Frost seeding Rye?
- Thread starter SWIFFY
- Start date
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
If the seed survives birds, and other hungry critters, it should. If you have snow on the ground, I would wait.
FarmerDan
5 year old buck +
Don't know firsthand. Never tried but, but I think you're hoping for a lot. Most plant seed need certain soil temperatures to begin germination. The hard seeds like SOME clovers fare better than most. Small grains have a fairly soft seed coat. What I see is quick absorption of the water necessary to start germination, but it won't happen because soil is too cold. The outcome - rotting seed. Just a theory I have...
Natty Bumppo
5 year old buck +
I'd wait. You risk losing a lot of it to birds and other critters. You risk it rotting. And since it won't germinate now, there's nothing to gain that's worth those risks IMHO.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Just to be clear, WR is too large to actually frost seed. True frost seeding is done with small hard seed. It is most effective when daytime temperatures are warm enough to melt at least the top inch or so of soil and night time temperatures are cold enough to freeze it. This causes heaving of the soil creating crevasses that draw small seed like clover into the germination layer of the soil. Winter Rye is too large for this to be effective.
Having said that, you can get good germination rates with winter rye by surface broadcasting. As others have said and for the reasons they have listed, you will be much better off surface broadcasting it next spring. Whether you want to do that or not really depends on your plan for next year. If you plan to replant beans in that field or most other warm season annuals, you won't have time for the WR to do much.
You really need to make the decision as to what to do based on your larger plan.
Thanks,
Jack
Having said that, you can get good germination rates with winter rye by surface broadcasting. As others have said and for the reasons they have listed, you will be much better off surface broadcasting it next spring. Whether you want to do that or not really depends on your plan for next year. If you plan to replant beans in that field or most other warm season annuals, you won't have time for the WR to do much.
You really need to make the decision as to what to do based on your larger plan.
Thanks,
Jack
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
Let me buck everyone else’s suggestions, winter rye will germinate in temps into the mid 20’s, and with winters being warmer and warmer lately, if there isn’t any snow on the ground, and the seed can get to the soil now, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got growth out of it this year yet, and that would give some head start to next spring.
But in saying that, you more then likely won’t get much growth this year, if it does germinate, so giving it minimal advantage, if it does germinate, and chances are less then half will germinate if we get a mild fall, early winter. But if we get a mild fall, winter, and an early spring, the deer would certainly enjoy the early fresh green up from the winter rye if you planted now.
In my opinion , if you don’t have snow, put it down, what are you out? $30 for seed for an acre? If you have snow, then keep it for next year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
But in saying that, you more then likely won’t get much growth this year, if it does germinate, so giving it minimal advantage, if it does germinate, and chances are less then half will germinate if we get a mild fall, early winter. But if we get a mild fall, winter, and an early spring, the deer would certainly enjoy the early fresh green up from the winter rye if you planted now.
In my opinion , if you don’t have snow, put it down, what are you out? $30 for seed for an acre? If you have snow, then keep it for next year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
