Food Plots Goodbye radishes :(
- Thread starter megalomaniac
- Start date
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Looks great. I was wondering about how long the radishes would last. How much do you see the deer coming late season to eat the radishes themselves?
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
They last until 25 degrees or so. Tops will freeze and die, and roots get mushy and start to decompose.
By the time the radishes have died, my balansa clover has gotten 6 inches tall, so they are switching to it late Nov. Wheat seems like a filler in the plot, hard to tell if they even touch it.
The new plot with annual rye (fria) has clover, radishes. Deer are actually hitting the annual rye more than anything, even though it is not supposed to have much nutritional value
By the time the radishes have died, my balansa clover has gotten 6 inches tall, so they are switching to it late Nov. Wheat seems like a filler in the plot, hard to tell if they even touch it.
The new plot with annual rye (fria) has clover, radishes. Deer are actually hitting the annual rye more than anything, even though it is not supposed to have much nutritional value
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
How many pounds of each did you plant? You seem to prefer the balansa over the crimson. Just read some on the balansa and my give that a try next fall
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
50lbs per acre awnless wheat
10lbs per acre fria ryegrass
5lbs per acre balansa clover
3lbs per acre ecotill radishes.
They all went into the no till drill and planted at the same time. It would be ideal to plant the radishes mid to late Aug, then come back in with the other stuff 3 weeks later, but thats twice the effort.
I think I will up the radishes to 5lbs per acre next year.... but it really doesn't matter as I have way more food than deer on this farm.
This year will really be the test for balansa clover, as I planted 2.5ac with the mix this year that will have standing water on it off and on throughout the winter.
10lbs per acre fria ryegrass
5lbs per acre balansa clover
3lbs per acre ecotill radishes.
They all went into the no till drill and planted at the same time. It would be ideal to plant the radishes mid to late Aug, then come back in with the other stuff 3 weeks later, but thats twice the effort.
I think I will up the radishes to 5lbs per acre next year.... but it really doesn't matter as I have way more food than deer on this farm.
This year will really be the test for balansa clover, as I planted 2.5ac with the mix this year that will have standing water on it off and on throughout the winter.
buckaroo
Well-Known Member
You like balansa clover better than ladino?
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Biggest difference in these is annual vs. perennial. I'm debating on switching to balansa from crimson. I definitely want to give the fria ryegrass a whirl if I can find it. We used to plant Imperial No-Plow and it contains fria ryegrass and the deer loved that stuff.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Balansa grows way faster than ladino, more tons of food per acre and higher volume of hay produced. Mine is 6in tall already. Plus, it's an annual, and these fields are going into soybeans after cutting the winter plots for hay next May.
Deer seem to love it as well. Supposedly more palatable as the stems themselves are hollow and therefore more tender. (That may just be marketing hype???)
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
If I were establishing a year round clover plot, I would def go with ladino.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Just an update since its been a month since I've been up to the farms....
Somehow the radishes survived a couple of sub 20 degree nights. The tops have started to yellow some, though.
Deer are really starting to hit the tubers themselves. The clover in this plot is beginning to choke out the wheat and is 8in tall.
Too bad we didn't get to hunt it... lots of poaching going on this farm, and many of the bucks alive are walking wounded from gunshots to the legs. I caught 5 trespassers looking for a gut shot 5pt Fri as well.
Somehow the radishes survived a couple of sub 20 degree nights. The tops have started to yellow some, though.
Deer are really starting to hit the tubers themselves. The clover in this plot is beginning to choke out the wheat and is 8in tall.
Too bad we didn't get to hunt it... lots of poaching going on this farm, and many of the bucks alive are walking wounded from gunshots to the legs. I caught 5 trespassers looking for a gut shot 5pt Fri as well.
Attachments
Unfortunate about the poachers. ..
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Hate to hear about the poachers. I think radishes are more cold tolerant than most think. I see a lot of people planting radishes out in the midwest and north of here, and the deer are still hitting them up into December. You know it gets much colder out there. This is the first year planting them for us and they are still going strong (what's left of them). I pulled one out of the ground 12/20/20 - still had a green top and the tube tasted good.
