Redshirt Cowboy

I planted some biologic Full Draw and extra Brassicas early August. (My intentions are to cut and plant rye and Austrian winter peas later on).

In one plot about 1/2 acre it came up about 2" and the deer have mowed it.
They snap it off at the ground. Deer everywhere (visually seen) and tracks, scat, everything.
In another plot about 400yds away (this plot is about 1/4 acre) it's come up about knee high! No evidence that they are eating it except tracks and scat.
In another plot about 500yds from the 2nd and about 900yds from the first (about 1/4 acre plot) same seeds, up about 2" and snapped off at the ground by the deer.

What gives with the second plot?? No pressure, nothing to scare them out of there and the location of this plot is a natural funnel and had tons of deer in it last year with just clover planted.

psandhu

what and when did you fertilize and lime plots 1, 2 and 3?

Redshirt Cowboy

Soil test showed I needed 1000# of lime per acre. I put 250# on the 1/4 plots and 500# on the 1/2 acre plot.
Put lime out about a week before planting. No fertilize.

psandhu

i would guess that the soil in plot number 2 lacks something. whatever it lacks makes the vegatation not very tasty to the deer. plots 1 and 3 have something in the soil that makes the plants more appealing to the deer.

or it could be happening just by a sheer random chance.

DanM3029

Are the same seeds in each plot? same ratios? Deer wont touch brassicus until the first HARD frost, whch converts the starches in the plant to sugars, which allows them to grow untouched until later in the season, then the deer hammer them. I have had deer dig through the snow to get to mine.