What fast brassica can I sow on good soil for multiple grazings for lambs?
We recommend our Karaka Leafy Turnip. It is an annual hybrid brassica that gives quick, high-quality, palatable feed and delivers high yields through multiple grazings when grown on fertile soils and managed well. It suits loam to heavy soils in areas with 500mm+ rainfall. Sow it at 4–5 kg/ha.
How much leafy turnip seed per hectare?
Sow our Karaka Leafy Turnip at 4–5 kg/ha as a single species. The seed is small, so sow it shallow into a fine, firm seedbed with good moisture, then roll for good seed-to-soil contact. Reduce the rate if you are adding it to a mix.
What rainfall and soils does Karaka turnip need?
Karaka Leafy Turnip suits areas with 500mm+ rainfall, or irrigation, and performs best on fertile loam to heavy soils. Yield depends on good fertility, so soil test first and apply fertiliser to suit. It is well suited to higher-rainfall South West and Great Southern paddocks.
I need a quick feed option to fill the gap before my pasture gets going. Any ideas?
Karaka Leafy Turnip is a fast-growing option for this. It establishes quickly and gives highly palatable, high quality feed, then regrows for further grazings with good management. Sow into moist, fertile soil at 4–5 kg/ha, and graze once plants are well anchored.
Are there health risks grazing stock on turnips or other brassicas?
Yes, brassicas can cause animal health problems if stock are switched onto them suddenly. With Karaka Leafy Turnip, we recommend introducing animals gradually, giving them hay or pasture as well, and not putting hungry stock onto the crop. Talk to your vet or to us about a safe transition.
How should I graze Karaka so it comes back for another grazing?
To get multiple grazings from Karaka Leafy Turnip, we recommend not grazing it too hard: leave enough leaf for the plant to regrow, then give it time to recover before returning stock. Karaka gives high yields over multiple grazings when grown on fertile soils and managed well, so keep soil fertility up.
What should I sow with a forage brassica to balance the diet?
We advise sowing a forage brassica with other species and supplementing the diet with another feed source. For example, our Winfred Forage Brassica can be sown with Italian ryegrass, herbs and clovers, including Shirohie Millet and Tonic Plantain. Karaka Leafy Turnip gives quick, high-quality, palatable feed through multiple grazes on fertile loam to heavy soils. Ask us about our Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends.
My soil is light and sandy with low fertility. Is leafy turnip suitable?
Karaka Leafy Turnip is best suited to fertile loam to heavy soils, so it's not our first pick for poor sands. On light country, we suggest our Buster Tillage Radish, which suits sandy soils with 400mm+ rainfall. Tell us about your paddock and we'll suggest the right brassica.
Can I cut a leafy turnip crop for silage?
Karaka Leafy Turnip is mainly a grazing crop, valued for multiple grazings of highly palatable feed. Brassicas have a high moisture content, which makes them harder to conserve than cereals or grasses. For silage or hay, we'd generally recommend Joey Triticale, Saia Oats or our Silahay Pasture Mix instead.
Karaka Leafy Turnip vs Winfred Forage Brassica: what's the difference?
Both are fast, palatable forage brassicas that regraze. We recommend Karaka Leafy Turnip for fertile loam to heavy soils with 500mm+ rainfall, where it gives high yields over multiple grazings. Winfred Forage Brassica is a turnip and kale cross suited to sandy to heavy soils, with good drought and frost tolerance and 2 to 4 grazings from 10 to 12 weeks after sowing.
