# Beautiful buckwheat.



## stick bow (Jan 3, 2004)

I have a beautiful buckwheat field and the dear are not touching it yet, Do the deer usually hammer it or do you folks use it mostly as a green manure soil builder?


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## Jeff Sturgis (Mar 28, 2002)

They eat mine...but not "to the ground". I looked at a new field in a fairly remote spot this morning and about 1/2 the plants were eaten in some manner, but not too bad. I've noticed the past few years they eat it quite a bit more when we have a drought, especially any that is taller and in a more shaded location as the clover reaches more of it's summer dormancy period.


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## Shop Rat (Apr 8, 2006)

If it is the first year you have planted it, they may not be used to it yet. If there are better sources of food around, it will be a soil builder. Rabbits, turkeys like it too. If you let it seed out, there will be grouse and doves in it.


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## BGB (Jul 21, 2004)

The first year I planted Buckwheat, it grew three to four feet high and seeded out. The turkey and grouse loved it, the deer barely touched it. The next year I planted twice as much and it never got over eight inches. I thought no rain or bad seed lot. I was disapointed because I had so much seed the year before I thought I would harvest some that year for some recipes I picked up like buckwheat cakes. So the last couple of year an exclusionary cage told the story. I was overly browsed.

Your right, it does make pretty plot and my wife misses the tall flowering plants. So hopefully enjoy the scenery this year because the deer may not give you a chance to enjoy it again.


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## Setter (Mar 20, 2001)

I planted two plots of buckwheat, the largest about 1/2 acre and it was really coming in great, yesterday I was up to check things out and I could hardly fine a buckwheat plant theat hadn't been chewed off. The deer have hammer the food plots this spring, I can hardly get anything established before it is decimated.


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

Most of my 3/4 acre plot is chewed down to 4-5" high. They are absolutely devouring it. They probably just haven't found yours yet. Or maybe there's something better tasting close to you.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

We planted 2 acres about 3 weeks ago. I looked at it last week and it was about 4 inches high. Gonna have to check it this week.


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## Backwoods-Savage (Aug 28, 2005)

Yesterday even the turkeys did not want to leave the buckwheat when I went on the ATV to check it. This is the first year we've grown it and both the turkeys and especially the deer love it. You can bet we'll be planting more next summer.


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## DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI (Sep 23, 2002)

My First Time Buckwheat Plot Of About 10k Square Foot Is Being Hit Real Hard All The Tops Or What Ever There Is Is Gone. When I Walk Threw It The Highest Plant Maybe 10 Inches Tall.
Will The Deer Continue To Eat The Plants Down To The Ground? Does Anybody Know At What Stage Of The Plant The Deer Stop Feeding On It, Once They Start Eating It?


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## Shop Rat (Apr 8, 2006)

DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI said:


> My First Time Buckwheat Plot Of About 10k Square Foot Is Being Hit Real Hard All The Tops Or What Ever There Is Is Gone. When I Walk Threw It The Highest Plant Maybe 10 Inches Tall.
> Will The Deer Continue To Eat The Plants Down To The Ground? Does Anybody Know At What Stage Of The Plant The Deer Stop Feeding On It, Once They Start Eating It?


From my experience, once the seeds start turning brown and dropping, the deer will slow down alot. Then the birds start. You could let it seed itself and till or plant again if it is for deer or leave the seeds for the birds. I have 3 buckwheat plots 3/4 acre and 2x 1/2 acre. I will leave at least one and plant rye, wheat, ww, and some brassica in the others.


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## stick bow (Jan 3, 2004)

Checked on the Buckwheat this weekend and the deer never touched it so I disked it under. I did grow a great field of ferns in my other plot though, that fertilizer really gets them going, there was not much sigh of the chickory and clover I planted. If ferns was corn I'd be rich! I do know what my mistake was and took a double dose of roundup to the whole shubang, I will be adding much lime before this falls planting. This fall will include a delightful smorgasbord of forage peas, dwarf essex rape and Ed's Mid-Michigan "Special Brassica Blend". Still learnin. I just need to do what I read instead of just flingin seed. Wish me luck!


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## sagittarius (Jun 2, 2004)

stick bow said:


> I will be adding much lime before this falls planting. Still learnin. I just need to do what I read instead of just flingin seed.


Experience is the best teacher.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

It's much easier to learn from the experience of others; keep asking questions.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

I quit wasting my time planting buckwheat. My deer never let it get 6" high.


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## Shop Rat (Apr 8, 2006)

stick bow said:


> I did grow a great field of ferns in my other plot though, that fertilizer really gets them going, there was not much sigh of the chickory and clover I planted. If ferns was corn I'd be rich! I do know what my mistake was and took a double dose of roundup to the whole shubang, I will be adding much lime before this falls planting. I just need to do what I read instead of just flingin seed. Wish me luck!


I decided to soil test and be more careful with soil moisture and ph when I planted $120 of Whitetail clover and none came up! I am still learning, too. It seems like I have the easy stuff (rye,brassica,buckwheat) down pat. Now it is time to improve the soil more and try beans, corn, clover, wheat.


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## BGB (Jul 21, 2004)

Hamilton Reef said:


> I quit wasting my time planting buckwheat. My deer never let it get 6" high.


Are you planting it for the deer or other wildlife?


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

Yeah, Isn't that the point? So deer eat it?


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## fairfax1 (Jun 12, 2003)

Where have you been buying your buckwheat seeds? 

Are there 'varieties' or cultivars that are specified? or is it just 'mill run' seed?

Prices per 50lbs?

Am planning on putting in about an acre as an early summer forage and weed suppressant prior to September planting of winter wheat.

Have not done buckwheat before so am hopin' you guys will be my Sherpas and help me up the mountain.

thnx, in advance..........Fx1


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

I get mine from Sweeney Seed in Mt. Pleasant. It runs about $13 for 50#. I think it's just a "run of the mill" seed.


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## Jeff Sturgis (Mar 28, 2002)

Now I have to go check...I was thinking I paid a little over $30 for 50#'s but as far as I know there is no special deer variety.

This was buckwheat about 2 months old on a new planting...first planting following a few sprayings and 4 tons of lime per acre, light soil. I've always had great luck with it!


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

NJ- That's about what I paid for rye last year. I'm pretty sure, buckwheat is very cheap. But I could be wrong.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

The last time I bought buckwheat it was $25.00/50lbs at Standish Milling.


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## Doctor (Jun 21, 2002)

QuakrTrakr said:


> I get mine from Sweeney Seed in Mt. Pleasant. It runs about $13 for 50#. I think it's just a "run of the mill" seed.


Were there dark hulls on the seed? The reason I ask is because the last time I found 50lbs. of buckwheat that cheap it was hulled and more geared toward feed. I did plant the feed type and it did pretty good.


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## sagittarius (Jun 2, 2004)

www.alseed.com has it listed for $17/50lbs, so you could have it delivered to your door for about $30. 



BGB said:


> Are you planting it for the deer or other wildlife?


Partially, for what little they use mine. I use it as a summer planting when the priority is a fall planted plot in that location. It is used one summer as part of a 5 year rotation plan to maintain soil quality. 



QuakrTrakr said:


> Yeah, Isn't that the point? So deer eat it?


It is more valuable as a soil builder, weed suppressor, and that it is so easy to grow in poor soil.


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