| Wait for rain or plant anyway? |
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By:
Julius Koenig
Date:20-Jul-23
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Looking to put my brassica/oat/crimson plots in for p Fall. We have had the wettest spring and summer in the northeast I can remember. But now we have no rain in the 10 Day. Next week I am heading fishing and I will be out of town until 8/1. Do I plant the seed and hope For rain or wait?
Thanks for the input
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By:
craigmcalvey
Date:20-Jul-23
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I always plant the first week of august here in MI. Even if I don’t get rain immediately it happens eventually and I plant rye and forage radishes which grow rapidly.
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By:
Julius Koenig
Date:20-Jul-23
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Thanks Craig.
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By:
Cheesehead Mike
Date:20-Jul-23
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Julius, I hope you don't mind me piggy backing on your thread.
I'm in a similar situation in Wisconsin. We had near record snow last winter and it was very wet this spring but we're in a drought this summer and it has only rained a few times all summer. I normally have to mow my lawn once a week but I've only mowed it twice this entire spring and summer. We had a brief heavy rain yesterday. I have a clover plot that is a few years old and is getting pretty weedy. My plan was to disc it under and plant turnips, radishes and rye the last week of July. I'm concerned about discing under my established weedy clover and planting the turnips, etc when it's so dry. I do have other established plots on my property with chicory and some clover so even if the turnips, etc don't grow I do have other options for the deer. Last fall I had some small areas where I planted turnips and radishes and the deer really hammered them. Anybody have any thoughts? Should I go ahead with my plan? Thanks!
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By:
goyt
Date:20-Jul-23
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I like to wait until there are a lot of rain events in the 10 day forecast to plant. This reduces the chance that the seeds will germinate due to a rain and then die from a drought. Even then it can happen. At the end we just need to take our chances. I strictly broadcast seed so I am concerned about the birds eating the seeds also. Being retired I can be more flexible also.
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By:
craigmcalvey
Date:20-Jul-23
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Mike, my opinion is that brassica and rye is so cheap that I’d take the chance and plant it.
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By:
Aluminum Rain
Date:20-Jul-23
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Mike, The way things are going here in WI with drought, I would spray your existing clover with Cleth or roundup and keep it. Plant your turnips in the bare spots in between cover if you have any. I planted my turnips 3 days ago and i feel thats almost late for central WI.
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By:
Aluminum Rain
Date:20-Jul-23
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If you use roundup make sure the rate is 1.5 qt/ac or less.
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By:
Dale06
Date:20-Jul-23
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I’m in same situation in Mn. Have three plots that are 2-3 acres in central Mn. I’ve sprayed twice with round up to kill the weeds and grass. I plan to disc, broadcast, drag, and compact. But it’s been super dry. Not sure what I’ll do, but I don’t think I’ll plant till there’s some rain forecast. There is zero rain forecast for the next 10 days.
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By:
Dale06
Date:20-Jul-23
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Sorry duplicate
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By:
Dale06
Date:20-Jul-23
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Aluminum rain, explain the round up dosage. What happens if you use more? I followed label.
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By:
JSW
Date:20-Jul-23
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I plant when it fits my schedule and don't worry about the weather. If it's been wet, the ground will have enough moisture to get it going.
I know some have had issues when doing it this way, but not me. I live 700 miles from most of my whitetail property so I can't wait for the perfect time. I put it in the ground and hope for the best. If you wait, you might lose the moisture that you have now.
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By:
Aluminum Rain
Date:20-Jul-23
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Dale, I meant specifically in Mikes case. Clover has some natural resistance to glyphosate as long as the dose is lower. I use it occasionally to kill grass and weeds in my clover because its cheaper and easier than clethodime. But if you hit clover with 2.5 or 3 quarts per acre you will kill the clover.
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By:
Dale06
Date:20-Jul-23
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Thanks, aluminum rain, for the explanation!
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By:
Treefarm
Date:20-Jul-23
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Your best bet on killing grasses and other sensitive broadleaves in clover is to use linked product. Glyphosate without surfactant will bead up on the hair-like surface of clover and not penetrate as glyphosate containing surfactant will. There are many reasons to use glyphosate without surfactant as surfactant is deadly to aquatic invertebrates. Give it a try.
