EW Strips

[strawhead]

I have put in EW strips the last couple of years with not much success. Have killed with gly, tillled, broadcast, packed and fertilized. First year gave a shot of urea when EW was a foot tall right before a rain. I can grow the best looking strip of grasses around. Both years the grasses have outgrown and dominated the strips. EW gets about 5-6ft tall and THIN. I have not tried broadcasting after spraying and knocking down the old thatch on top, to keep newly tilled up grasses from taking over. I am really hoping to improve my screens if I can be told what I'm doing wrong. THANK YOU

 

[dipper]

I think a couple things might be going on. One of them being you could be planting too early, for your area. EW doesn't do much of anything when that soil temperature isn't warm enough. Same with air temp. If you are planting too early, the cool season grass is able to creep back into your prepped soil, before the EW is able to surpress it. EW smothers everything besides pigweed on my place.

I'm assuming your planting rate not too thin. I believe you can use Simizine, which is preemergent, but I never do. Higher soil organic matter makes alot better screens, how's your soil?

I'm leaning you are planting way too early, for your temperatures.

 

[strawhead]

Early might be the biggest factor. I would have said I broadcast to the heavy side of 6-8lbs per acre, using a square foot conversion. The field behind the first screen had an organic matter of 3.4. The other strip, the close field had an O.M. of 4.8. We have a medium clay make up for soil. Is there a certain minimum soil temp I should be trying for before planting the EW seed?

 

[dipper]

I can't remember for certain, maybe someone else knows for sure, but I think 70 degrees.
You might not be able to get enough of a growing season up there either. I don't know

 

[Riggsgwp->]

65 to 70 degrees is what I read and that is probably June for me. Not sure where you're located.

 

[strawhead]

Located Sawyer Co. Wisconsin, ag zone 3b.

 

[Spiider]

Here is my own "best of" notes between Dbltree and Ed Spin and ???.

Egyptian Wheat Screens
http://www.iowawhitetail.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28421&page=5

1 acre input

6#'s of seed
100-200#'s of 46-0-0 urea/acre
200-400#'s of 6-24-24 (optional depending on soil)
2-4 quarts of atrazine or simazine per acre

Let's say we want to plant a 6' wide EW screen along the end of an 80 (1320' wide) 1320 x 6 = 7920 sq. ft. divided by 43,560 (sq feet in 1 acre) = roughly 18%

6 x 18%= 1.08 #'s of seed
200 x 18% = 36#'s of urea
4 x 18% = roughly a pint an a 1/2 of herbicide


· Thoroughly disc well before planting

· Spray for weeds early May with Gly at 2-3oz/acre (if applicable)

· Till in 100-200#'s of Urea, 200-400#'s of 6-24-24 (if applicable) before planting

· Plant end of May/early June (60 degree soil temp)

· Seed at 6-8 lbs per acre

· Culti-pack twice after spreading seed

· Spray Simazine at roughly 2-4 quarts/acre right after time of planting (or Atrazine at 2-4 quarts/acre)

· Apply one more shot of Urea before a rain when it is knee high