SD's Theory On Natural Seed Resistance to Germination

[SD51555]

Put my money where my snow is. Pushing the science of germination and survival of natural cool season seeds. I had no less than 6 inches of snow as I put my seed down. In this video, I planted:

Spring Trit
Winter Trit
Spring Barley
Winter Rye
Yellow sweet clover
Flax
Phacelia
Chicory
Plantain
Japanese Millet
Collards

The standing water only got japanese millet. I didn't spread the rest onto 6" deep puddles iced over. If I don't get blasted with multiple inches of pounding rain this week, I think this is a should work great. Or I'm gonna have egg on my face. We'll know a whole lot more the next few weeks.

Snow seeding cool season crops

Getting a jump start on my established white clover plot. Planted winter triticale, spring triticale, spring barley, winter rye, chicory, plantain, flax, phacelia, yellow sweet clover, collards, and j

rumble.com

 

[Foggy47]

I was kinda wondering if you got that seeder hooked up and working. Still flinging it, I see.

 

[SD51555]

I was kinda wondering if you got that seeder hooked up and working. Still flinging it, I see.

I got all that stuff laid out yesterday, and I see how the receiver hitch would work slick. I'm gonna go down that path right away and get that quick attach figured out. I'm gonna call can-am this morning and figure out that front mount and then see about getting it welded up.

 

[SD51555]

There's three days of rain in the forecast this week that has me worried about my seeds getting surface pounded, but so far it's looking like it'll be small amounts of rain.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

There's three days of rain in the forecast this week that has me worried about my seeds getting surface pounded, but so far it's looking like it'll be small amounts of rain.

Like clockwork. I take time off work and have tree delivery / pickup scheduled in the middle of 4 days or forecasted rain..

 

[SD51555]

Alright, one week in, and about 36 hours since the snow melted. The cereals are all popping. Moisture is good, weather is good, duff layer is good.

This plot got barley and winter rye.

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[SD51555]

Weather is looking really good to get this whole idea over the top. My biggest fear was hard rain while those seeds were sending sprouts out in mid air searching for soil to anchor themselves. I had that happen to me a few years back. Excellent germination, and then a pounding rain that dislodged all the seeds as they were trying to get rooted.

 

[SD51555]

Here’s the update. Not as high of a take as I expected, but lots did make it. These are the good spots.

I’ve got patchy horsetail coming. I’m going to allow it for now. I need all the roots I can get.

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[SD51555]

Ok, time to wrap this one up. This was another horrible fail trying to find an opening in established white clover. I've since decided I'm never planting a perennial clover ever again. I'm just done with it. It'll partner with all the things deer won't eat, and will not partner with anything deer will eat, so it is over.

I did have some very tiny pockets where things got through, but most of what germinated never did survive. I still think, based on these pockets the idea can work, it just cannot work in white clover. This patch of triticale looks outstanding, and it's a whopping 10 square feet, maybe. The other 99% of the plot, i could count the trit stalks on my fingers and toes.



This is the second year I've spread Japanese millet into cold soil and it's worked. It just doesn't work in white clover. This was spread on 6" of snow and this little patch came full strength, every inch of it.

 

[SD51555]

My conclusion is, this will work. Now that I'm done with white clover, this information is also useless to me. I'm sticking with the biennials and perennials from here. Then I don't have to do anything at all in the spring, including blowing another $100 on seed that ain't gonna take.

 

[jsasker007]

Do you think much of the seed was eaten by birds? Smothered by the clover? Whenever I put new seed in with existing clover I take the disc to the clover first the get some dirt exposed and briefly stunt the clover giving the new stuff a little better chance. Clover bounces back after the abuse and does well.

 

[SD51555]

Do you think much of the seed was eaten by birds? Smothered by the clover? Whenever I put new seed in with existing clover I take the disc to the clover first the get some dirt exposed and briefly stunt the clover giving the new stuff a little better chance. Clover bounces back after the abuse and does well.

I don't think so. I saw lots of seed out there weeks after I spread it, and very high germination. Also the japanese millet is borderline noxious and very tiny. Flax is another that germinates easily, and I found 1 plant. The common denominator in years of failure is trying to do it in white clover. I've since learned that deer will eat YSC at nearly any stage except the one I don't want them to, and that is at biomass production time. I'm just going to move on from it and give this YSC plan a few years and see what happens.

I spread japanese millet onto iced over puddles last year in the spring where there was no white clover. I had so darn much millet it was choking out my billy goat mower going at the slowest speed.

 

[TenPoint]

My conclusion is, this will work. Now that I'm done with white clover, this information is also useless to me. I'm sticking with the biennials and perennials from here. Then I don't have to do anything at all in the spring, including blowing another $100 on seed that ain't gonna take.

Not sure I'd give up one of the most preferred deer foods, but that's just me...

 

[SD51555]

Not sure I'd give up one of the most preferred deer foods, but that's just me...

I was talking with the brain trust last night and they convinced me to try one more time with the WC. The bulk of my place is white clover right now, so the divorce would have to take a while so I’m not left empty handed. Gonna try throwing rye once they begin the fall chow down. I’ll throw a couple bags at it and see what happens.

We may just get back together by June 5th next year.


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[TenPoint]

I was talking with the brain trust last night and they convinced me to try one more time with the WC. The bulk of my place is white clover right now, so the divorce would have to take a while so I’m not left empty handed. Gonna try throwing rye once they begin the fall chow down. I’ll throw a couple bags at it and see what happens.

We may just get back together by June 5th next year.


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I go back and forth on how much of my plots I want in it but it gets hit daily so it’s not the worst thing. I like planting annual plots but I also like the limited maintenance of perennial clover.