I don't know for sure. I guess it'll just depend on how the temps do over the next few weeks. Maybe we will have a little warm spell. If the rain keeps looking promising then I'm gonna do a really basic cereal grain mix on my main field and that's it. I was gonna plant a lot more this year but I'm not gonna gamble with it under these conditions. If the weather pattern doesn't stay wet for awhile....this rain won't really matter. My forecast isn't showing rain until the first of next week. That's so far out right now that I'm really not getting my hopes up yet. Its just as likely to be zero again in a few days.

You could always put out annual winter rye grass even if it's late I would think.

About to spread and drag in Abruzzi Rye. C'mon rain!!!!

Crimson, after my plots germinate, i want to fertilize them. This late in the year, what would you recommend?

That's what I was trying to decide blumsden. I plan to fertilize this weekend with more rain coming next week just don't know what I want to hit them with.

I’m just gonna hit mine with nitrogen….34-0-0…..I’m gonna add 75/ac (1 1/2 bags) now and another 75/ac in about 2-3 weeks if things come up well. You could use more if you wanted to.

It got dark on me yesterday before I dragged my field. All I've done is broadcast seed. I was hoping I would have time first thing this morning before the rain but it's been coming down hard since about 2:30. I may just let it ride now. I added a little extra seed anyways due to the co-op having a blue light special on Abruzzi rye.....paid $12 a bag. That sure is a lot better price than the last few years.

I planted and fertilized 11 plots this past Friday, so far I've had just under an inch of rain and its been slow and steady. The rain should filter through good the next couple of days so I'm sure I'll get a couple of inches. I'm pretty optimistic on what kind of results I'll have. rye, wheat, oats, radishes, turnips, chicory, white clover, red clover, crimson clover and what ever else was in some of the mixed bags I used.

This late in the year, I would hit it with a dose of ammonium nitrate.

What do you guys think about using liquid fertilizers as opposed to bags ?

Went ahead today and used a simple drag made from this section of chain link fence to scuff up the surface a little and set my seed better. Hoping for one more round of rain tonight or tomorrow.



You can see the left side of the field has been scuffed up.....

Like Miracle Grow in the bottle?

I have no experience with it at all. Not sure.

I would only use a liquid fert after the seed has germinated and the plants are in the 3-4 tiller stage. Liquid fertilizer will give you quicker uptake but typically is used up quicker.

I didn't fertilize when i first planted, so i may put out a couple bags of 17-17-17 and couple bags of 34-0-0.

How is a 31 degree night going to affect germination? Would it make any sense to too sew more seed on top of thatch?

That was my thoughts and plans Waldo - once (if) the plot comes up 3-4 inches - hit with round of liquid fertilizer to stimulate growth. I think your right in that it will not hang around as long, but I would only need to get thru hunting season. The one plot I'm considering is only about 3/4 acre. Plan on either hand spreading with spreader or hand sprayer.

I was actually planning on a multi-application liquid fertilizer regime this year based on the recommendation of a habitat guy in my area. His theory is several smaller applications of liquid fertilizer will keep the plot greener and more palatable over the entire season than one large app of granular that is probably washed out in a month in a normal year. The drought has screwed up my plan but I will have the first application of the liquid lime sprayed on all my fields that are actually growing this week-end, which after the rain I hope I am getting right about now, should really get them going. I will spray them again in a month or so when the poor fields I overseeded with Rye have gotten up some.Hopefully this will result in nice green fields about the time rut gets going.

I top sewed wheat and cereal rye into my thatch, it makes it to the ground just fine. Not sure about the temps and germination, but i don't think its supposed to be that cold this week.

The air temps wont affect germination as much as soil temps. Obviously several cold days and nights will lower soil temps but one cold night followed by a warm day wont affect it nearly as much. Soil temps preferably need to be above 60 degrees for optimal germination rates in Rye.

The best liquid fertilizer I have ever used is Denali. I have used the Alaskan fish fertilizer too and it did well. Miracle Grow just greens it up and is gone quickly.