There are three types of Kale. They are:
Medium Stem types: Lowest growing of the three Kale types medium stem kales normally have high leaf to stem ratios which makes utilisation better but have the lowest yield potential of the three types. Also medium stem types have improved lodging resistance which make them excellent in snow prone areas.
Intermediate Stem types: These types are the result of crossing a medium stem and giant stem type together to get the most desirable traits from each parent. Higher and narrower stems intermediate kales have very good leaf to stem ratios leading to higher palatability and utilization.
Giant Stem types: Giant stem types obtain more of their yield from their stems rather than from their leafs. They are mostly used for cattle/dairy cow grazing where a high overall yield acre is required. Grazing management is very important otherwise they can have poorer quality than the other two types. This is where clipping comes into place once giant stems reach maturity.
Deer love Kale. I plant kale and kale crosses all year long. The deer hardly give Kale the time to fully establish out on my test plots as they love it. There is no need for that nipping frost to elevate Kale's sugar contents to increase palatability. You do need to have a balanced soil and a fertility program that includes the right amount of sulfur and also some boron through dry or foliar application.
Kale appears to not suffers as much pressure from insect pressure nor does it have as much plant disease issues as other brassicas.
One of my favorite products is Winfred Brassica. It is a kale/turnip cross. It has huge leaves, grows on variable soils, withstands grazing pressure and really branches out when clipped. The deer will eat it even at 4-5 ft tall heights. I like the high dry matter production per acre that it has and it runs about $25-$30 an acre for seed.
The stemless varieties of Kale, such as premier mature in 90 days. The giant stem types can take 150-180 days to reach maturity.
When insect pressure is an issue spray products like warrior, silencer, baythroid, asana, Dipel, lorsban, mustang, and pounce.
When fungus and blights are an issue use: recommended fungicides for your area or use a foliar plant food program that includes copper and sulfur. You will see a big reduction of issues doing that. Also clipping brassicas once they reach maturity will also be a good natural way of reducing your plant health issues.
Lastly, Kale will stay green down to about 10 degrees. This helps extend out your food plot season well into the late season hunts.
Kale......USE IT MORE!!!!
I have about an acre that snakes along a ravine in a logged over section. I planted a few varieties and then over seeded with a product called New Zealand Blend. Unfortunately we had an unprecedented hot dry spell and some of the crop suffered, but the turnips, radishes, beets and kale came up eventually. I walk through my plot and sit in my stand and watch the mule deer just vacuum that kale up. It may well be gone by the time the other green leaves freeze. The turnips are very tasty to. I usually pull one, peel and eat it on stand. very mild.
It had kale in it. must be the Winfred Brassica. That stuff is huge. The leaves on it are the size of dinner plates and is about 3 feet tall
Yes, I need to admit that I do have a primary job in the seed industry. It's how I am able to get access to new varieties that are unique to the US and i'm able to test them out for all of you to see if they success. My goal is to try to test all new varieties by seeding them the wrong way and under less than ideal conditions. Those that grow great in those conditions, I deem winners.
Thanks, Bill
So, brassicas like radish, swiss chard, collards, kale, and Winfred brassica tend to get hit just about anytime but very few of these are in the brassica mixes or the type most of you plant. So, if your pH is low, if your soil isn't healthy and if your not planting a sweeter variety of brassica, then that is perhaps why they aren't touching them ever or until a killing frost.
Stick n string, that variety you asked about is the New Zealand brassica that has Chinese cabbage genetics in it. The bigger leave brassica they are hitting is WINFRED BRASSICA.
So, a guy walked into my office yesterday who has shot many pope and young bucks and he asked me if I had to create the perfect mix and could only sell that mix, what would it be. The mix I would sell has elements of it in stick n strings. Here is my perfect mix and i'll explain why...
Winfred brassica. The deer eat it about anytime. You can put it on most soil types. It will tolerate grazing pressure and regrow and even branch out more. It has a high protein and mineral package. It stays green until 10 degrees and it has a great disease and insect pressure tolerance.
Radish. People over look this gem. Deer love it. It also helps scavenge nutrients and releases the following spring. This is great for all our you who are tight on your fertilizations. The radish also loosens up compacted soil. Many of you plant with lighter equipment and on more marginal soils and radishes help the cause.
Berseem clover. It tolerates low pH's, the deer love it, the berseem is slightly more nutritious than alfalfa. Berseem fixates a very high amount of nitrogen. This helps reduce out of pocket costs.
