Uncle Al

Working on our first new plot. It has been smoked out with roundup 2X' s and disced. 2 tons of lime and fertilizer this weekend. Would like to plant next weekend for the fall season. What to plant?

1) 100% annual brassicas (Bio-Logic' s " Maximum" )
-or-
2) A mix of clover & brassicas, (Bio-Logic' s " Clover Plus" )

If we plant the brassicas now, how do we replant next year? Frost seed? or disc and plant? Do we need to cut the brassicas? Would the clover be any easier next year, top dress, and fertilize?

Does the brassicas do any better for the hunting season than clover?

Anybody have any advise?

Thanks

wigmap

My experience is that the brassicas grows faster than the clover on a freshly planted plot. I planted 2 acres of biologic prennial last year bot the clover and brassicas did very well. This April I hit the field very lightly with a disc just to get some opening in the ground and then put down Maximum to get the brassicas back. I have not had any brassicas come up this year. However, the clover is doing great and I think the brassicas may have just got chocked out by the clover.

NorthJeff

Right now, if adequate moisture is soon available, is a GREAT time to plant a brassica/clover combo. I just finished with several acres and several plots worth of a Prem. Perinnial/Full Draw combo. Full draw has some quicker growing/fall brassicas and the Prem. Perinnial gives you the clover. For a fall fix, I' d go with a Full Draw/Clover Plus planting, giving you the best fall brassica combo, coupled with the clover.

The beauty of a fall planting like this is you have the great draw of the brassicas for fall, an excellant establishment of clover for spring, and enough exposed earth to frost seed in Maximum in the spring, and have a good clover/brassica combo for the summer months into fall.

On most of my interior larger plots, I plant for and have just started this year, with a 2 year rotational planting. 1/2 of the field is tilled in July after an application of Round-up. This 1/2 of the field is then planted in a fall clover/brassica combo, and frost-seeded with brassica the following spring. The 1/2 that isn' t tilled, is mowed and fertalized to establish a good field of clover, and that field is the one that is round-up and tilled the following July, giving each 1/2 field a 2 year cycle of Round-up in July, tilled, planted, frost seeded the following spring, mowed, etc., and then tilled 2 years after the intitial Round-up application. In this way I always have at least 1/2 of my fields with a good stand of clover, and the other 1/2 with a good base of brassicas for a fall draw.

This is the 4th year for me planting clover/brassica combos and I have been extremely happy with the results!

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan