Turnips are a type of root vegetable that most people like growing for their pets. Turnips are popular among humans and can be useful for feeding animals.
Because they are rich in fiber and vitamins, they are healthy to grow. They can be a fantastic source of thiamine, folate, calcium, iron, and calcium.
Turnips are effective at luring deer to a particular region; they thrive in fall.
Plant Turnips in Fall
Turnips are often best planted in the fall if you want them to draw in deer. The optimum time to plant turnips for the deer is in the fall since you want to do so before your first severe freeze.
From the time you sow them until they are fully grown, turnips will need about two months. This is presuming that you’re using a common variety of turnips, such as purple top turnips.
You should enjoy the turnips quite a bit if you follow these instructions. They’ll grow well, have attractive green tops, and yield turnips that are respectable to moderate in size.
It won’t work out well if you plant the turnips too late. Due to regional changes in weather patterns, it might be challenging to predict the exact moment to grow turnips for the deer.
For instance, if you reside in a region in the Midwest that is cooler, you can see a deep freeze in the fall. You just need to know your local weather patterns to get things right.
Some individuals in colder regions of North America must grow turnips in August for the best results.
Why Do Deer Love Turnips So Much?
- Turnips supply the deer with a rich source of protein.
- Turnips provide the deer with the extra nutrients they need in the winter. Additionally, deer typically like to wait until turnips are a little older before eating their tops.
- The turnip leaves remain throughout the winter.
What Type of Turnip Is Best for Deer?
It will be wise to consider some elements while choosing a particular turnip variety for the local deer. Turnips come in many different types, and deer will eat them almost without exception.
However, some varieties of turnips will be simple for the deer to consume. Because they will be simple for the deer to access, purple tops might be the finest choice for your feeding plot.
The purple tops are excellent because the deer can obtain them because they protrude enough from the ground. The crowns and roots are now simple for the deer to devour.
Purple top turnips will produce pleasing outcomes if planted in a food plot. Turnips are a great source of protein for deer – you’ll have more healthy deer on your land the next hunting season.
For things to work out so well, you will need to take good care of the turnips. Although turnips are thankfully not too difficult to care for, there are still a few things you should know.
What Soil is Best for Turnips?
How can turnips be grown correctly to give deer the finest nutrition possible?
Various factors should be considered if you want the turnips in your food plot to develop healthily.
Soil type
Turnips will perform differently depending on the type of soil they are planted in. The turnips will be able to grow more quickly in fertile soil.
Most soil types will work fine, but loam will be a wonderful choice if you want good results. This ought to be rich in the nutrients turnips require to grow and ought to be simple to keep at the proper acidity levels.
Soil pH
In soil with a pH balance between 6.5 and 6.8, turnips thrive.
Soil drainage
Turnips must be planted in soil that drains efficiently because they can develop root rot if their soil doesn’t do so between waterings.
Soil aeration
Some level of looseness in the soil is necessary for healthy root development. Turnips should grow successfully in your food plot if you aerate the soil adequately.
Tips to Grow Turnips Well
Spread the turnips evenly – 4-inch to 6-inch spacing
When you want your turnips to grow as well as they possibly can, appropriate turnip spacing is crucial. Turnips’ roots will be smaller than usual when they are packed closely together.
Turnips should be separated from one another by about 4 inches. Although you could space them as far apart as 6 inches, most people keep their turnips closer to 4 inches apart to maximize the number of turnips they can grow in their food plots.
Remove weeds
When cultivating turnips, weeds can pose a slight issue. To keep the growth of the turnips moving in the proper direction, weed the food plot area a little bit.
Take care not to damage the immature turnips’ roots. To avoid mistakenly pulling up any of your young turnips or disturbing them, you should weed carefully.
Turnips require adequate sunshine
In general, turnips prefer temperatures between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and grow quite well when given full sunlight.
It should still be well if you can’t give the turnips full sunshine. Just try to make sure they receive enough light to function properly.
Ensure the turnips grow in sufficient moisture
Another vital step in the process is making sure the turnips have constant moisture. If you can, try to keep the soil just a little bit moist.
In essence, you don’t want to add too much moisture to the soil because that would be too excessive. If you’re watering the turnips by hand, try not to go overboard.
Conclusion
To achieve the best results, you need to know when to sow turnips for deer.
Although the precise period can change based on a few other things, you should try to sow the turnips for the deer in the autumn.
Turnips may need to be planted as early as August if you live in an area where things freeze sooner than normal.
Otherwise, depending on when your first significant freeze usually occurs, it might be okay to plant in September or even November.
It will be crucial to understand how to care for the turnips in addition to when to sow them. To ensure that your turnips develop properly, you must plant them in the proper soil.
It will also be beneficial to pay attention to the turnips’ watering schedule and lighting conditions. The turnips in the food plot can offer the deer in your yard excellent nutrition if you can take good care of them.
References
- https://mybackyardlife.com/when-to-plant-turnips-for-deer/
- https://bowaddicted.com/planting-turnips-for-deer/
