fall plots

[mrbb]

OK anyone planting any fall plots, getting kinda late so?/

I finished mine yesterday, was going to do some before after pic's but forgot the before pic, and was dark by the time i was done

planted 4 acres total of purple top turnips, between two locations
and then today I got rain, so timing was great on that
had plans to plant two weeks sooner but got side tracked so, hope there isn't any early frost now, need 45 days frost free from here

will post some pic's next trip to the farm

my spring beans plots are looking great, even got beans this yr, frst time ever too!, normally deer eat them so hard never make any!

so should be a great huntig season food plot wise here for me!

[steelermags]

MRBB,

I put in a plot myself this FALL and got the seed in on August 17th as well. Purple turnips came up quickly but I noticed during this cold spell over last two weeks growth has been stalled. Is this typical? I am in Berks County, PA. I did get the rain right after I planted but then we went almost two weeks in late August without rain until Labor Day. Let me know if you have any advice or thoughts.

Thanks!

[mrbb]

well yes and NO, cold will slow things down, on about all plants
BUT many time planting brassicia type seeds, turnips, rape what ever, its always a GOOD idea to go back and add urea about 3-4 weeks after you plant, it gives them a boost, and helps them fill in better(most seed companys actually recommend this as well)
the best time to do so is just before a rain too, as urea will just go up in the air it seems, and the plants won't get as much from it

I typically go about 60-100 lbs an acre, pending how i fertilized the site prior to planting, over the yrs i found on brassicia type plants I go a little extra on the nitrogen level at seeding. they seem to get a better take doing so, I'll add an extra 20 % or so

your a little south of me, and my one plot is doing much better than the other, seems this yr with the dry spells then wet spells, the shadier field is doing much better for me too
so, till we get a frost, it will keep growing

[mrbb]

OK here are a couple pic's of my plots, also planted on Aug.16 I took these picture last friday, that last rain boosted them up about 4 inches since then, forgot camera today when I was at the farm, or would have had pic's from today, the second plot is still behind, but the plants are all turning purple already so, don't think its going to be as good as i hoped, but still lots for the critters

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/005-15.jpg

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/006-18.jpg

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/009-11.jpg

this is the plot that is behind the above one, it gets 100% sun light all day, where as the above one gets a lot of shade in the first few hrs of daylight due to hoe it runs with all the big trees, so the dry weather didn't effect it as much I think
its still OK for a plot, just should be a good 6-8 inches taller at this point, weather was funny this yr again, last yr was worse for me, so happy I got what I did

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/015-14.jpg


http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/016-10.jpg

[ibppmd]

Impressive growth in a month. I know who to ask for plot advice in the future. Thanks for posting. KB

[mrbb]

been playing with food plots since 1988, so yup I have for sure learned a lot along the yrs, many times the hard way too!
and I am always glad to help out if I can
I am a firm believer in food plots too, if you have a place to plant them, they can make a huge difference in deer sightings and make hunting for ANY deer almost simple
not sure thats always a good thing however! kinda spoils you!

[Big_Holla]

Very nice turnout for you there mrbb!!

[steelermags]

Thanks for feedback Mrbb! Where would I get urea?

[mrbb]

urea is Nitrogen, so any Awgay would carry it, or any place that sell fertilizer should too, odds are Lowes or home dept might have it, but would want more than say a Ag store like Agway or local feed stores

[ibppmd]

Planted my first plot this year (planted in June). It's a tiny little plot...maybe 1/8 an acre. 1/4 is Clover/chicory and 3/4 is Brassica. The clover/chicory was slow to grow but looks good now. The brasica have some weeds in them but still have grown to about somehwere between knee and waste high.

The deer hit them occasionally when they were about 4 inches high, but went to the beans (right next to my plot) when the beans really took off. My question is when should I get over that plot? As soon as they cut the beans or when everything else browns?

My plot is so small I'm sure they will eradicate it within a week or so when they turn their attention to it.

Thanks in advance, KB

[mrbb]

well they brassicia will turn sweet after a frost, and thats when most deer will hit it hardest, once they find it after the frost
here at my place the deer are eating my brassicia right now, they don't seem to care that its a bitter plant right now to them its green and growing, and I have a soy bean plot right next to it, and every deer I seen hunting over this saturday was in my brassicia

so?? the chicory and clover is a NOW food plot, after some frost, the clover will pucker up and just not keep growing taller much, the chicory ?? well pending how much it will stay greener longer than the clover but my experience just not as big a pull as Brassicia
MY question for you would be does your brassicia have turnips/bulbs with it??
as not all so called brassicia's make a bulb
if your's has a bulb/turnip, deer will dig them up once cold heavy frost happen on a regular basis
but they normally eat the tops first
My suggestion would be to hunt where your seeing the most deer, many deer go to beans due to they been eating them for the past 3 months, so there just used to easy meals
but beans are starting to get cut now, so your plot being small will be a big hit come harvest time or some frost
do you have a trail cam, or a stand where you can hunt the beans and see your plot
first couple days here I typically hunt where i can watch the most land, the adjust FAST if I see a pattern, as food sourses change fast this time of yr
good luck

[ibppmd]

my brassicia does have turnips in the mix. I looked Saturday and the bulbs are huge. I have a stand over the plot (my stand and the beans sandwich the long narrow plot) I can only see 1/4 of the bean field from that location. I have a potential location where I could watch the whole field and my plot...maybe i will do that until the beans are cut or they start in on the plot. Thanks a million, KB

[mrbb]

No problem, NOW to me is the time to waatch and act fast, as deer are still patterenable this time of yr some what, later as fall comes on more and more things change, from food to cover to the rut
so being able to see now to me helps a lot on getting a kill in on a buck, so if you can set up to watch both plots, I would, if nothing else it will give you a new view for a few sits, and let you know when your brassicia is getting hit

a trail cam will work well too if you cannot sit
I would think a plot watcher would be the best idea for getting details on entering a plot too

best of luck to yea!