Radish

MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
Anyone planted these in their food plots? I bought some evolved harvest t-raptor, suppose to be a radish/turnip hybrid....whatever that means.
I tried turnips the last couple of years and honestly I don't see where the deer used them alot so figured I would try these.
 

mdunker

Ten Pointer
I have planted turnips and I think also something with radishes in it a couple of years ago. The deer ate the tops but never messed with the bulbs.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
radishes are a great way to attract deer and break up the top few inches in hard soil as well. I plant them every year and they never make it to maturity, the deer keep the tops eaten off.
I've never found a type that they like better, so the cheapest field radish that Southern States has is what I plant. You can intermingle them thickly with any other food plot and they will provide almost instant greens.
 

hrcarver

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
radishes are a great way to attract deer and break up the top few inches in hard soil as well. I plant them every year and they never make it to maturity, the deer keep the tops eaten off.
I've never found a type that they like better, so the cheapest field radish that Southern States has is what I plant. You can intermingle them thickly with any other food plot and they will provide almost instant greens.

Yep. They go by several names, daikon radish, tillage radish, trophy radish, groundhog radish, and probably some Ive never heard. All are the same thing and by far my favorite brassica. I even paid for some overpriced trophy radishes today because it was all they had in stock. No contest between radishes and ptt or der. Radishes win hands down.
 
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jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I have never tried radishes but my turnips have always worked good for me up in Rockingham county . Maybe the radishes would be even better. The deer herd up in rockingham eat everything to the ground. The 1/4 acre of milo is gone already, as is the 3/4 acre of peas and not much clover left thanks to the heat.
 

MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
They already ate the Milo? They don't usually mess with it here until after it frosts, the farmer planted a couple of fields of it this year on the farm I hunt.
Good luck this year Jug!
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
They already ate the Milo? They don't usually mess with it here until after it frosts, the farmer planted a couple of fields of it this year on the farm I hunt.
Good luck this year Jug!
Yeah man I have never seen nothing like it up there. My uncle and my cousin who also hunt up there told me that you cant grow anything for the wildlife up there. They were right. The 1/4 acre of turnips were gone before New years Day last year. I think it is a lack of agriculture up there. There is acorn trees everywhere though. Northampton had plenty of agriculture fields but no acorn trees much except water oaks where we use to hunt.
Good luck to you Matt!
 

Larry

Button Buck
How many radishes do you plant with oats,peas and clover mix per acre.
Also do you cultipack radishes with your other stuff or just broadcast on top? Tks, Larry
 
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hrcarver

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
3 to 5lb per acre is plenty in a mix. Plant them with the clover.
 
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Larry

Button Buck
3 to 5lb per acre is plenty in a mix. Plant them with the clover.

Tks HR,
So can I just mix my oats,peas,clover and radishes all together , then broadcast and run over with cultipacker-
or-would it be best to cultipack oats and peas and then broadcast clover and radishes on top .
 

hrcarver

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I'd do oats and peas on fluffy soil then pack them in. Next spread clover and radish and pack again.
 
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Famous Amos

Guest
yes i planted some yesterday with clover, i planted biologic deer radish with whitetail institute clover. should be good
 

Famous Amos

Guest
I planted some last Saturday with some clover. Should be coming up with all the rain
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I ended up having to buy Trophy Radish, local LTD didn't have bulk anything. That stuff has all kinds of things that make up the 5 pounds in the sack.
I've never used it, and never paid $30.00 for 3 pounds of radish seed either, you do what you gotta do when you're desperate.
Next year Amazon will be my friend for bulk seed.
 

hrcarver

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I finally got 2 50lb bags that I ordered in july, yesterday(these were called jackhammer radishes by the way, another new name to me). I only have 12 acres left to plant at this point so I guess I'll have a head start on next year.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Does the germination rate on that type seed drastically go down after a year? I had about a pound of the mix I used last year left over that I added to this year's planting.
It was turnips, mustard, kale, rape and white clover along with some radish.
 

hrcarver

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Not sure how much it drops, but I've used up to 2 yrs old seed without a noticeable decline in germination.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
CPS down the road only carries 50 lb. bags. I went down there to buy two bags of oats and checked their prices and availability, and that is the place to buy seed. Their 50 lb. bags (clover, radish, oats, wheat, etc.) are about what 10 lbs. cost elsewhere.

