Rye vs oats vs winter wheat

[jlane35]

I struggle with diff early on but if you look you can see oats tend to be wider leaf width. And for me, rye has purplish tint when growing, but that may be my regional seed. But if you look close, your rye shows some of that. Come next spring, oats will be gone, rye will be first green up. And wheat will make for some of the prettiest fields you can see. But don't tell Catscratch I said that.

If something that I planted this fall grows they will be the prettiest field for sure. If they look good too, that’s just a bonus. I’m done with monoculture plantings and bare fields come Spring time. I think my deer and turkey will thank me for it.

 

[BenAllgood]

Already planted in my garden.

oatsView attachment 19811
rye
View attachment 19812

I can see the differences but not. I need to sit and stare at it more.

You can see in that pic the oats have that counterclockwise twist to them as if someone grabbed it and twisted.

 

[jsasker007]

If they have enough time, oats will get taller than the wheat and rye.

I must be doing something wrong---oats are always the shortest plants of those three when I grow them. Rye is the tallest when mature.

 

[MarkDarvin]

I must be doing something wrong---oats are always the shortest plants of those three when I grow them. Rye is the tallest when mature.

In the fall?

 

[dogghr]

I must be doing something wrong---oats are always the shortest plants of those three when I grow them. Rye is the tallest when mature.

Yea my oats lucky to make a foot. Deer jump on them like fly on honey.


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[Mennoniteman]

I've planted rye for a lot of years, didn't order any this year. My part of the planet is mostly grass and beans. Probably several square miles of grass for every acre of beans. Corn does pop up once in a while though. I've settled into Awnless Wheat for the heavy lifting in plots. Deer don't eat rye. Doesn't take much imagination to make those grain ID pics almost porn...

Just another proof that evey area is different. In KS your wheat probably stays green all winter long? In PA deer eat rye like candy in the winter and early spring when rye is the only green thing available. I'm not saying that rye is their first choice,, it's their only choice. And I've observed that in the early spring when other things start greening up the deer are still addicted to rye and you almost have to go out and remind them to start eating clover again. This is midwinter rye in PA with a tillage radish at the bottom of pic.

 

[MarkDarvin]

Just another proof that evey area is different. In KS your wheat probably stays green all winter long? In PA deer eat rye like candy in the winter and early spring when rye is the only green thing available. I'm not saying that rye is their first choice,, it's their only choice. And I've observed that in the early spring when other things start greening up the deer are still addicted to rye and you almost have to go out and remind them to start eating clover again. This is midwinter rye in PA with a tillage radish at the bottom of pic.View attachment 19819

You ever tried awnless winter wheat? I got to see some growing side by side with rye for the first time this summer. It's crazy how much longer the wheat stays leafy vs rye. Your deer will get an extra month of early summer grazing on that when rye has turned to straw and seed heads. Can you get your hands on that at a reasonable price out there?

 

[catscratch]

Just another proof that evey area is different. In KS your wheat probably stays green all winter long? In PA deer eat rye like candy in the winter and early spring when rye is the only green thing available. I'm not saying that rye is their first choice,, it's their only choice. And I've observed that in the early spring when other things start greening up the deer are still addicted to rye and you almost have to go out and remind them to start eating clover again. This is midwinter rye in PA with a tillage radish at the bottom of pic.View attachment 19819

Yes sir, it stays green all winter. The deer have lots of choices here but tend towards cut bean fields and wheat in the late winter. Wheat and rye pretty much "look" the same all winter but wheat seems to be the most tasty to them. I have no doubt that rye would be the go-to if wheat wasn't healthy and prospering.

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[KSQ2]

Yes sir, it stays green all winter. The deer have lots of choices here but tend towards cut bean fields and wheat in the late winter. Wheat and rye pretty much "look" the same all winter but wheat seems to be the most tasty to them. I have no doubt that rye would be the go-to if wheat wasn't healthy and prospering.

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The awnless wheat was a major hit for us last year. I also am a fan of rye; so we will plant both again this year.

 

[Mennoniteman]

You ever tried awnless winter wheat? I got to see some growing side by side with rye for the first time this summer. It's crazy how much longer the wheat stays leafy vs rye. Your deer will get an extra month of early summer grazing on that when rye has turned to straw and seed heads. Can you get your hands on that at a reasonable price out there?

We're interested in winter food, early summer grazing is easy street around here, not high on our priorities. We plant spring oats on march 15th, always have lots of ladino clover out, and by the first week of June the soybeans are starting to get grazed. We want that rye turning to straw to no-till our beans into it. And awnless wheat seed is going to be expensive around here.

 

[catscratch]

We're interested in winter food, early summer grazing is easy street around here, not high on our priorities. We plant spring oats on march 15th, always have lots of ladino clover out, and by the first week of June the soybeans are starting to get grazed. We want that rye turning to straw to no-till our beans into it. And awnless wheat seed is going to be expensive around here.