Lastly Kale. I love kale. Deer love kale. People love kale. Kale is high protein, high mineral. It is very cold tolerant. It has a really good diease package in general. Kale helps grow huge deer.
Perhaps you could bag and sell the mix you listed above?
I hunt N.W. Wisconsin, and not sure where I can get Premier Kale, as the only varieties I find are the 180+ days to maturity, which usually mean they never mature due to our weather. Also, not sure if I can get Winfred Brassica either.
My posts are always based on my many years in the grazing community and private nutrition business. It is how I am able to bring products on board that very few have in the USA. The company was the first person Ray Scott approached many years ago as he wanted to get into the food plot business.
For 2015 I need people to test a mix called Sweet Retreat. It is for people to plant in shady areas, inside woods, for kill plots or for those with low pH soils. They will work ok for minimum to no till situations. I basically offer up all experimentals with some requirements. People need to share pictures at different growth stages and they also need to report as many observations as possible.
For 2014 i have an experimental 4 bean mix out there and a new brassica blend with an incredible new zealand multigraze brassica. It worked so well in so many areas that it will be released in 2015.
Today i took a picture of what happens when one clips winfred brassica. The plant has 17 stems. You all have seen how big the leaves get. This is how i get a lot of tonnage of high quality forage. They do eat these big ole brassicas.
This is one of the many reasons i believe in crop rotation/plot rotation. Integrated pest management is something i haven't seen mentioned much on any of the food plot forums. It something ive been exposed to for almost 25 years and why so many of the things i'll address in the book i'm writing.
If one does need to spray...you can use warrior, silencer, baythroid or any of those insecticides or if one wants to take the natural approach , use a 1% solution of peroxide.
Clipping of brassicas helps a lot as well as planting resistent varieties. I have posted on some of my favorites on here and have posted pics on some of my favorite brassicas.
This is the second year for me and last year was about a third of an acre. Although last year it was way below freezing [late October, early November] before they started to eat the brassicas, this year they started as soon as it was up several inches. But this year the seed pack contained kale which they feasted on and then just seemed to carry on with the turnips and radishes. I'm very impressed with the results.
I'll add another acre next season. The land has never been cropped and has been logged about ten years ago. We are just basically catting off and widening the skid trails. Looks like a labyrinth in the woods.
I'd be very interested in trying a sample bag of premium seed if the cost is not more than the "fancy bag" New Zealand blend I'm planting now.
I live in the middle of British Columbia with definitely a northern climate. And although I have mostly mule deer there are whitetail close by and I'm sure more will discover the plot in time.
I've discovered that food plots, like trail cams are just plain fun even on their own.
So as to brassicas. So, many of the new varieties and mixes i test and release all involve brassicas that can be planted any time of year and will be grazed earlier. I want to have people feed deer 365 days a year and not 60-90 days. In my ideal world i'd have more double and triple cropping or have people plant multi graze brassicas that can be eaten from may-december. I have a mix that people r raving about and i've posted many of the ingredients on my postings on this site.
But it's not just the varieties but it starts with pH, then carries through to organic matter, then it involves changing one's thinking on what fertilizers to use as i believe most people recommend the wrong fertilizers for brassicas. Lastly, i am a huge micro nutrients fan and believe in over thr top applications of the right plant foods to "jack up sugars"
We have tried brassicas in the past with very little success in usage. This yr we used this combo and we have seen usage all thru september til now, tho there has been more significant sign of browsing here in the last couple weeks.
I was looking at Deer Creek seed and they had all the varieties available in your perfect mix except the Berseem clover.
I was looking at Deer Creek seed and they had all the varieties available in your perfect mix except the Berseem clover.
I worked at a buck fever event last night in hard core deer country and it got me thinking. The biggest problem people had in that area was getting enough product through until deer hunting late November and December. The 2nd biggest complaint was with turnips not being consumed. There are always answers to every problem. It is why i suggest people to buy seed from people selling expertise and a program.
What is an issue one year, might not be an issue in 2015. There are so many factors that come into play each year as to the success of one's food plots. I like varities that do well on many soil types and climates. I like products that are maximum nutrition per acre.
So, here is how i answer people who have brassica consumption problems...
1) too low of pH 2) Brassicas planted that are not high sugar varieties 3) Improper fertilization (most don't correctly do it) 4) Improper planting time for the variety bought 5) Lack of Micronutrients 6) Plant disease or insect issues
