Has anyone used it in a plot for weed suppression in a spring planting? I’m aware of all the other more traditional cover crops- specifically looking for Oil Seed feedback, I was told it also provides bio fumigation benefits when tilled in.

I use it for cover crops and have noticed fewer weeds in spring planted radish then fall or late summer plantings my thoughts are cooler temps and more moisture enable it to get ahead and shade out weeds
eliminating host plants in crop rotation does that maybe benefits from radish family plants don't know The roots do hold nutrients that benefit the next crop Buckwheat is another good one but very susceptible to frost

I’m not really sure about weed suppression, but nutrient retention and removing compaction they work great.

Jeff & Bob,
Thanks for the feedback, I inquired about it at our local feed mill today and the owner highly recommended it. I plan to try it on (2) kill plots this spring and till it for fall planting

I also know deer love them when I use them in the field the deer eat them down into the frozen ground.

Is your hope to make it all the way until your fall plot or will you have a fallow period between? Radishes are like a 60 day crop, right?

It said they can be harvested in 60-90 days- my assumption (you know what that means) was to leave them until late July or early August and till them under for fall brassica planting

Oil seed radish is a brassica (Rapeseed) similar to canola difference is rape overwinters and goes to seed canola matures in the same year

So it will go to seed if planted in spring and is allowed to mature, right?

If that is the case, it could cause crowding in your next planting if you get viable seed production from it and then work it in. Not really an issue in food plot, but I know farmers have to worry about it if it gets planted too soon in the fall. The plant can become a weed in next cash crop.

Same thing can happen with buckwheat if planted too soon and goes to seed before you are ready to work up for fall planting. You plant fall food plot after having a crop of buckwheat and get a bunch of volunteer buckwheat taking up room in plot. Personally I would rather have the oilseed radish in fall than buckwheat so that is working for you.

No oil seed radish has to go dormant to produce seed like winter wheat and winter rye And yes it will crowd out everything if left including itself

yes it will seed this year - it is an annual - maturity of 60-75 days - cool season broadleaf

winter wheat and winter rye do not have to go dormant - they will produce seed just fine if you plant them in the spring - they can survive dormancy but do not have to have it

radishes will flower after top growth and set seed after flowering - most folks terminate before viable seed is dried down

I
My thought process is to plant it in early spring to choke out weeds- it should help aerate the soil because this is a landing area on a logging road that was compacted with traffic, upon maturity I would mow it and till it under for a fall planting- at least that's the plan.

weeds help aerate the soil too.......

consider rapeseed as well - smaller seed equates to more seeds per lb - I prefer rapeseed over radishes/turnips unless I want to eat turnips.......

as you are in WIS - checkout Deer Creek Seeds - online orders pretty easy and very nice selections of brassicas

I historically have purchased the majority of my seed from Deer Creek- I reached out them today and they highly recommend oil seed radish for spring planting as a cover crop, they also said you can mix it with annual rye for a blanket that keeps weeds out and till before fall. We had good success but overgrazed last year with Dwarf Essex Rape so we're expanding that offering this fall with buck forage oats- thanks for all the feedback.

Eagleye, sounds like you have a good plan in place. Please take some pictures and share how it turns out. I always enjoy seeing what others are doing. I might try it in a spot to see how well it works.

Personally I love the buckwheat and all the bees, but I always have that issue with having to wait until after last frost to plant.

If folks decide to use radishes in the fall, I would use in a mixture, especially if you have any amount of slope in plot. The radishes do a nice job loosing the soil, but can lead to serious erosion in spring if you have a solid stand.

WIMarshRAT,
That is a nice-looking plot of Buck Wheat, I looked up some of the digestibility traits - it showed an impressive crude protein value of 15-25%. It also mentioned it thrives in sandy soils, we're mostly clay but that could be an advantage to many Wisconsin counties- I will try it in the near future. Thanks

The deer ate a little, but not like a fall plot. But that was also my goal.

Here is a picture when we rolled it down after spreading the fall plot seed. I had to stand on top of four wheeler to spread seed into it since it was so tall. Due to maturity of buckwheat, I didn’t need to spray. It just snapped off as I ran the roller over it.

"The deer ate a little, but not like a fall plot. But that was also my goal"

Same goal here- I want to offer a variety but not have one specific area overgrazed- Buckwheat was listed as a Moderate Browse level... that can be an advantage in smaller kill plots where prepping for fall planting is the main goal

Man that's the best looking stand of buckwheat I have seen. My experience with buckwheat is that the deer target it first when it's in a mix. They mow it right down, then after a couple frosts, they work on the brassicas.

I have sandy soil and you have convinced me to try an entire plot of buckwheat, I ordered 100lbs from Deer Creek. I'll probably wait until Mid-May to plant which means weed and clover will be up, so I'll have to disc weeds under before planting. I usually plant brassicas about the first of August, but we'll see how long the buckwheat lasts. Should be fun to see.