetables. Grazing leafy turnips can commence earlier than rapes , 6-10 weeks, without waiting for the leaf to turn a characteristic bronze or purple color. Leafy turnips can vary in their ability to maintain palatability and leaf quality with age. Kale: Kale is the tallest growing of all forage brassicas, and is slower to mature than the hybrid brassicas. It will produce large quantities of leaf and stem. Most kales have a characteristic winter habit, and a greater cold tolerance than other brassicas Turnips: Both turnip leaf and bulbs are utilized by grazing animals. Turnip feed dry matter is around 60% bulb and 40% leaf, depending on the size/age and variety of turnip. Turnips are best grazed once at maturity which is around 10-16 weeks. Regrowth is possible from a light first grazing if the leaf growing points attached to the bulb are not damaged. Turnips suffer less from insect attack than other forage brassicas, however they are not as drought tolerant. Swedes: Swedes are most commonly sown in late spring/ early summer in areas with cold winters and moist summers. They require higher rainfall than turnips. Swedes have a larger bulb than turnips and are slower to mature, around 20-24 weeks. Swedes are better than turnips at maintaining bulb quality over winter. Swedes can be sown in a mixture with turnips to spread grazing times over several months. Establishment Brassica seeds are very small, so a fine but firm seedbed is desirable. Avoid excessive working u of the soil, as this can often cause a crust to develop on the surface of some soils, which can be detrimental to seedling establishment. Direct drilling is sometimes used but results can be variable. Successful establishment depends on good seedbed preparation, weed and pest control, soil type and rainfall following sowing. Most brassicas can be broadcast seeded and 1/8-1/4 deep is a desirable planting depth. Broadcasting, light dragging/packing works well with most brassicas. Crop Nutrition for Brassicas For rapid growth and high quality feed, good crop nutrition is essential. Brassicas respond well to fertilizers and requirements will vary with soil type and planting history. Highly improved or highly fertile soils may require less fertilizer. Brassica crops are often sown with compound or starter fertilizers containing varying amounts of nitrogen. However care is needed, as too much N placed close to the seed at sowing can inhibit germination of the crop particularly in dry conditions. On sulfur deficient soils, fertilizers containing a reasonable sulfur component should be used. Fertilizers containing sulfate sulfur are preferred to those with elemental sulfur which is more slowly released. Boron deficiency, while relatively rare has been known to occur particularly in recently limed soils or soils with a high pH. In situations where boron deficiency is suspected or has occurred, a boron fertilizer should be used. Weeds With sound planning and paddock preparation weeds are not normally a problem with brassicas. Brassica crops quickly become dense enough to smother germinating weeds. In low density or late sown crops, some summer weeds can cause problems. Insects and other pests Seedlings are very susceptible to insect damage especially by blister beetle, flea beetle, spider mites, wire worms and seed corn maggots. Aphids also regularly cause problems through their sap sucking (reducing plant fluids) and as vectors for plant viral diseases. Most brassica varieties will suffer from some aphid attacks. Some varieties or types have aphid resistance. Brassica Diseases A number of diseases can seriously affect brassica crop production. Diseases can be caused by fungal, bacterial or viral pathogens. The most common diseases are club root, dry rots and mosaic viruses. Fortunately, most diseases are easily controlled by using resistant varieties, seed treatments and most importantly by having good rotations to avoid carry-over of disease on infected residues. Verticillium Wilt, white mold and seedling blight are all common diseases for brassica. Forage Brassica Varieties Forage Rape Variety Maturity(weeks) Comments Bonar 12-14 Relatively short stems Giant 12-14 Taller Growing rape Hobson 12-14 Giant type which has aphid resistance Leafmore 8-12 Cross between Winfred and Emerald Winfred 8-12 Very cold tolerant. Good early and late Leafy Turnips or forage brassica hybrids Variety Maturity(weeks) Comments Pasja 6-8 Cross between a Chinese cabbage and turnip Hunter 6-8 Cross between a Chinese cabbage and turnip Pacer 6-8 Cross between a Chinese cabbage and turnip Turnips Variety Maturity(weeks) Comments Appin 12-14 Round turnip. High leaf to bulb ratio. Multi crowned Barkant 12-14 Tankard bulb shape, high leaf proportion Green Globe 14-16 Longest maturity time of all turnip varieties. American Purple Top 12-14 Most widely used variety, produces a large round bulb Samson 12-14 Round Turnip Dynamo 10-12 Good disease control, good bulb to forage ratio Swedes Variety Maturity(weeks) Comments Purple top rutabaga 18-20 Late maturing Dominion 18-20 Late maturing, reddish skin Major Plus 20-30 Late maturing Winton 24-30 Late maturing Kales Variety Maturity(weeks) Comments Gruner 16-20 Tall variety with cold tolerance Kestrel 16-20 Shorter growing variety with higher leaf to stem ratio Sovereign 16-20 Intermediate height, higher leaf to stem ratio Premier 10-12 Cold tolerant, quick growing, high yieldi
I love Kale because I am first and foremost a deer nutritionist/ruminant nutritionist. Nothing yields like kale, nothing stays greener later than kale. Nothing has a mineral and overall nutrition package like kale. if one googles the title master seedsman that should give you all you need to know. I am trying to not list company names if i can help it.
