Iron & Clay Cowpeas turning yellow

[Fallow Farm]

My cow peas are 33 days old. Some of them are turning yellow, of those, a lot are 3-5” tall. No browsing by the deer on these plants. Very weak looking plants. Some are doing great. Dark green, would be pretty tall if the deer hadn’t browsed them back significantly.

I did not do a soil test. We have dark black North central TX clay. Generally, very fertile soil.

I applied about 400 lbs/ac of 19-19-19.

It has been a very wet year. 30” or so rain so far this year.

I did inoculate them. I have not previously planted inoculated peas here (first year).

I did plant oats, wheat, rye, turnips, winter peas and some clover in the fall and had the thickest most beautiful food plot I have ever planted. It’s very good soil.

I have planted peas in much poorer soil with much better results.

Anyone care to take a stab at possible issues?

 

[SD51555]

Too wet, no oxygen?


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[Fallow Farm]

Too wet, no oxygen?


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Maybe too wet.

 

[Fallow Farm]

The small yellowish ones are not getting grazed. The tall green ones are being grazed hard.

 

[Fallow Farm]

I pulled 30 or so plants in different areas to see if the little white nitrogen producing nodes are present on the roots. About 1/3 or so had nodes. Some on big plants some on smaller yellow plants. It’s not scientific, but it’s interesting.

Inoculated peas will grow bigger and greener than ones not inoculated

 

[bigboreblr]

Could it be nitrogen burn? 400lbs acre on triple 19 seem a bit rich in already rich soil.

What did you do for seed prep? Disc, rototill.

These spots might of gotten too much fertilizer?

I have rhe option of triplr 15 or 19 at my dealer. I always go for the 15.

once the rain calms a week or so, take a soil test.

How are you spreading the fertilizer?

 

[FarmerDan]

Too wet, no oxygen?


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This. Simply this. Comment was made about some looking good. With 30” of rain there is likely to have been some ponding. If the soil doesn't drain well game cancelled even after ponding disappears.

 

[Fallow Farm]

Oops. I gave you bad info on the N.

I checked my ticket, it was 400 lbs total. I put that on a little over 1.6 ac, so about 250/ac. I wanted the potassium and phosphorus, but the coop didn’t have any mixes that gave me what I wanted without the N.

I use the spreader from the COOP. Set the gate small and make 3 passes to make sure I get even coverage.

I disc it in after I broadcast the seed.

I believe the peas fix more N later on, once the roots really get out there and the nodules develop further. I don't think they have contributed much N yet.

 

[Fallow Farm]

This. Simply this. Comment was made about some looking good. With 30” of rain there is likely to have been aome ponding. If yhe soil doesnt drain well game cancelled even after pondong disappears.

Yeah, that was my first thought. Peas don’t like poorly drained soils.

 

[bigboreblr]

Usually rhe nitrogen release is when the roots decay. Some clay soils could help more by adjusting the pH than adding more nutrients. Definitely grab a soil sample.

250 an acre sounds good and 3 passes sound good too. Soneitmes the turns get too much.

Thought my pH would of been in the low 6s after liming a few times. My clsy soil had great npk, but had a pH of 5.5. After 5 or 6 years of plotting. Adding 1/2 to 3/4's a ton an avre for the next 3 years. Anything disced or tilled in gets 2-3 tons to get it correct. Mostly prepping apple tree plantings and good plot expansions. My pH was showing low by certain weeds and moss in my plantings.


My brother in law probably spends 2 to 3 weeks a year inproving drainage offseason in his fatm fields. Often using drainage pipe in bad spots.

Some folks can help their places with a furrower harrow, subsoiler particularly a torpedo subsoiler, or just plain old backhoe work. I am in NY, but if I did good plots in texas i would put a dam in my drainage. Block the run off sonetimes, somtines keeps the chsnnels holding sone water. Leveling your plots csn be work the effort too.

Many peas n clovers cant survive 5 days underwater.

Keep some plan B seeds around for lows spots that die. Im in NY, so rye, oats, or einter peas arent bad. Crimson clover, rye, or wheat might not be a bad plan B.

A cowotker started reseeding his wet spits and nailed a nice 10 pointer eating in one spkt he threw rye in after a few low dpots died in too much water.

Again this is NY plots, nature throws TX a few more curve balls this early in the year.