What's the point of buckwheat?

[MarkDarvin]

The more I read about cover crops, the more I see regenerative deer plotters being ahead of the game for the most part. It seems everything I've been instructed to plant by you folks, and Paul Knox before I knew any of you, is good for the soil and brings multiple nutrients to the surface to be used -- from brassicas, to rye, and now to buckwheat. And that's not even touching on the tremendous benefits of the staple of clovers and other legumes. I just wish I'd known much of this earlier, I did so much work in vain, and the majority of it wasn't good at all for the soil.

Don't beat yourself up. I was an apostle of the church of iron and chemistry at one point too. You might even say a bishop. I was getting into "build" schemes with P&K, applying micros, advanced herbicides, advanced soil testing, etc. The light didn't come on for me until I had hit max inputs and it turned out the worst results I'd ever seen (no crop, total stand of un-killable weeds, and water ponding).

I had to hit an embarrassing level of failure before I finally started questioning the science and digging the other direction.

 

[Laker]

^^^
Acceptance is the first step to recovery Mark.

 

[MarkDarvin]

^^^
Acceptance is the first step to recovery Mark.

Now I am a bishop of the church of flail mowing.

 

[LetThemGrow]

I’m a bigger fan of buckwheat than Sturgis. It’s an easy broadcast into cereal and clover plots here in PA when rye browns. I plan to mix in some sorghum/milo with buckwheat this year. I’ve given up tillage and slowly eliminating spraying.

 

[MarkDarvin]

I’m a bigger fan of buckwheat than Sturgis. It’s an easy broadcast into cereal and clover plots here in PA when rye browns. I plan to mix in some sorghum/milo with buckwheat this year. I’ve given up tillage and slowly eliminating spraying.

You've gotten BW to come up through clover in a throw and mow when rye was dried off and done? That would have my interest if it is doable.

 

[LetThemGrow]

You've gotten BW to come up through clover in a throw and mow when rye was dried off and done? That would have my interest if it is doable.

My clover stands are sparse, that’s probably why it works.

 

[Rick49]

Sturgis uses buckwheat with his no-till method pre brassica and cereal grain plots. When fully grown the slender stalks allow seeds to contact the soil after broadcasting. He then crushes the buckwheat with a cultipacker, followed with 1 qt glyphosate/acre, where it will die and provide nutrients to the soil while also limiting weed growth.

 

[bowhunter14]

Does anyone that plants buckwheat soak them before spreading? If you do how long do you soak them for? Can I plant in may? mix it with clover at that time to?

 

[RGrizzzz]

Does anyone that plants buckwheat soak them before spreading? If you do how long do you soak them for? Can I plant in may? mix it with clover at that time to?

Buckwheat grows like a weed. I wouldn't mess with soaking it. It doesn't like cold, so as long as the cold is past, you can plant it.