How long without rain??

[SWIFFY]

Hey folks,

So I planted a few rye/brassica plots in early July. Went close to a month with no real rain. Everything seemed burnt and only the waterhemp weeds had grown. So ive sprayed replanted 2 of them, 1 in disced and dragged black dirt, the other in heavy thatch. Its now been about 10 days with no rain.

Just curious how long that seed can there before you consider it a loss and replant?? I know a lot of the seed near the top has been eaten by the birds, but how long can one hold out hope for?

Thanks

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The seed you planted can be viable for a long, long time. It definitely could sprout a month (or year) later if you hit a wet stretch. The problem is that you probably have weed seeds that will sprout quicker though and choke out the food plot seeds. Weeds seem to have no problems sprouting at any time.

If you have a bunch of weeds sprouting and no good stuff, I'd start over. If you don't have a weed problem, I'd hold off and see how it looks after you get some rain. Your seed is probably fine and should do fine.

 

[Bill]

I agree with Ben. I had rye pretty much lay there all fall once. It came up in the spring.

Brassicas are hard shelled. I bet they can sit for quite a while..

 

[sagittarius]

Rye and brassicas are among the easiest things to grow. They generally germinate very easy. That said, what could have happened is that they got just enough rain to germinate, then dried up with heat and lack of rain? If that is the case, then replant. If they did not germinate, maybe they still will, or are victim to some past herbicide residue?

 

[SWIFFY]

Rye and brassicas are among the easiest things to grow.

Thats just it... Ive always had such luck and its been SO easy to get a good plot. I cant remember the last time weve had conditions like this. Ive always said that rye will grow on concrete if you get it wet... but yeah... its gotta get wet!

Thanks for the hope! At least theres still plenty of time for a good plot. I better get back to my rain dance.

 

[g squared 23]

I won’t replant the same thing ever unless a flash flood washed the seed out and I have the same time frame to produce. I will overseed/plant something different when the dates hits that the original planting will not have enough tome to mature and make a good crop, and I will plant something with a shorter growing season.

E.g. if I plant sunflowers and they don’t make by early June, I will move on to a shorter season millet.

If the brassicas aren’t well on their way, they get overseeded with wheat and rye. (I normally plan to overseed the thin spots anyway). Rain will eventually come, but our July precipitation is normally minimal at best, so brassica failure happens. Rye failures after labor are rare, but they happen too.

I put down some rye in early-mid october last year as a last ditch effort. Didn’t get a whole lot of moisture until the snows came, so that stuff didn’t come up until this spring.

I think a tiny bit of rain in a tilled dirt field is the worst case scenario. Just enough moisture to allow them to germinate followed by drought and heat means the seedlings are trying to grow in a desert. That’s one of the huge benefits of a thatch layer (throw and mow) which should hold more moisture and allow the seedlings to get started out of the direct sun rays.

With ample moisture, the results with tillage will be better, but with minimal to just adequate moisture (my almost permanent summer/fall conditions), throw and grow is king.



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[swat1018]

I've had brassica lay in the dust for a long time without rain, then sprout when the showers come.