Post by thetrooper on Dec 23, 2021 10:34:39 GMT -6
Hey guys I wanted to share a few pics of some japanese millet. I'm sure the duck hunters among us are familiar but I've planted it a dozen or so times and would like to tout some of its benefits. I use to have a 1 acre duck impoundment that I planted and flooded, but due to some leakage had to cease the impoundment. More recently I've been using it as a cover/smother crop and its definitely found a place in the arsenal.
Grown for seed you want about 30lbs to an acre. For cover crop I use 50+ lbs per acre. The stuff is fairly affordable at 35$ for 50lb bag. It has a short life cycle usually reaching maturity in 45-60days depending on when you plant it. Soil temps need to be around 60-65 for germination so it's a great way to smother out weeds once spring rolls around. I have never planted ANYTHING that grows easier than this. Hit an area with gly broadcast and your done. Have exposed soil or not the tiny seeds find a place. It grows on any soil and will grow in standing water as long as it's already over the waterline. Puddle areas or wet soils are no problem. Supposedly it puts down a decent root system to improve soil and It kills very easily with gly especially in its young stage.
I dont know if you northmen have the problem with a no till rotation with rye/buckwheat/brassica or something of that cycle but down here when I do it I have about a month or so too much growing season before the fall planting/ when buckwheat forms seeds. It never seems to time right and the way I see it just another chance to get more roots down growing for more of the season. The fertilizer requirements are non existant for this stuff but obviously anything would help.
It could be useful to reclaim a forgotten plot or one you just couldn't get to for time/wet fields etc whatever the case to get control of the weeds it really is a great smothering effect. Here's a few shots over the year of Jap millet in its various stages.
Grown for seed you want about 30lbs to an acre. For cover crop I use 50+ lbs per acre. The stuff is fairly affordable at 35$ for 50lb bag. It has a short life cycle usually reaching maturity in 45-60days depending on when you plant it. Soil temps need to be around 60-65 for germination so it's a great way to smother out weeds once spring rolls around. I have never planted ANYTHING that grows easier than this. Hit an area with gly broadcast and your done. Have exposed soil or not the tiny seeds find a place. It grows on any soil and will grow in standing water as long as it's already over the waterline. Puddle areas or wet soils are no problem. Supposedly it puts down a decent root system to improve soil and It kills very easily with gly especially in its young stage.
I dont know if you northmen have the problem with a no till rotation with rye/buckwheat/brassica or something of that cycle but down here when I do it I have about a month or so too much growing season before the fall planting/ when buckwheat forms seeds. It never seems to time right and the way I see it just another chance to get more roots down growing for more of the season. The fertilizer requirements are non existant for this stuff but obviously anything would help.
It could be useful to reclaim a forgotten plot or one you just couldn't get to for time/wet fields etc whatever the case to get control of the weeds it really is a great smothering effect. Here's a few shots over the year of Jap millet in its various stages.