Winter Wheat
- Thread starter Perry
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X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
You can plant it anytime, but what you get out of it depends on temperatures - air and soil -- going forward. It's certainly well past any reasonable date for commercial wheat production. But, you might get a little tillering if the soil is warm enough for germination. If not, then the seed just sits there and rots. If it does germinate and the ground freezes to a depth of an inch or two for a couple days, the plant will probably die. Extended temperatures in the low teens will kill a young plant as well. So, if you are far enough south you might see some green. Otherwise the risks are great and even if you beat the odds, what have you gained?
catscratch
Well-Known Member
Have you thought of planting "Spring Wheat"?
j-bird
Well-Known Member
I just want to make a note on the chart above.....that is GROUND TEMP - not air temp! Ground temp is very important when looking at planting times. I live in farm country and the farmers pay real close attention to ground temps when trying to get into the fields to plant the corn and beans and still try to take advantage of the spring rains. Here is just one source to see what the soil temp is in your general area. There are many sources for this info out there because it's such a huge factor for the farming community.
https://www.agweb.com/weather/soil-temperatures/
https://www.agweb.com/weather/soil-temperatures/
Winter wheat will usually sprout after getting enough moisture if it can get any kind of warm days.The big reason farmers plant at a certain time is that the plant needs to mature past a stage so that the grain head stays connected to the growing stem.Usually my biggest issue with wheat seed laying to long is turkeys digging it up or eating whats on top.I planted wheat last year in nov in Kansas and it came up fine but we had some warmer days
X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
I've been trying to find some historic average soil temperatures over time at various locations throughout the country. I've used them before for planning purposes and now I can't find them in an easy to use format. Just like we have temperature 'normals' soil temperature 'normals' are recorded as well.
I wanted to make a point and to show, coming out of winter how long it takes to get soil temps up to 38-degrees. Of course,it depends on where you are. For me, where I am, the issue of spring seeding food plots for an early food source is a non-starter. By the time soil temps are right, the rest of nature has unrolled her greenery. The only food plots with any attraction are those that got planted in the fall
I wanted to make a point and to show, coming out of winter how long it takes to get soil temps up to 38-degrees. Of course,it depends on where you are. For me, where I am, the issue of spring seeding food plots for an early food source is a non-starter. By the time soil temps are right, the rest of nature has unrolled her greenery. The only food plots with any attraction are those that got planted in the fall
DocHolladay
Well-Known Member
We planted spring oats and they did well. Like spring wheat, they are "designed" grow and produce heads fairly quickly. Our oats were planted in April and were up, headed out and eaten by the first of July, if not a couple weeks earlier. I'm glad they were eaten. The stems laid on the ground and provided some protective covering until we decided to plant in Sept. It allowed some natives/weeds to grow, but the deer and other wildlife put those to good use also.
X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
All the stocking are hung by the chimney with care. Merry Christmas everyone! GOD Bless us all! I'm just trying to stay out of my wife's way. Duck and cover.
As I sat at my computer looking for a spreadsheet that had her gift list on it I came across the soil temperature info I thought I lost.
The original question was, "How late can you plant winter wheat in the south?" Then we found out oats would germinate when soil temperatures are above 38-degrees. Winter wheat is about the same or just a little colder.
Then the question was, "Is there any problem with planting winter wheat in the spring?"
So, I'm hung up on soil temperature. If the soil temperature needs to be 35 to 38 degrees, I have to ask, over what period of time?
Lets look at soil temperatures for one location way up north - In New York State up Chainsaw's way. It's more limiting and interesting than something further south. We will deal with the southern example down south of here.
For each month for the listed years, the minimum daily average temperature at a depth of two inches is given.
When that minimum daily average is less than 38-degrees, the cell is red.
Let's make a rule that we cannot plant in any months where all the cells in a column (month) are red, or, below 38-degrees. If a month has some red and some white cells, we can plant with some risk.
