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Post by sd51555 on Apr 18, 2017 7:25:49 GMT -6
I'm starting to worry about my little plot of rye. With the doe traffic going through there, I'm afraid they may keep it trimmed too much heading into spring. If that happens, I'll top seed it with barley to fill back in.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 18, 2017 7:31:07 GMT -6
IME, a decent deer population will keep smallish rye plots looking like a putting green...right up until mid-late May. Then the overwhelming amount of new, green food in the woods/fields takes preference and the rye will put on plenty of growth.
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Post by terrifictom on Apr 18, 2017 8:15:02 GMT -6
IME, a decent deer population will keep smallish rye plots looking like a putting green...right up until mid-late May. Then the overwhelming amount of new, green food in the woods/fields takes preference and the rye will put on plenty of growth. Yep that is exactly what happens. No need to over seed.
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Post by sd51555 on Apr 18, 2017 8:20:40 GMT -6
It'll bounce back when they're done with it?
I'm starting to get birdy to get back up there and see it greening up. We're already mowing grass in Sioux Falls. I have to imagine I'll have rye greening up this week. It's about stopped hard freezing up north.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 18, 2017 8:21:48 GMT -6
It'll bounce back when they're done with it? Unless they pulled it out by the roots, yes
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Post by jbird on Apr 18, 2017 10:26:57 GMT -6
Only thing I will add is that in my area the rye will get significantly taller in the spring than the wheat (at least it does here). This is fine if that is what you want. I really struggled with the rye when tilling for planting summer annuals and not killing off the rye first. The tall rye made a real mess of the rototiller. I too planted wheat and rye side-by-side. The rye stays green longer and greens up sooner, but I saw no preference either way from the deer. The growth height in the spring was vastly different. I often get AWP to survive the winter here as well. It really likes to grow up the rye stalks come spring. Come planting time here rye will be waist high while the wheat will be more around knee high. If you left the rye alone I'm sure it would provide decent fawning cover. I also know rye will grow virtually anywhere. I spilled some in my truck bed once and had it growing in some damp mulch/dirt in the corner. I swear it will grow on damp concrete! I prefer to mix them together now. I simply did the side-by-side to see if there was some obvious advantage to one or the other.
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Post by trophycollector on Apr 18, 2017 19:51:35 GMT -6
Only thing I will add is that in my area the rye will get significantly taller in the spring than the wheat (at least it does here). This is fine if that is what you want. I really struggled with the rye when tilling for planting summer annuals and not killing off the rye first. The tall rye made a real mess of the rototiller. I too planted wheat and rye side-by-side. The rye stays green longer and greens up sooner, but I saw no preference either way from the deer. The growth height in the spring was vastly different. I often get AWP to survive the winter here as well. It really likes to grow up the rye stalks come spring. Come planting time here rye will be waist high while the wheat will be more around knee high. If you left the rye alone I'm sure it would provide decent fawning cover. I also know rye will grow virtually anywhere. I spilled some in my truck bed once and had it growing in some damp mulch/dirt in the corner. I swear it will grow on damp concrete! I prefer to mix them together now. I simply did the side-by-side to see if there was some obvious advantage to one or the other.
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Post by trophycollector on Apr 18, 2017 19:53:22 GMT -6
Do the turkeys in prefer one over the other?
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Post by sd51555 on Apr 18, 2017 20:42:09 GMT -6
You wanna see turkeys, plant some buckwheat. Them damn things were in my buckwheat every day until I mowed it off last summer.
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Post by Reagan on Apr 19, 2017 4:04:45 GMT -6
If you let wheat or rye go to seed, the turkeys will be all over it too.
If you planted clover at the same time, even better.
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Post by Foggy on Apr 19, 2017 6:12:57 GMT -6
You wanna see turkeys, plant some buckwheat. Them damn things were in my buckwheat every day until I mowed it off last summer. I totally agree with this. I planted some buckwheat a few times.....and for whatever reason it draws bugs. I'm not sure if the turkeys like the buckwheat or the easy bugging?? .....but the turkeys are there in numbers. It draws bees and deer flies too. I want to stop over in Wadena. They are home to the Buckwheat Growers Assn......and have some kind of office and store over there......and I think an elevator (?). Not sure if the price is still high as it's been.....but I was told the Jap's discovered Buckwheat Pancakes and it's all the rage in Japan....and they are buying lots of Buckwheat these days.
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Post by Sandbur on Apr 19, 2017 6:18:12 GMT -6
Foggy gets his land cleared and he is in the foodplot seed business. Now joining the Buckwheat growers association and shipping to Japan.
Times are changin'.
My grandparent grew buckwheat in Cass County in the early 1900's.
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Post by Catscratch on Apr 19, 2017 6:21:28 GMT -6
Once again I'm seeing things that are different than you guys. I had a great buckwheat crop last yr that reseeded it's self several times. Few turkeys used it at all.
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Post by Foggy on Apr 19, 2017 6:22:08 GMT -6
It used to be that Buckwheat seed was cheap. A couple of bucks for a bag was the going price.....and folks planted it as a means to build their soils and gain organic matter, etc. Now the seed price seems excessive. I suppose I should not compare with the old prices?
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Post by Sandbur on Apr 19, 2017 17:33:45 GMT -6
It used to be that Buckwheat seed was cheap. A couple of bucks for a bag was the going price.....and folks planted it as a means to build their soils and gain organic matter, etc. Now the seed price seems excessive. I suppose I should not compare with the old prices? Gas used to be 18 cents. We are just getting old, Tom.
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