Buckwheat

[Cuervo]

A friend has a field he isn't too sure what to do with for various reasons. If we just plant the field in buckwheat this spring and plan to double crop it, can you just let it stand and reseed itself, or it is necessary to roll it or mow it? After it dies in the fall, will it reseed itself in the spring?

thanks

 

[wiscwhip]

It will work either way, but we had our best results when we rolled it with a cultipacker. I don't know exactly where you are at, so it would be hard to say if it would start to regrow a third crop or if you are in a cold enough area that the temps would put off germination until next spring. That said you will continue to get volunteer buckwheat for a short time, some guys have very heavy crops and issues with it popping up when they don't want it, but it is very easy to terminate and it was never an issue for us, we welcomed pretty much anything a deer would eat in our plots, especially if the seed was "free".

 

[Cuervo]

Sorry, I'm in the sands of Central Wisconsin...Waushara County to be exact. So do you think he could expect a decent stand in the spring from volunteer seed?

 

[bueller]

Welcome Cuervo. Both wiscwhip and I (and several others here) have experience in the sand counties of central wisconsin. You can double crop this year, if you seed twice. Volunteer buckwheat will sprout but it won't be nearly as good of a plot as if it is seeded twice. I personally wouldn't double crop it in this area. I would plant it around Memorial Day and then later this summer cut or roll it after overseeding with rye and maybe some radish. You will get the some volunteer buckwheat with this also and this plot will carry you into next spring.

 

[2ndHand]

I am planting Buckwheat for the first time in the sands of west central WI (Jackson County - this will be my first crop ever). I am planning on broadcasting then dragging with a screen. Going to reseed in the fall with rye type mix.

Best of Luck!

 

[wiscwhip]

Welcome Cuervo. Both wiscwhip and I (and several others here) have experience in the sand counties of central wisconsin. You can double crop this year, if you seed twice. Volunteer buckwheat will sprout but it won't be nearly as good of a plot as if it is seeded twice. I personally wouldn't double crop it in this area. I would plant it around Memorial Day and then later this summer cut or roll it after overseeding with rye and maybe some radish. You will get the some volunteer buckwheat with this also and this plot will carry you into next spring.

Exactly like we did it many times bueller. We would seed BW right around the first of June, around August 15th or so broadcast the fall mix of winter rye, PPT, daikon radish, and sometimes a mixture of red and white clover(which we eventually gave up on). Roll the whole thing down and reseed the BW with the fall seeding. The BW will pop right along with the fall seeds and will be killed by frost before it has time to set seed again. You may get a few BW plants the following spring if they did not germinate that fall or get eaten by turkeys or other birds.

 

[Cuervo]

Thanks Bueller and Wiscwhip. I have read your posts about dealing with the sandy soil in the past. That's why I'm also planting Buckwheat this year after experiencing failure last year. If I have more questions, I'll know who to ask.

Thanks again.

 

[bueller]

Thanks Bueller and Wiscwhip. I have read your posts about dealing with the sandy soil in the past. That's why I'm also planting Buckwheat this year after experiencing failure last year. If I have more questions, I'll know who to ask.

Thanks again.

Anytime Cuervo. If it continues to rain this spring the buckwheat should do well. Please share some pics of the plot later this summer if you can.