In the fall we won't plant past the 15th of the month. In the spring, we won't plant before the 15th of the month. The safe bet is the month before or after a month with a red cell. October in the fall, and just for conversation, May in the spring. We might do November or April, but never Dec, Jan, or Feb. -- way up North
Here's the same table for Pee Dee, South Carolina
For food plot purposes, what's to stop planting winter wheat in any of the cool months? I don't know. Anybody?
I do this because I think it's fun stuff (ok, just shoot me) and it makes my wife wonder what I'm doing back here!
The data is from NRCS placed stations and sensors. Some states have more than others. Here are some links should you wish to take a crack at something close to you.
Help and Tutorials: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/report_generator/report_generator_landing.htm
Current and historic data: https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/nwcc/rgrpt?report=daily_scan_por&state=SC
Change the criteria (state and station) to some place important to you.
As I sat at my computer looking for a spreadsheet that had her gift list on it I came across the soil temperature info I thought I lost.
The original question was, "How late can you plant winter wheat in the south?" Then we found out oats would germinate when soil temperatures are above 38-degrees. Winter wheat is about the same or just a little colder.
Then the question was, "Is there any problem with planting winter wheat in the spring?"
So, I'm hung up on soil temperature. If the soil temperature needs to be 35 to 38 degrees, I have to ask, over what period of time?
Lets look at soil temperatures for one location way up north - In New York State up Chainsaw's way. It's more limiting and interesting than something further south. We will deal with the southern example down south of here.
For each month for the listed years, the minimum daily average temperature at a depth of two inches is given.
When that minimum daily average is less than 38-degrees, the cell is red.
Let's make a rule that we cannot plant in any months where all the cells in a column (month) are red, or, below 38-degrees. If a month has some red and some white cells, we can plant with some risk.
In the fall we won't plant past the 15th of the month. In the spring, we won't plant before the 15th of the month. The safe bet is the month before or after a month with a red cell. October in the fall, and just for conversation, May in the spring. We might do November or April, but never Dec, Jan, or Feb. -- way up North
Here's the same table for Pee Dee, South Carolina
For food plot purposes, what's to stop planting winter wheat in any of the cool months? I don't know. Anybody?
I do this because I think it's fun stuff (ok, just shoot me) and it makes my wife wonder what I'm doing back here!
The data is from NRCS placed stations and sensors. Some states have more than others. Here are some links should you wish to take a crack at something close to you.
Help and Tutorials: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/report_generator/report_generator_landing.htm
Current and historic data: https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/nwcc/rgrpt?report=daily_scan_por&state=SC
Change the criteria (state and station) to some place important to you.
Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
That is a very interesting chart. I normally plant half of my daylily seeds in late November; some years they break ground about April 20, last year they broke ground in May. Mystery solved, April soil was 34 degree average last year. One of the drawbacks about planting daylily seeds during the cold months is that some seeds an acceptably small amount do frost heave and eventually germinate on top of the soil where their survival is unlikely.
Would some wheat seeds also frost heave? Possible.
Edit- X-Farmer Dan--forwarded the charts to the daylily forum; those that grow from seeds will find it interesting and helpful.
Would some wheat seeds also frost heave? Possible.
Edit- X-Farmer Dan--forwarded the charts to the daylily forum; those that grow from seeds will find it interesting and helpful.
Last edited:
X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
Cool! Thanks! By the way, it temperatures are for Geneva.
I looked at raw data daily data for 2017 and 2016. This year, in 2017, daily average soil temps took a leap from the 30's to the mid-40's about March 20. In 2016 it occured much earlier in March.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
When I was on the farm as a kid, I remember planting cereals as soon as the field was dry enough to carry equipment in spring. I'd use the same benchmark for a plot. Even if you get it wrong, get another $10 in seed and try again two weeks later .
I buy my wheat by the ton. Little expensive in money and time to have to plant twice.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
Those must be some doozies when it comes to food plots.
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