Transition from Buckwheat to Wheat

[Native Hunter]

Mowed the buckwheat down on my fall seed, which was mostly wheat, but some clover and brassicas thrown in.

Bonus picture of dad next to the Indian Grass:

 

[jlane35]

Strictly throw and mow? Or did you spray at all?

 

[Native Hunter]

Strictly throw and mow? Or did you spray at all?

I sprayed before planting the buckwheat. I spot sprayed just a couple of small areas before planting the second plot.

 

[Jeff H]

Looking good as always !!

 

[KSQ2]

Makes me excited for giving buckwheat a go next spring/summer in this fall’s brassica plot.

 

[Brian]

How much time lapsed between the first two pictures?

 

[Native Hunter]

How much time lapsed between the first two pictures?

Almost exactly a month. The first pic was taken a month ago. I terminated the buckwheat and planted the fall plot two weeks ago, and got a good rain the next day. I took the second picture yesterday.

PS: In another week this should really look good. We just got another massive rain tonight.

 

[KSQ2]

Native, when do you plant your buckwheat? Do you throw and mow or till?

 

[Native Hunter]

Native, when do you plant your buckwheat? Do you throw and mow or till?

You can plant it anytime after the danger of a frost. I do spray, throw and mow. You will eventually get a feel for throw and mow after doing it a couple of times.

 

[KSQ2]

Native, when you t&m cereals into your buckwheat in the fall, do you add any fertilizer? I'll be planting buckwheat conventionally sometime in the next 2 weeks and I plan to add some urea and p&k, since I'll be tilling. Will the buckwheat "use up" all of that nitrogen? My plan is to t&m a cereal mix in next fall with clover and chicory.

 

[dogghr]

Love the dad pic. Good looking rotation. I think many get frustrated w non mechanical no till T&M as they try to do so on soils not ready for it. Def a learning curve. And you have to accept / want a multi culture plot. Rain at or near plating also helps. You are a green thumb poster child.

 

[Native Hunter]

Native, when you t&m cereals into your buckwheat in the fall, do you add any fertilizer? I'll be planting buckwheat conventionally sometime in the next 2 weeks and I plan to add some urea and p&k, since I'll be tilling. Will the buckwheat "use up" all of that nitrogen? My plan is to t&m a cereal mix in next fall with clover and chicory.

I think that depends on the fertility of the soil where you do the planting. In good soil I can get by without any fertilizer, but in poorer soils, I would likely need to add some.

PS - I just did my first lab lab plot today via throw and mow. Actually, its a BOB mix of lab lab and some other summer species. I sprayed last week and finished today. The soil is not that great at this location, so I did do some fertilizer. Update coming in a few weeks.

 

[Native Hunter]

Love the dad pic. Good looking rotation. I think many get frustrated w non mechanical no till T&M as they try to do so on soils not ready for it. Def a learning curve. And you have to accept / want a multi culture plot. Rain at or near plating also helps. You are a green thumb poster child.

Thanks dogghr. Another thing with T&M that messes folks up is not having the right amount of thatch. Having too little and having too much can both be problems. I'm starting to get a better feel for it after some trial and error......

 

[KSQ2]

Tell me what you guys think of this plan, I believe I’ll t&m the buck wheat after getting a good kill. This soil is pretty good. I’ll add a little p&k because it’s so easy and will help the plants next fall. Rain is much easier to come by this time of year, so if I get a timely rain, I’ll throw a little urea on it too. Then when fall comes around, I’ll simply spray the already mature buckwheat, if it couldn’t out-compete the Johnson grass and and t&m into it like you did last fall. I’d rather not till if at all possible. Rain can be hard to come by for urea application in the fall, so I’ll hope for a good stand of cereals/clover without it.

 

[KSQ2]

One question, the growth in the chosen area is about 12-14” tall right now and relatively thick. It’s a mixture of broad leaves, clover, older cool season grass, and some Johnson grass just beginning to come on. It was brassicas last fall. Will that be enough growth for thatch for the buckwheat?

 

[Mennoniteman]

One question, the growth in the chosen area is about 12-14” tall right now and relatively thick. It’s a mixture of broad leaves, clover, older cool season grass, and some Johnson grass just beginning to come on. It was brassicas last fall. Will that be enough growth for thatch for the buckwheat?

It sounds like about exactly the right amount of thatch. Mowed grass is usually gives a thicker thatch than mowed cereal grains, so my concern with your current growth is that it could sooner be too thick and choke out the new seed for lack of oxygen.

 

[KSQ2]

It sounds like about exactly the right amount of thatch. Mowed grass is usually gives a thicker thatch than mowed cereal grains, so my concern with your current growth is that it could sooner be too thick and choke out the new seed for lack of oxygen.

I plan to spray tomorrow.

 

[KSQ2]

I forgot I took a pic yesterday. This is the plot in question. If you look close you can see where it was mowed about a month ago.

 

[Native Hunter]

One question, the growth in the chosen area is about 12-14” tall right now and relatively thick. It’s a mixture of broad leaves, clover, older cool season grass, and some Johnson grass just beginning to come on. It was brassicas last fall. Will that be enough growth for thatch for the buckwheat?

I like your plan, and it sounds like your thatch will be about right. Gly will kill Johnson Grass easily, but you probably have more germinating over the next few years from seed already in the ground. Rotating from a summer crop to a fall crop each year for a while will help deplete the bad stuff from the seed bank. Gook luck and keep us posted.

 

[KSQ2]

Got it sprayed today, I hit it pretty heavy with gly. Hope to t&m the buckwheat in 2 weeks.