I'm just gonna start buying it by the 50 lb. bags and mixing everything up. Whatever I don't use, I'll use the next year. Tired of overpaying and still not getting what I want.
 

Rubline

Twelve Pointer
I have a place disced up that I'm going to plant oats and radish in, it's too much trouble to get a drag back in there to cover the seed.
Would it work to broadcast the seed and then disc again to cover it?
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I have a place disced up that I'm going to plant oats and radish in, it's too much trouble to get a drag back in there to cover the seed.
Would it work to broadcast the seed and then disc again to cover it?
No, don't disk the radish seed in, radish seed will rot if covered too deeply. Just broadcast it and run over it with your 4 wheeler to get good contact with the dirt and you'll be fine. It will germinate laying on top of the ground, just like clover, but has a better chance if you make sure they get a bit of dirt over them.
Oats can be lightly disked in without any problem at all, that's typically how we plant them.
 
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mjbrady

Twelve Pointer
I have a place disced up that I'm going to plant oats and radish in, it's too much trouble to get a drag back in there to cover the seed.
Would it work to broadcast the seed and then disc again to cover it?

I would not disc the radish seed in, the planting depth would be to deep I think.
 

Rubline

Twelve Pointer
^ Thank you for that info, I'll lightly disc the oats and then go back and spread the radish and take the 4 wheeler back in and pack them.
 

hrcarver

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I'd leave it on top before I disked it in. You would likely bury most of the seed too deep. I would think it would do better broadcast and left alone.

Nevermind, late to the to the party. but I agree!
 
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Buckshot1

Twelve Pointer
most of this has probably already been stated but I'm too lazy to go back and read them all......

the way I understand it is, most any plant such as radishes and turnips that produce a bulb are more desirable to deer and other critters after really cold weather has set in and starch in them begins to breakdown, the sugar content in them rises, so while they may not be exactly the greatest plant to hunt over for deer season around here, or work as well as they do in other parts of the country that have real cold weather earlier in the seasons. They could be a very valuable food source after o0ur seasons and every one has stopped providing supplemental corn.

the theory seems accurate at least, I use the same brand mentioned, mixed with oats and a couple other varieties most of my plots every year and they always get worn out the most after season expires. They eat mine to the ground in January and February and paw away at and dig up the bulbs. Though they still draw in critters Purdy good during deer season too. And if you want to extend the use of the plot may as well throw in some clover, you might have to mow it but deer will benefit from it all spring and into the summer. If your clover stand is good enough you might just have to maintain that to keep out weeds and have a good perennial plot for a 3-4 years. I normally go over my plots with the small seeds after I'll sowed the oats and other larger seeds. They'll settle and grow well into the already broken soil.

good luck
 
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hrcarver

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
most of this has probably already been stated but I'm too lazy to go back and read them all......

the way I understand it is, most any plant such as radishes and turnips that produce a bulb are more desirable to deer and other critters after really cold weather has set in and starch in them begins to breakdown, the sugar content in them rises, so while they may not be exactly the greatest plant to hunt over for deer season around here, or work as well as they do in other parts of the country that have real cold weather earlier in the seasons. They could be a very valuable food source after o0ur seasons and every one has stopped providing supplemental corn.

the theory seems accurate at least, I use the same brand mentioned, mixed with oats and a couple other varieties most of my plots every year and they always get worn out the most after season expires. They eat mine to the ground in January and February and paw away at and dig up the bulbs. Though they still draw in critters Purdy good during deer season too. And if you want to extend the use of the plot may as well throw in some clover, you might have to mow it but deer will benefit from it all spring and into the summer. If your clover stand is good enough you might just have to maintain that to keep out weeds and have a good perennial plot for a 3-4 years. I normally go over my plots with the small seeds after I'll sowed the oats and other larger seeds. They'll settle and grow well into the already broken soil.

good luck
I think this true with turnips, and probably most other brassicas. I've seen them eat radishes soon as September on a regular basis in places where turnips will rot. My belief is that radishes don't have whatever it is that makes turnips unpalatable until after a hard freeze. Just my observations.
 
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