Turnips are a cool-season annual that are extremely high in protein and highly digestible to deer. Protein content can range from 15 to 20 percent in both the leaves and the roots. A well-managed food plot of turnips can yield more than 8 tons of forage per acre.
What is the best turnip to plant for deer?
Purple Top Turnip
Purple Top Turnip a brassica family plant that deer love to consume. This nutritious turnip has the characteristic of growing with the globe exposed so deer have easy access to the entire plant in food plots. The plant and roots are nutritious and protein filled, readily consumed by deer.
What is the best thing to plant to attract deer?
Typical cereals planted for deer would include oats, wheat, triticale and rye. When native green forage becomes less available from fall through spring, these crops will attract large numbers of deer and provide valuable nutrition to help them through this difficult period.
What animals can eat turnips?
Beginning in the 1600s, turnips were grown extensively in England for winter feeding of sheep and cattle, as a pasture crop for pigs, and winter fodder for sows.
Should you fertilize turnips?
Turnips benefit from nitrogen early after sprouting, but consistently high nitrogen fertilization throughout the growing season will promote the growth of more turnip greens instead of growing bigger roots. What is this? Nitrogen is an important plant nutrient, mainly responsible for stem and leaf growth.
Why are the deer not eating my turnips?
Deer wont eat turnips if you plant too much seed. The plants end up crowding each other out and they stop growing. Deer crave plants that are growing, and stemmy plants go to the bottom of the desired list. Gauge the size of your plots accurately, and err on the low side for seed planted if you are unsure.
Do deer eat raw turnips?
The cool thing about planting turnips in your food plot is the deer love to eat both the leafy tops and the taproots (or the turnip). And if, for some reason, the deer don’t want the underground turnips, you can always harvest them and serve them for dinner yourself.
What food is irresistible to deer?
Food Plots
Plants that typically attract deer include red clover, chicory, and orchard grass. Certain high-protein crops, such as peas, soybeans, turnips, alfalfa, sorghum, kale, or corn, are also attractants that the animals enjoy feeding on. Deer like the nutritious nuts that come from chestnuts and acorns as well.
What attracts deer the fastest?
Food Plots
From larger plots of forage soybeans covering 10 or more acres, to small parcels of broken tree canopy planted to brassica; various crops including corn, milo, turnips, peas, clover, and alfalfa will attract and keep deer. One of the surest ways to attract deer is through their stomach.
What is deer’s favorite food?
Deer will primarily eat browse (woody portion of leaves and stems), forbs (broad-leaved plants), mast (acorns, apples, etc), and grass. Although these are the main foods deer like to eat, the quantity of these different foods differ throughout the year and the region you are hunting.
What should not be planted near turnips?
Do not plant turnips near other root crops such as parsnips, carrots, potatoes, or beets because they compete for the same nutrients in the soil.
Do deer like turnips or radishes?
The same goes with many types of brassicas. Radishes and turnips are relished by deer in the first few weeks after the come-up, but plants put in during the spring or early summer are woody and less palatable by fall.
Will wild animals eat turnips?
Can Deer Eat Turnips? (And Do They Like Them?) Dear love eating turnips. They can eat every part of a turnip plant including the leafy tops and the tap roots. Deer love turnips because of their sweet sugary taste that is mostly found in the leaves of developed turnips.
Is Epsom salt good for turnips?
Epsom salt, when applied to relieve magnesium deficiency, increases the flavor, quality, and quantity of apple, alfalfa, beet, cauliflower, carrot, kale, nut, grain, sweet potato, and turnip crops.
What happens if you leave turnips in the ground?
They do rot after one week, so if you lose track of them after putting them in the ground, those Bells will be wasted and your storage efforts will be for nothing. Like we suggested to do inside the house, you may as well design parts of your island around turnips if you plan on keeping a lot of them.
Is Miracle Grow good for turnips?
Miracle-Gro Shake n Feed. This is one of the best garden fertilizers for providing continuous micronutrients to help Turnips grow strong and produce more.
What time of year do deer eat turnips?
The key factor to remember with turnips — while deer will begin eating them as early as germination, don’t expect peak consumption during the early season. In areas with quality food sources, deer typically don’t hit them very hard until mid-October to early November.
Do turnips like manure?
Feed turnip plants with natural fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorous, such as compost tea, for good root development. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers like manure, which can give turnips an unpleasant flavor.
Do turnips need to be thinned?
Keep rows 23cm apart and thin early, in stages, till turnips are 10cm apart. This is not so the root grows big, but grows fast. It is essential to thin early as seedlings that touch will never make good roots. The thinnings are delicious in salads.
What is deer’s favorite vegetable?
When food is scarce, deer eat just about anything, including prickly-stemmed okra and hot peppers. Vegetables that deer seem to prefer include beans, lettuce, cabbage, and cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
What vegetables deer do not eat?
Deer Resistant Vegetables
- Garlic.
- Onions.
- Scallions.
- Leeks.
- Squash.
- Zucchini.
- Pumpkins.
- Cucumbers.