Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

Or stay green and delicious? :)

RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

I'm wondering the same thing. Also, does it grow back in the spring?

PRACTICE....PRACTICE....PRACTICE......SUCCESS!

RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

Usually, rape will turn after a hard frost or two. It may appear a purple color. It will get really sweet after the frost/color change. We have not seen the rape come back without reseeding it.

Romans 10:9 Psalms 42

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RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

So, it stays edible and attractive all winter long?

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RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

i'm currious about rape. i never heard of it until i came onto this forum. i live in indiana, and never see anything advertized about it. where can a person find information about it and buy some seeds? i would like information on this.

RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

Just about any good seed company should have it...

Romans 10:9 Psalms 42

RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

We planted dwarf essex rape the spring before last (2001), with a white clover blend. It didn't excite me much, or the deer, they fed around the rape in the clover. It did do a good job as a nurse crop for the clover in its 1st summer (2001). In the fall last year, I mowed it and incidental weeds in the clover down to about 6". We had a mild winter by our standards with only about 60-70" snow for the year, and about 30% of the rape plot came back in the spring (2002), tall and spindly. I ended up mowing the plot twice this past summer to keep the clover in check, and to try to eliminate the rape left in the 1-1/2 acre plot. While it is almost gone now (1-1/2 years since planing) there are still a few clumps here and there - its wonderfully leafy, but the deer still tend to ignore it in favor of the excellent clover plot that developed.

I think the reason mine never completely died off was because, I never let it seed out, and tried to mow it when the yellow flowers opened. The root systems that the rape made are very large on these plants, remember they are similar to turnips, parsnips and or beets - all brassicas. I wish the deer liked it more, but my experience was that they did not prefer it - hard frost or not.

RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

Farm hunter, did the deer select other plants over it even in the winter when food supplies were limited?

RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

Yes, the deer in my area, really ignored the stuff. We had corn left standing in the feild next to it, so once real winter weather came, they just went onto the corn. Prior to snowfall, they concentrated on clover and the large amounts apples as we had a superb apple crop last year (almost none this year).

Just because it didn't work for me, doesn't mean it wouldn't work well for someone else. Our area had ample prime forage last fall, winter and spring, that could have had a lot to do with is ineffectiveness. Other I've know that tried it, said the deer kept it grazed tight to the ground, but I think it was a primary plot they were referring to.

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RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

My experience with rape has been great. Deer will not eat it until the first hard frost hits it. This takes all of the bitterness out of it and makes it edible for deer. The best thing to do is have a mixture of early season browse such as beans or clover mixed with it so that the deer have nutrition all winter long. The first year that I used it I thought I had made a mistake until I saw the deer mow it down in January. If you plant this alone forget it. The deer will not touch it early and will leave it alone late because of the earlier experience they had with it when it was bitter. Like I said, plant some clover with it and it will surprise you. Biologics Fall perinnial(sp) does a great job of this and if you bush hawg it in the spring you will have a beautiful stand of clover come fall, the rape will not come back unless re-seeded. Good luck!

RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

Ok, Im in nw minnesota and have planted some of the iceland mix of rape seed. Will that winter over since it says to plant in late fall. Or will I need to replant it again in the spring. I planted the stuff along side a clover patch. Since corn has been mentioned also here. Is there anything that can be planted that will draw the deer out of a corn field to eat other than corn come hunting time? The farmer that leases land for farming generally is slow on getting his corn off and it is there until after firearms season, which for those that don't know this zone is 2 days. I put the Rape seed and Clover on a corner of the field that has a low spot that the deer already use for cover it has a little medium size brush and one or two trees in it. Thanks

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RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

I planted 1/4 arce of rape next to 1/8 acre of fall boilogic. the plants look the same until the frost hit and the rape turned purpleish. They prefere the biologic over the rape, and that sucks because rape is so cheap and easy to plant. I live in wisconsin.

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RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

So thats why the deer haven't been eating mine,I'll wait fot it to change color and see what they do.

Hunting is not a sport,it's a lifestyle.

RE: Does rape die out after a hard freeze or to?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I planted 1/4 arce of rape next to 1/8 acre of fall boilogic. the plants look the same until the frost hit and the rape turned purpleish. They prefere the biologic over the rape, and that sucks because rape is so cheap and easy to plant. I live in wisconsin.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
I can almost guarantee you that if you had mixed clover in with the rape the deer would have eaten it just the same. Like I said it is bitter before the frost and if deer don't have something else in it to eat they will remember it being bitter and never try it again.