What's Happening To My Turnips?
Whitetail Deer
Checked on my food plots and it looks like my turnips are dying. We have had a lot of rain.
Any thoughts? Will they recover?
Probably need fertilizer.
I have one small patch that looks just like that and it hasn't had rain in four weeks. I was leaning toward being planted too early and maturing too soon. But some insect has been eating it as well
We have a plot that is planted on a side hill. The rain has been heavy for the last month. Most of the turnips are dying but there are some (not allot)on the top of the plot (Flatter Ground) that seem to be doing well. I am wondering if we should stay away from hillsides in the future. Even with modest rain the plot is still going to get runoff.
Same thing happened to my turnips last year. I had assumed I planted them to early.
Too much rain will do that ever time.Hopefully they can dry out.
I usually get the same thing when I try to raise purple top turnips in one of my poorer-soil plots....patches of purpling/yellowing foliage, regardless of how much or how little rain we get. I'm told the cause is a shortage of phosphorous fertilizer. I mostly use that spot for winter rye now.
Any chance they will survive?
I don't see planting too early as I don't see any bulbs on the plants. I see either too wet of missing some type of fertilizer for growth.
You have spread way too much seed. It's way too crowded.
Brassicas willl not forgive you for crowding it. You can fertilize or do whatever it won't matter.
I did a blog entry on this last year after I got my seeder setting wrong. Pm me for a link.
Grouse
It is stress probably to much rain, can also be caused by over crowding due to high seed rates or lack of fertility. Another cause is disease very common if turnips are planted every year.
Mine is 100% not from too much water!! Could be over-seeding, for sure.
If the brassicas are yellow or reddish, I pound them with about 150lbs per acre of 46-0-0 and 100lbs per acre of Triple 19 right before a rain.
Assuming plenty of moisture, they are either nutrient deficient, or stunted (planted too close together...ie....nutrient deficient)....hit them with the fert right before a rain!
Mark
The picture tells the story. Those plants look to be centimeters apart when they should be several inches apart.
I know, I know brothers, it's hard to plant brassicas because you don't SEE that seed flying out the broadcaster like you do with grain crops. And it's even worse when it first comes up because it's not that "green carpet" that looks like a golf course fairway. If you did it right, you should see dirt between plants. Unfortunately, if it looks thick and full when the plants are 4 inches tall like in the photo, well...
I tell customers to think of brassicas like corn. What would happen if you planted corn that close together? Big protein / high calorie crops need space. Keep in mind, that the large brassicas like turnips/radish/beets should be planted somewhere around 7-8 pounds per acre in most cases.
Also, most folks cannot estimate acerage to any degree of accuracy just by eyeballing. Either use a 300-foot tape or get a GPS acerage app and measure the plot with precision. You guys would be amazed at the number of 1-acre plots that guys have shown me and when I measure them, they're really .65 or less.
Do NOT just "throw whatever's left" from the package of seed out in the plot. I can almost universally say you'll do more harm than good. There's a myth out there that food plot seed is like milk or potato salad--leave it sitting around for longer than a week and it goes bad. Bull cookies. Seed germination loss from year to year is insignificant to food plotters. Keep the seed cool and dry and germination losses year on year will be less than 3%. In fact, I've never even seen a 3% loss in all the germination testing I've done. Whatever seed is left, just save it and plant it next year. It does you WAY more good that way rather than throwing it on the plot and stunting a good plot.
Grouse
Don't know but ain't FARMING fun?!?
my raddish is very yellow as well , i soil tested and fertilized and tilled it in and seeded i was not seeded too heavy either......but we have been getting pounded by rain here in new england since the day i put the seed in the ground. lucky its been rain free for a whole 4 day now....more rain coming mid week uhg!
Seeded 15# per acre
Seeded 15# per acre
Mark x 2 Put urea 45-0 on it boost it you will salvage more then not. I agree with bulb Brassicas on overseeding comments but opposite for Giant Rape and Radish my experience. Fertilizer monitoring important if you get in early planting as they will need a boost down the road.
ours have looked similar to that and we got a soil test. It ends up we were really low in Potassium and high in Phosphorous. Many years of straight 13-13-13 we got out of whack
Deerplotter: Are you kneeling in that picture?
If so, excellent use of photography!
If not, when did you plant your brassicas? Those plots are outstanding. I am curious how long they have been growing. My plots never get that large.
I am standing! That Giant Rape field seeded July 2 with 150# 22-7-20 fert. Another 100# added approx 30 days later. The other was planted July 20 Dwarf Rape not touched since planted. Every year is different. Can depend on crop rotation, moisture, weed control etc. I have some other fields that get more sun not as good. So many factors and they seem to change yearly. Good Luck
Rotated my brassicas to new 1 acre inside plot this year. Usually planted 1 acre along side with 1 acre clover,chicory mix and 1 acre fall mix. Deer never touched brassicas until first frost so always an awesome fall plot. Checked plot this week and also have yellowing leaves. My problem is their almost gone. Eaten down to 2 inches high. They were 6-7 inches last week.Probably will lose all of most of it so yesterday bought rye and wheat just in case. I suspect being a completely hidden plot plus pulling in more deer to my area added to its demise. Now already thinking of what to do next year.
It may be a spacing issue as others have said, but I would likely be more focused on making sure my nitrogen levels were up to par.
They are definitely planted too thick. Pour the nitrogen to them.
