Purple Top turnip Experiment

[Geno C]

this is the second year i have experimented with them in my yard (not as a food plot) and i have noticed that the greens produce very high and lush but the turnip never makes... it starts and is small but it grows to much on top of the soil and doesnt grow in the soil?

 

i limed and fertilized it twice since it was planted back in early may. PH is around 6.5

 

can i just have a bad seed blend? or maybe it needs more full sun to produce? in any event the leaf is very tall and lush but it never makes a turnip. id think by now it would have a nice size turnip on it since it was planted well over 50 days ago.

 

any one else have an issue with growing purple tops or have any advice?

 

thanks

[landtracdeerhunter]

Sounds like your seed is to close together. Garden- plant seed 2 inches apart and later thin to 4 inches once the plants have a good start.

[Fantail]

50-60 days, good sunlight, sounds about right. I don't think they like the heat of summer though. 

Funny how the seed looks like granola.

[growalot]

You said in your yard....do you mean you just tossed the seed out in the lawn or you loosened the soil  several inches and smoothed it out then planted?

 

lime is fine but fertilizer is important...tall leafy greens means great nitrogen...great if you want greens...but bulbs need higher amounts of potassium and phosphorus to develop

[G-Man]

Purple tops grow at least 1/2 of the bulb out of the ground why a the tops are purple. If yours are more than this, they are to close together or you have hard tough soil. They do best in sandy/loamy soil that loosenend 4 in deep.

[Geno C]

maybe i should add more to it.

 

 no it was not thrown onto the lawn lol... 5 foot wide by 15  foot long, pure loosened soil few hours in sun, the rest of the day in slight shade.

 

i am thinking its due to maybe over seeding? i was hoping it wasnt the seed itself since i have so much of it. i did not thin the area out after growth.

[Renegade Hunter]

I experimented with turnips last year. Used lime and fertilizer. I was getting about the same as you are explaining. Very little bulbs. I loosened up the soil also but only with a small push tiller. Talked to an older guy at work and he says his grow between softball and football size. Says you need to dig deep to give them good room and soil to grow.

[SplitG2]

don't overseed and they need nitrogen.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Purple tops grow at least 1/2 of the bulb out of the ground why a the tops are purple. If yours are more than this, they are to close together or you have hard tough soil. They do best in sandy/loamy soil that loosenend 4 in deep.

 

Yes, I like a till depth of 4 to 6 inches.

[Geno C]

The fert I used was 10-10-10, so I should use higher nitrogen?

[growalot]

Fertilize

One month after sowing if you didn't add any manure to the soil, apply some complete fertilizer. Turnips do not need too much fertilizer or they will put all their energy into the leaf part, but the root will be small. If you are growing turnips for the leaves, then fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer. If you want to eat the roots, do not use a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen.

While the weather is cool, plant successive crops at three-week intervals. Stop sowing 5 weeks before expected 80-degree weather.

If you want a late crop of turnips, sow them in late summer.

 

 

Step 4 - Water and Feed Turnip Plants

Water your turnips weekly or often enough to keep soil moist, never allowing to dry out. Without enough water, turnips will grow slowly, producing woody turnips with an overly strong flavor. Weed your garden regularly; applying mulch in between rows will help keep out weeds. If growing for the greens, apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer for best results. For roots, use an organic fertilizer or low-nitrogen fertilizer for best results.

 

 

Step 2

Fertilize the turnips with compost after they have been planted. Turnips do not like manure as a fertilizer. Manure can add too much nitrogen and make the turnips have a bad flavor. Add 2 to 3 pounds of a 10-20-10 fertilizer over every 100 square feet of turnips. This will average out to approximately 1 cup of fertilizer for each 10-foot row.

 

Edited July 8, 2013 by growalot

[SplitG2]

i have always disced in 46-0-0 at planting and always got softball size turnips and huge leaves.  the only time i have had issues is when i overseeded.

[SplitG2]

here is a PPT and GHR.

[landtracdeerhunter]

here is a PPT and GHR.

 

Nothing to shake a stick at, LOL.

 

[landtracdeerhunter]

i have always disced in 46-0-0 at planting and always got softball size turnips and huge leaves.  the only time i have had issues is when i overseeded.

 

How many lb/ acre Spit?

 

[WesternNY]

Remember fertilizer numbers represent the % in weight of the total bag.  So 10-10-10 in a 50 pound bag has 10% of each, or 5# of each, 15 pounds total fert and the rest is filler.  N-P-K  Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium.

 

Using a combo of 0-20-20 and 46-0-0 is often more economical, depending on your crop and soil test.

 

I think 0-20-20 is around $13 a 50 pound bag, and 46-0-0 is around $15.50

15-15-15 is around $14 to 15 per 50 pounds.

[SplitG2]

How many lb/ acre Spit?

5 lbs. An acre for brassica/rape. If mixed with GHR..3lbs brassica / rape and 4 lbs GHR

[Geno C]

here is a PPT and GHR.

Holy crap!! Lol that's huge... Thanks for the advice, I never did turnips so these were just backyard trials. I do think I went heavy on the seed tho

[Geno C]

Remember fertilizer numbers represent the % in weight of the total bag. So 10-10-10 in a 50 pound bag has 10% of each, or 5# of each, 15 pounds total fert and the rest is filler. N-P-K Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium.

Using a combo of 0-20-20 and 46-0-0 is often more economical, depending on your crop and soil test.

I think 0-20-20 is around $13 a 50 pound bag, and 46-0-0 is around $15.50

15-15-15 is around $14 to 15 per 50 pounds.

Thanks for the info, I'm glad I asked... I've done many food plots in the past wih great results but this was the second year with the PTT and no bulb results.