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By:
Kingntuff
Date:20-Jul-23
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Plant the thing now! No worries. If you have time i would not wait.
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By:
Duke
Date:20-Jul-23
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It’s farming at the end the day… Inherent on weather. As Jim pointed out above, dependent on your time availability, location, and simply playing the odds, plant when you’re comfortable with the risk. No matter when you plant there will never be a slam dunk.
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By:
Straight Shooter
Date:21-Jul-23
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I as well target first week of August, last year I planted on August 8th. I’d hold off until you get back from ripping lips!
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By:
Julius Koenig
Date:21-Jul-23
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Great posts guys, and Mike thanks for adding to it. Learning from each others experiences is what it’s all about!
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By:
Dale06
Date:21-Jul-23
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I planted 2-3 acres of soybeans in late May, disced, broadcast, drag, and packed. It was dry then and stayed dry. That plot was a total failure, virtually zero soybean plants resulted.
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By:
Screwball
Date:21-Jul-23
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Mike were in the same situation. Clover is doing well mowed twice sprayed twice. We don't plant until August 7 to 20 th so for our mind set have time for weather pattern change. If no change or forecast change, we will plant anyway, may change to BFO in more of them.
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By:
Cheesehead Mike
Date:22-Jul-23
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Thanks guys!
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By:
Catscratch
Date:22-Jul-23
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Herbicide resistant weeds costs the farming industry billions of dollars a year. Which in turn costs everyone at the grocery store. Resistance comes from using diluted amounts and not following label instructions. I implore you guys to use gly correctly, even if it costs you a little bit more personally, the overall impact is significant.
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By:
Stressless
Date:23-Jul-23
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^^ and wear your PPE with herbicides and pesticides - they are by definition poison.
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By:
Bow Crazy
Date:24-Jul-23
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I'm waiting until a rain, unless nothing come before Aug. 1, then I will plant no matter what. I'm in southwestern WI, Monroe County and try to do the same every year. My plots are ready to plant, just trying to time the rain. Our 10 day forcast show no rain on the horizon, but accuracy out 2 or 3 days has been/is terrible. If it was me, I would wait until after the first. BC
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By:
APauls
Date:24-Jul-23
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Bow Crazy if you won't plant now without a rain why would you plant 7 days from now without a rain when the soil has only gotten drier in the meantime? Just curious.
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By:
Catscratch
Date:24-Jul-23
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I can't answer for Bow Crazy but sometimes there's a point where you either have to get it done you don't get it done. Some of these plants won't have enough growth on them to do anything productive if you don't get them in by a certain date. At that date ya might as well go for it.
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By:
Bow Crazy
Date:27-Jul-23
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APauls, I guess I look at it like this. If I plant now, it doesn't rain for 7 days and then I plant, it is 7 days less of sitting on the soil to blow away, get eaten, etc. I'm broadcasting the seed, rain is one of the main ingredients of my planting method I feel. In other words, I am 7 days closer to a rain if I wait. Good news since, rain was in the forcast for Tuesday night. I ran up to the farm, 1.5 hours away, planted over 6 acres of my almost 10 acres of fall plots...we got almost an inch of rain that night into Wednesday morning! Tonight into tomorrow they are calling for 45% chance of rain. I will check the forecast later, if good, head up this afternoon and put in 2.5ish more acres. BC
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By:
Catscratch
Date:27-Jul-23
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Congrats on getting your plots in right before the rain Bow Crazy! I got lucky and got a perfect rain on my summer plots this yr. They're doing great!
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By:
Backus
Date:27-Jul-23
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Because the rain we get in north central MN this time of year generally comes as an unpredictable thunderstorm I always go more by the calendar knowing once it’s in the ground I may catch that unpredictable thunderstorm. If it fails then go with with a late winter rye or winter wheat planting as a backup plan.
