killing wheat

[DiSc0Rd]

ended up planting some WW last year and it did very well. now it is still looking really good and as the temps rise here i expect it to take off. however, i have my buckwheat ready to go and im hesitant about spraying the WW and killing it as it looks so darn good. am i over thinking this and just kill it and plant the buckwheat and spread the WW again around early Sept?

 

[CarolinaDawg]

ended up planting some WW last year and it did very well. now it is still looking really good and as the temps rise here i expect it to take off. however, i have my buckwheat ready to go and im hesitant about spraying the WW and killing it as it looks so darn good. am i over thinking this and just kill it and plant the buckwheat and spread the WW again around early Sept?

Kill it the same day you plant the buckwheat.

 

[yoderjac]

WW has some value to wildlife in general if you let it mature. It will have little food value for deer as it becomes more rank. Deer and turkey will make some use of the seed heads. If you are interested in soil health and providing summer food, killing it and planting buckwheat will provide more value for wildlife. Deer will use the buckwheat when young as it is an annual with lots of energy. It grows fast and can outcompete most weeds. It is great vertical cover as it matures for turkey poults to bug under. As the see heads mature, there is nothing that will hold turkey during the summer like buckwheat. The food value for deer is 60 to 90 days so you will be in good shape to no-till WW into it in the fall if you like.

 

[35-acre]

I completely understand what you're going through. A nice looking field of winter wheat really looks like a great accomplishment. That bluish tint on tall stems is awesome to behold. If you leave it, you might end up with a doe factory. They will drop fawns or leave them to lay down in the sun hidden in the grass. They may even be there now depending on your region.

If I were in your position (and have been) I would crimp it, roll it down or mow it. When I rolled mine, I kicked up 3 fawns in 1 1/2 acres so drive careful. They don't bolt until the last second. Seed your buckwheat and then spray the downed wheat. Within about 12 days you should see some buckwheat popping up. At full maturity the number of bees buzzing the flowers is really something to hear (actually my profile pic is one I took in my field of BW). It sounds like a swarm, and it kind of is. But there will be honey bees, bumble bees, midges, wasps and so on. FWIW, when you terminate the buckwheat, it won't leave much of a stem to help your next seed to grow.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

thanks guys, helps make me feel better about killing a pretty green field

 

[SD51555]

ended up planting some WW last year and it did very well. now it is still looking really good and as the temps rise here i expect it to take off. however, i have my buckwheat ready to go and im hesitant about spraying the WW and killing it as it looks so darn good. am i over thinking this and just kill it and plant the buckwheat and spread the WW again around early Sept?

Is there a reason you want to get the buckwheat in sooner rather than later?

 

[yoderjac]

I don't know what zone the OP is in. I'm in zone 7A. Buckwheat will germinate at pretty cool soil temps, but my experience is that it is lethargic compared to planting it in warmer soils. The optimal soil temp for buckwheat is 80 degrees. I would not plant buckwheat here before late May and I usually wait till at least mid-June.

 

[Tree Spud]

thanks guys, helps make me feel better about killing a pretty green field

You are not just killing, but rather terminating it to become OM in your soil.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Is there a reason you want to get the buckwheat in sooner rather than later?

i wont be putting it in until the ground warms up here but i wanted to figure out if killing the wheat is the best way to go. we havent had 2 days over 50 degrees here yet so the ground wont warm up for a while

 

[yoderjac]

i wont be putting it in until the ground warms up here but i wanted to figure out if killing the wheat is the best way to go. we havent had 2 days over 50 degrees here yet so the ground wont warm up for a while

Just keep in mind that it is soil temp, not air temp that matters.

 

[TreeDaddy]

ended up planting some WW last year and it did very well. now it is still looking really good and as the temps rise here i expect it to take off. however, i have my buckwheat ready to go and im hesitant about spraying the WW and killing it as it looks so darn good. am i over thinking this and just kill it and plant the buckwheat and spread the WW again around early Sept?

I go through this every spring

My plots look like a Native Hunter Land Tour right now

Unfortunately, deer season is in November...........

bill

 

[SD51555]

i wont be putting it in until the ground warms up here but i wanted to figure out if killing the wheat is the best way to go. we havent had 2 days over 50 degrees here yet so the ground wont warm up for a while

If you've got the growing season length, I might let that wheat go the distance. A lot of good happens above and below ground with a mature wheat crop.

 

[SD51555]

This is a 20 bushel crop of buckwheat, what it will pull up. 20-30 is average for yield in BW production areas according to the state of Illinois.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bigboreblr]

How developed is the plot? What grew there before the wheat? What do you want to do after the buckwheat is gone. How are your weeds?

IF funds are tight, or time is tight, nothing wrong letting it go.

One reason folks spring terminate grains is they dont want the seed to get into next seasons crops. IF you dont mind the wheat trying to come back, let her go.

Pure stand of wheat, or you have clover in there too?

 

[DiSc0Rd]

How developed is the plot? What grew there before the wheat? What do you want to do after the buckwheat is gone. How are your weeds?

IF funds are tight, or time is tight, nothing wrong letting it go.

One reason folks spring terminate grains is they dont want the seed to get into next seasons crops. IF you dont mind the wheat trying to come back, let her go.

Pure stand of wheat, or you have clover in there too?

I have the buckwheat on hand I have some that and rye in the past. But, last year my uncle bought to much and had enough to plant my 2 acres with it so I didn't put down rye. So this is my first go with wheat

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I usually let winter wheat go, plant it and roll it down on the new seed. It will be pretty rank before you will have warm enough soil temps for the buckwheat. Or plant it, and spray fly the same day.

 

[Bassattackr]

I'm letting my wheat go this year. Too many positives.. Fawning, turkey and quail nesting cover.. and not to mention food and insect attraction to the seed heads as well..

 

[Bowman]

If you've got the growing season length, I might let that wheat go the distance. A lot of good happens above and below ground with a mature wheat crop.

Yes sir. Seed the buckwheat and mow the wheat after it sets seed. Mulch, roots and free seed. Too much use of chemicals. Why spray when you can use the natural life cycle for more biomass and soil microbe feeding? Onward.