Latest sowing date for spring wheat?

[Handy Andy]

Seems like a daft question to be asking really. Agronomist says early April will be ok if needs be but it's in his interests for us to plant it rather than leave the ground fallow or even put in lower input spring barley a month or so later, so am taking what he and the rest of them say with a pinch of salt. I remember father planting some in early April one year in the distant past and we cut it on October 18th, not because weather was wet, but because it didn't ripen. If that had been last year it would still be in the field now. Maybe modern varieties will ripen earlier or we can push it on a bit with timlier fertilizer applications, what do you all think?

 

[Still Farming]

The day it dries up???

 

[warksfarmer]

Seems like a daft question to be asking really. Agronomist says early April will be ok if needs be but it's in his interests for us to plant it rather than leave the ground fallow or even put in lower input spring barley a month or so later, so am taking what he and the rest of them say with a pinch of salt. I remember father planting some in early April one year in the distant past and we cut it on October 18th, not because weather was wet, but because it didn't ripen. If that had been last year it would still be in the field now. Maybe modern varieties will ripen earlier or we can push it on a bit with timlier fertilizer applications, what do you all think?

Planted some first week of May and it still did 3t/ac but obviously it was a late harvest - end of sept iirc. That was Mulika.

 

[ridger]

Last week of may I sowed 30 acres in 2012, done ok

 

[Neddy flanders]

1st of May?

 

[Cowcorn]

Last week of may I sowed 30 acres in 2012, done ok

Did you cut it as wholecrop ???

 

[ridger]

Tried ordering spring wheat seed today and none left so will have to go back to drawing board

 

[ridger]

Did you cut it as wholecrop ???

No combined and crimped

 

[Cowcorn]

Seems like a daft question to be asking really. Agronomist says early April will be ok if needs be but it's in his interests for us to plant it rather than leave the ground fallow or even put in lower input spring barley a month or so later, so am taking what he and the rest of them say with a pinch of salt. I remember father planting some in early April one year in the distant past and we cut it on October 18th, not because weather was wet, but because it didn't ripen. If that had been last year it would still be in the field now. Maybe modern varieties will ripen earlier or we can push it on a bit with timlier fertilizer applications, what do you all think?

Depends on how long you want harvest to go on for!! There is no hurrying wheat it will take its time. April sown early ripeners like quintus will cut in early Sept in a good ripening year. May drilling is not completely to be ruled out but will probably be Oct before it is cut if youre lucky it will beat a late crop of barley. On t he other hand if you get a year like last then when youre combining at high moistures and drying half the night you will be wishing you had went with barley which would have been cut and the straw baled and undercover before the weather broke,
Trust me i know, after last year i swore i would never grow late late crops again but i ordered s wheat for ground after maize which will not dry any day soon .

 

[Brisel]

In theory, I'd say mid April is the rough cut off date from spring wheat in Wilts. Later than that might be ok, it might not depending on what kind of growing season we get afterwards. Bear in mind that a milling wheat is going to be worth a lot more than spring barley come the autumn, so do your sums to work out a gross margin budget with different yields on both sp wheat & sp barley, taking into account current new crop prices. Consider the timing of the following crop & logistics too - following April sown spring wheat with osr is very risky. Following a late sown spring wheat with an autumn fallow and another spring crop will be fine.

 

[ollie989898]

I always said the middle of March, but have got away with later. Beyond Mid-April gets dodgy, it's ok if you get some rain to get it going but it could be a late harvest.

Sow it thick, it won't have time to tiller.

 

[Clive]

Sow it thick, it won't have time to tiller.

seed price isn't going to encourage many to take that (good) advice !

 

[ollie989898]

seed price isn't going to encourage many to take that (good) advice !

Unfortunately that is true.

 

[Wombat]

seed price isn't going to encourage many to take that (good) advice !

Price wasn’t the first hurdle availability seems to have been for me

 

[Against_the_grain]

Does spring wheat have a vernalisation requirement?

 

[curlietailz]

Managed to get 6 ton Spring Wheat seed

spring barley Seed is plentiful though

 

[ollie989898]

Does spring wheat have a vernalisation requirement?

Generally very little or none. Depending on it's breeding a lot of winter wheats seem to have more or less of a vernalisation requirement- those with less must have some spring breeding.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Does spring wheat have a vernalisation requirement?

No.

But Some can respond to cold temps , ...in the way, I think though am not sure ....by making them spring types mature a bit earlier than if they hadnt had those below certain cold average temps, because boy doesnt spring wheat hang on

 

[ollie989898]

No.

But Some can respond to cold temps , ...in the way, I think though am not sure ....by making them spring types mature a bit earlier than if they hadnt had those below certain cold average temps, because boy doesnt spring wheat hang on

Unless you rely on the mildew to desiccate the crop...

Beware, spring wheat can get very leggy without too much thinking about it. Oh and did I mention the mildew?

 

[Bury the Trash]

Unless you rely on the mildew to desiccate the crop...

Beware, spring wheat can get very leggy without too much thinking about it. Oh and did I mention the mildew?

Yes watch out for mildew, noted


Leggy well, Trouble is I found that pgr was too hard on it and knocked irreparably in a stressful 'lack of rain' / not good growing period

And grain will be small enough as well without using a high seedrate.