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By:
swampyankee
Date:27-Jul-23
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Julius, I'm in New England and i try and plant first week of aug but only before a rain. so sometimes it can be 2nd week etc
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By:
Bow Crazy
Date:04-Aug-23
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I finished my brassica/annual clover/turnip & radish mix planting on Wednesday. Rain is in the forecast, 80% chance, on Sunday evening. Hopefully I timed this one right. Actually, I was planning to plant no matter what was in the forecast, it's that time of the year. BC
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By:
t-roy
Date:04-Aug-23
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Same here Bow Crazy. Fingers crossed!
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By:
Cheesehead Mike
Date:04-Aug-23
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Last Friday we got a good heavy afternoon rain. Afterwards I took the disc out and turned under my weedy clover plot. I planted my turnips and radishes and finished pulling my roller over them just as it started raining again. It hasn't rained since then but I checked them Wednesday and they're about 1/2" tall and coming up great. Looks like it's going to work out well.
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By:
Julius Koenig
Date:04-Aug-23
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I went for it, got an inch rain when less than a 1/4” was called for.
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By:
goyt
Date:04-Aug-23
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I planted 1 brassica plot and 2 legume plots yesterday and I plan to plant the rest of the legume plots tomorrow. Rain is forecast for Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Hopefully it will rain some of those days.
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By:
caribou77
Date:06-Aug-23
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We almost always wait to plant until the first week of august. Normally summers are pretty dry, lately anyway. We haven’t had rain in 3 weeks, so we mowed and sprayed 2 weeks ago, the disced last weekend, then disced again this weekend. The ground was so dry we felt it wouldn’t hurt to plant Friday and just let it sit. So we planted and cultipacked. Low and behold it’s raining all day today and a chance twice more this week. As dry as it was we had no worries planting it (barrasica, rape, turnips and radish) and letting it sit slightly covered for a couple weeks if need be.
The worst thing that can happen now is it pops up with this rain but dries out for the next 3 weeks. Otherwise we’ll be in good shape
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By:
t-roy
Date:06-Aug-23
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I finished up planting the rest of my brassicas yesterday afternoon, into dry dirt. For once, the weatherman didn’t lie. We’re up to almost two inches! My beans ought to really take off, now.
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By:
Dale06
Date:06-Aug-23
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T-Roy, you have a better weatherman, if there is such a thing. The weatherman I use said .5-1.5” of rain on my food plots this weekend. So I planted three 2+ acre plots on Friday. The rain all disappeared and looks like we will not get a drop.
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By:
t-roy
Date:06-Aug-23
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Dale…..You must have the same weatherman that a couple of my buddies have. They’re in the same boat as you! If it helps any, my guy was off, as well. Said we could possibly get up to an inch. I’m up to 2.5” and it is still raining off and on! Kinda makes up for him missing on those other forecasts this summer ;-)
Hopefully you guys will get some good amounts of rain soon!
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By:
grape
Date:06-Aug-23
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T-Roy. That is an awesome looking groomed field. Who do you get to do that?? Had to!!
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By:
ronsoutdoors
Date:06-Aug-23
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I will send you some of ours, supposed to be chance of rain her everyday but one of the next 120 days Ugggg
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By:
t-roy
Date:06-Aug-23
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Hard to find good help these days, grape ;-)
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By:
pav
Date:07-Aug-23
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Same thing happened to me Saturday Dale! Rain was supposed to hit around 9:00pm (85% chance) . Had all of our fall plots planted late afternoon. The chance of rain had jumped to 100% and there were actually severe weather warnings showing up on the phone. Then it was just gone...we got nothing!
Fortunately, it rained for two hours during the wee hours this morning...with more rain "supposed" to be on the way today.
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By:
caribou77
Date:07-Aug-23
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We almost always wait to plant until the first week of august. Normally summers are pretty dry, lately anyway. We haven’t had rain in 3 weeks, so we mowed and sprayed 2 weeks ago, the disced last weekend, then disced again this weekend. The ground was so dry we felt it wouldn’t hurt to plant Friday and just let it sit. So we planted and cultipacked. Low and behold it’s raining all day today and a chance twice more this week. As dry as it was we had no worries planting it (barrasica, rape, turnips and radish) and letting it sit slightly covered for a couple weeks if need be.
