Stubble Turnip Uses

• Turnips are used for winter forage for cattle and other livestock. They allow the farmer to extend his growing time because turnips do well in the cooler season when many other common animal feeds do not grow well. The greens and roots are highly digestible and provide a large amount of crude protein for dairy cows. This assists with milk production. The turnips are also harvested and used to fatten up lambs and swine. It takes approximately 10 to 14 weeks from sowing to grazing.
  
  

Bed Preparation with Pre-Emergent Sprays

• Stubble turnips can be sown in empty beds after tilling or into spent fields of cereal stubble. Most growers use glyphosate to control perennial weeds and suppress grasses. Spray this pre-emergent at least a week before seeding the turnips. An herbicide containing paraquat controls annual weeds before planting. Both chemicals are directly sprayed onto cereal stubble to control a variety of competitive weeds and grasses.
  
  

Weed Control During Growth

• No spray herbicides are registered as safe to use during turnip growth. This is why it is important to prepare the seed bed before sowing. Small turnips do not compete well with weeds, but the mature plants handle competition well. The only method used to control weeds when the plants are actively growing is hoeing. In very small beds, individual hand application to the foliage of weeds may be done with a systemic herbicide. The turnip leaves are very sensitive to sprays, which should not be applied anywhere near the plants in case of drift or wind contact.
  
  

Flea Beetle Spray

• Flea beetles are common stubble turnip pests. They feed on the foliage and cause the most concern when they eat the leaves of seedling turnips. They are controlled with a post-emergent insecticide. This is recommended when the defoliation exceeds 50 percent per plant. A foliar spray of diazinon, cypermethrin or deltamethrin is applied when the weather is warm and dry. The turnips may not be grazed for ten to 14 days, depending which formulation is used.