Brassicas are a popular and productive choice for deer food plots, especially as a late-season food source. These cool-season annual forages provide high biomass and nutritional content when many natural food sources become scarce. Planting brassicas helps attract and sustain deer through periods of nutritional stress, influencing herd health and hunting opportunities.
Defining the Brassica Family in Food Plots
The term “brassicas” refers to plants belonging to the Brassica genus within the mustard family, which also includes common vegetables like cabbage and broccoli. For wildlife management, the most commonly utilized types in food plots are forage rape, kale, turnips, and radishes. These plants are favored because they are fast-growing annuals that produce a large amount of forage biomass in a single season.
The physical structure of these crops provides deer with two distinct food sources, which are consumed at different times. The initial forage is the abundant leafy green top growth, which is readily accessible and highly digestible. Later in the season, some varieties, specifically turnips and radishes, also produce subterranean bulbs or large taproots, which become an additional, energy-rich food source.
Rape and kale primarily offer only the leafy forage, while turnips produce a bulb and radishes develop a large taproot. These different physical forms mean that a mixed planting offers greater diversity, ensuring a food supply that lasts through the colder winter months. Their ability to withstand cold weather makes them particularly valuable when alternative forage is depleted.
Nutritional Value and Seasonal Palatability
Brassica leaves are recognized for their high nutritional quality, often containing crude protein levels ranging from 25% to 38% in well-managed plots. This high protein content in the foliage offers deer the building blocks necessary for growth and recovery during the early to mid-fall period. Furthermore, the leaves are highly digestible, with low levels of acid detergent fiber (ADF), meaning deer can efficiently utilize the nutrients they consume.
The subterranean parts, such as the turnip bulbs and radish taproots, are primarily sought after for their high carbohydrate and energy content. These bulbs and roots contain simple sugars that provide a dense source of energy, which is especially important for deer metabolism as cold weather sets in. This energy reserve helps whitetails maintain body temperature and condition during the late fall and winter.
A widely discussed concept is that a hard frost “sweetens” brassicas by converting starches into sugars, dramatically increasing palatability. While deer heavily utilize brassicas after a frost, research indicates that the increase in sugar levels may not be significant enough to be the sole reason for the increased consumption. Instead, the increased attraction may be due to the fact that other natural food sources, like acorns and native forages, become unavailable after cold weather, making the standing brassica plot the most appealing option. Brassicas offer a consistent source of quality forage during a time when the deer’s nutritional needs shift toward energy-rich foods.
Establishment and Management of Brassica Plots
Successful establishment of a brassica plot begins with proper timing and soil preparation to ensure a vigorous stand. The ideal planting window is typically in the late summer or early fall, which allows the plants enough time to mature before the first killing frost. For northern regions, this often means planting between late July and mid-August, while in the South, planting may occur through September or even October.
Brassicas thrive in well-drained, loamy soils and perform best when the soil pH is maintained between 6.0 and 6.5 for efficient nutrient uptake. A soil test is highly recommended to determine fertilizer and lime requirements. Brassicas generally need a good dose of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, such as 300 to 400 pounds per acre of a 19-19-19 blend at planting. An additional application of a high-nitrogen fertilizer, such as urea (46-0-0), is often beneficial a few weeks after the plants have emerged.
Because brassica seeds are small, proper seed-to-soil contact is paramount, and the planting depth should not exceed one-half inch. The seed is typically broadcast at a rate of 4 to 6 pounds per acre for kale or rape, or 3 to 4 pounds per acre for turnips, followed by cultipacking to firm the seedbed. Over-seeding should be avoided, especially with bulb-producing varieties, as overcrowding will stunt the growth of the roots and reduce the total potential yield. Weed control and rotation are also important management aspects, as brassicas should not be planted in the same plot for more than two years in a row to minimize disease and pest issues.