The worst thing that can happen now is it pops up with this rain but dries out for the next 3 weeks. Otherwise we’ll be in good shape
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By:
T-rex
Date:09-Aug-23
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I planted my brassica and turnip blend on Saturday. We had rain all day Sunday, I walked out to check the plot out yesterday after work and it looked like it was popping up already? Is it possible that it popped in 3 days or is it more likely to be weeds coming in? I did spray it twice with roundup although it didn't look quite dead when I tilled it in.
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By:
HuntingFamily
Date:09-Aug-23
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T-rex, it is very possible, in fact the same thing happened to me-planted on Friday, rained all day Saturday and germinated Sunday. I went out to take a look and took these attached pics. That's why it's always a good idea to get seed on the ground right before a rain, unfortunately the weather doesn't always cooperate. It's just as important to get a follow up rain too. Good Luck!
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By:
HuntingFamily
Date:09-Aug-23
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Here's the other pic.
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By:
heafy
Date:24-Oct-23
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just a quick question we haven't had rain in about four months and no rain in sight. how long can the seed last in dry ground is my question.
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By:
t-roy
Date:24-Oct-23
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Some seeds can lay dormant for a year/years. Seeds with a hard husk (clovers, alfalfa, brassicas, certain weed seeds, etc) will stay viable much longer than soft hulled seeds such as cereal grains, soybeans, etc. I’ve had brassica seeds that were planted in August, sprout and grow the following spring.
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By:
gjs4
Date:25-Oct-23
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This year was such an anomaly and sort of changed my opinion. Granted, my dry problem property is 6 hours away in SE Ohio, but I have broadcast seed at the ideal time of year and Ma Nature did the rest. The exception, this yr. The painful irony is I killed a gorgeous spring summer plot to attempt this fall plant. Big ouch. I do believe this is not the norm but I am pondering having the majority of plots in perennials to combat this, not mow them until later summer with a window to then supplement chems on them if needed, and to kill off annual hunting plots to which I will try brassicas but always have cereals (planted in late sept) as my foundation.
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By:
Bow Crazy
Date:25-Oct-23
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I am thinking about planting more perennials as well, possible a mix of clovers and chicory. This year I was lucky. I planted my brassica around the 20th of July, I usually do the first week of August. A rain was coming, I got lucky. I did some other brassicas in early August, right before another rain. Grains went in early September, it rained. Now, no frost so far, timely rains since...they all look great. Frost hitting this weekend! I've planted brassicas in the fall, a very dry fall, didn't germinate until the following spring when the snow left and I had a fantastic field. BC
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By:
Buckdeer
Date:25-Oct-23
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Remember don't spray even low amounts of gly when planting chicory,another reason to use cleth instead.I spray a generic cleth called volunteer and works fine
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By:
gjs4
Date:26-Oct-23
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This year was such an anomaly and sort of changed my opinion. Granted, my dry problem property is 6 hours away in SE Ohio, but I have broadcast seed at the ideal time of year and Ma Nature did the rest. The exception, this yr. The painful irony is I killed a gorgeous spring summer plot to attempt this fall plant. Big ouch. I do believe this is not the norm but I am pondering having the majority of plots in perennials to combat this, not mow them until later summer with a window to then supplement chems on them if needed, and to kill off annual hunting plots to which I will try brassicas but always have cereals (planted in late sept) as my foundation.
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By:
IsaacMoore
Date:04-Jan-24
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Deciding whether to plant or wait for rain can be a bit tricky. Given the wet spring and summer, your soil likely has good moisture content. However, with no rain in the forecast and your upcoming trip, it's a tough call. As you contemplate your decision, why not consider a thyme lawn? Creeping thyme, with its drought-resistant qualities, could be an excellent choice. It doesn't just add beauty to your outdoor space but also requires less water than traditional lawns. While it may not be suitable for your current plot, it's worth exploring for future landscaping projects.
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By:
fuzzy
Date:04-Jan-24
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You're late to the party "Issac"
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By:
Cheesehead Mike
Date:04-Jan-24
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Just to follow up, the turnips and radishes I planted in late July failed. The greens never got more than a couple inches tall due to the drought. In hindsight I would have been better off not plowing my clover under...