Just curious what awnless costs you? It went up for me this yr but it was still cheaper than bearded wheat and rye.

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[jlane35]

Just curious what awnless costs you? It went up for me this yr but it was still cheaper than bearded wheat and rye.

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My agway couldn’t get it. It cost me 17.50 for 50 pounds and 30 dollars for shipping.

 

[catscratch]

My agway couldn’t get it. It cost me 17.50 for 50 pounds and 30 dollars for shipping.

Dang, that shipping hurts!

I think I paid $18 per bag this year... tax and shipping included. I didn't ask what hard red would have cost as it's always been more expensive in the past, and I don't like it as well. This is the first year in a very long time that I didn't pick up any rye. It's always cost a little more than the wheat for me. Didn't ask what it would have cost this year.

Anyone seeing seed shortages or price differences due to the shutdowns this year?

 

[KSQ2]

Dang, that shipping hurts!

I think I paid $18 per bag this year... tax and shipping included. I didn't ask what hard red would have cost as it's always been more expensive in the past, and I don't like it as well. This is the first year in a very long time that I didn't pick up any rye. It's always cost a little more than the wheat for me. Didn't ask what it would have cost this year.

Anyone seeing seed shortages or price differences due to the shutdowns this year?

I just ordered seed from the coop the first of the week. I didn’t ask about price, hopefully it doesn’t take me by surprise.

 

[jlane35]

Dang, that shipping hurts!

I think I paid $18 per bag this year... tax and shipping included. I didn't ask what hard red would have cost as it's always been more expensive in the past, and I don't like it as well. This is the first year in a very long time that I didn't pick up any rye. It's always cost a little more than the wheat for me. Didn't ask what it would have cost this year.

Anyone seeing seed shortages or price differences due to the shutdowns this year?

I’ll see what the deer do with the wheat heads next spring. Or even how much food it provides. I may be better off with just rye in the future. An acre of buckwheat and sunflowers will produce more food then the winter wheat heads.

 

[KSQ2]

I’ll see what the deer do with the wheat heads next spring. Or even how much food it provides. I may be better off with just rye in the future. An acre of buckwheat and sunflowers will produce more food then the winter wheat heads.

Will buckwheat and sunflowers thrive in a throw and mow into spring clover?

 

[catscratch]

Will buckwheat and sunflowers thrive in a throw and mow into spring clover?

They do well for me... except for this year. I had the biggest fail in TnM I've ever had with this year's summer plots. Normally my buckwheat and sunflowers do great though.

I agree that wheat heads don't give the same thing as sunflowers and buckwheat. It's all part of my rotation though. My winter plots go heavy into cereals, but I add clovers and chicory to them. The next spring and summer that ground has clovers and chicory establishing and take off while the awnless heads out and produces grain that gets eaten. At the same time I have sunflowers, beans, buckwheat, millet, and radishes growing in the next plot over. There is never a time that all my plots are barren. Something is growing and maturing every day of the year.

 

[jlane35]

Will buckwheat and sunflowers thrive in a throw and mow into spring clover?

No idea, but I have an acre of brassica right now that I didn’t put any red clover into so I could plant buckwheat and sunflowers again next year. I planted mammoth red clover in two plots and want to see how fast it grows. If that gets me an acceptable thatch for a June buckwheat and sunflower planting that would be my route for a summer mix that I could throw and mow brassicas or oats and peas into. But I’m new at this and just looking to experiment and see what works at my place.

But on the other hand why would I destroy a perfectly good mammoth red clover plot that I can throw and mow into come July or August if it doesn’t dry out to much? Again, I have no idea just excited about the possibilities.

 

[jlane35]

They do well for me... except for this year. I had the biggest fail in TnM I've ever had with this year's summer plots. Normally my buckwheat and sunflowers do great though.

I agree that wheat heads don't give the same thing as sunflowers and buckwheat. It's all part of my rotation though. My winter plots go heavy into cereals, but I add clovers and chicory to them. The next spring and summer that ground has clovers and chicory establishing and take off while the awnless heads out and produces grain that gets eaten. At the same time I have sunflowers, beans, buckwheat, millet, and radishes growing in the next plot over. There is never a time that all my plots are barren. Something is growing and maturing every day of the year.

So what are you planting in the fall to prepare for your buckwheat, sunflower, and millet fields?

 

[KSQ2]

No idea, but I have an acre of brassica right now that I didn’t put any red clover into so I could plant buckwheat and sunflowers again next year. I planted mammoth red clover in two plots and want to see how fast it grows. If that gets me an acceptable thatch for a June buckwheat and sunflower planting that would be my route for a summer mix that I could throw and mow brassicas or oats and peas into. But I’m new at this and just looking to experiment and see what works at my place.

But on the other hand why would I destroy a perfectly good mammoth red clover plot that I can throw and mow into come July or August if it doesn’t dry out to much? Again, I have no idea just excited about the possibilities.

I wasn’t talking about spraying the clover first, just broadcasting into growing clover and mowing it low.