# Planting Buckwheat?



## NATTY BUMPO

I'll be putting in some buckwheat in a couple of new food plots as a green manure crop, which will be tilled under around late August. When should I plan on planting buckwheat (middle LP)? Thanks.

Natty B.


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## FREEPOP

I believe there is an old saying about after the fourth of July. I'll ask my stepdad, he'll remember.

Here is probably all you'll ever want or need to know:

www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/buckwheat.html


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## mich buckmaster

OTAY!!!! Spanky I will be in your gang!!LOL

I couldnt resist, sorry for interupting this post, I just like "The Little Rascals"

Good luck on your crops, I know nothing about buckwheat.


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## NATTY BUMPO

Thanks, Freepop!
Purdue grad here - Go Boilers.

You're right - this gives me waaay more than I'll ever need to know on buckwheat.

Natty B


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## Liver and Onions

Wet or dry, plant your buckwheat by the 4th of July.
The deer will be in it during Sept. Pheasants in the fall. For some reason the turkeys don't seem to interested.
L & O


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## FREEPOP

L & O, congrats, that's the saying.


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## Drake

I made the mistake of planting buckwheat on some property I owned near Hart, I couldn't keep the deer or the pouchers out of it, I tolled the CO about the problem ,I suggested where they could setup to watch the plot in the comfort of the car, 
They didn't seem to care,
....nothing happened....
Dave


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## dfd189

I always plant my buckwheat in mid May if I am going to use it as a green manure crop. It will go to seed by mid July and when you disk it under you will have a cover crop for whatever you plant afterwords. The buckwheat will be killed off after the first good frost. It is also a great natural weed suppresent when it decomposes.


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## wild bill

buckwheat can be planted after the threat of frost is gone and the soil temp reaches 45 degrees. buckwheat will germinate in soil temps from 45 to 105 degrees. for ideal germination the soil should be 80 degrees.


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## NATTY BUMPO

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

Now, come on Spring!

Natty B.


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## orion

If any one is looking for Buckwheat to plant PM me. I have a source that is very fairly priced.


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## eddiemq1

planting around the 4th of july would be about right if you want to plow it under in late august, providing we have adequate moisture this summer. remember to plow it while it is still green and has nutrient value for the soil, then go in and plant your fall crops. oats work well for this purpose too.


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## Swamp Ghost

One other benefit of planting it early, if you plant it thick, say 90# an acre, it smothers out any weed competitors. Between that and it's own natural weed suppressant qualities you end up with a virtually weed free seed bed.


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## Lindsey

How fussy is buckwheat about being buried?
We disk'd our field last summer, planted buckwheat and dragged it in with a bedspring.
I want to skip the diskng this spring and just spread seed and my lime and fretilizer and drag them all in with the bed spring. The soil is very sandy and the vegetation is thin.
Think it will grow or am I wasting my time & money if I skip the initial disking?


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## eddiemq1

Shouldn't be any problem. with sandy soil, you should be able to get plenty of coverage on the seed by dragging. The seed doesn't have to be very deep, and by not disking you will save moisture for germination, in case of dry weather.


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## Ed Spin

Natty, why are you planting buckwheat? What type of soil do you have, sandy, loamy sand, sandy loam, loam or loamy clay? Is it for wildlife and if so what kind of wildlife? Is it to build up the soil? Have you taken a soil test? If so can you give me the numbers, PH, major nutrient values, cation number, amount of lime and type recommended?

Keep the fun in hunting!

Ed Spin


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## NATTY BUMPO

Ed Spin,

Welcome to M-S.com! Hope you'll add to the discussion often.

Our property is in mid-Mason Co nr the big water (fruit belt). The soils are a sandy loam with a low ph (5.5-5.9), low fertility and are covered with bracken fern in the open areas. We had soil tests done two yrs ago at MSU and I cant put my hands on them just now. We had 10 tons of lime spread on about three acres two yrs ago. I need to test again this spring. 

Re buckwheat. We have some good clover blend plots established on some of the better ground. On the poorer sites, we've been planting rye and buckwheat as "green manure" crops and then discing them in in late Aug. I'm thinking of following this year with Buck Forage Oats (see recent thread). I would welcome any suggestions that you might have on any of this.

Natty B.


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## Ed Spin

Natty:

Thanks for your reply. It appears a major objective you have is to build up your soil and based on your description of it that is what should be done. 

Soil. tests should be taken each year, till your soil building is accomplished. then at intervals of every two to three years

soil building is increasing the organic and nutrient content

One good way of building the organic content of your type of soil is to plant twice in one year with several types of soil building plants. 

I like to plant buckwheat at 50 lbs per acre and broadcst 100 lbs of 19-19-19 in early June. Disk the fertilizer in and broadcast the buckwheat followed by a cultipacking. Around the first of August broadcast 15 lbs of sulfer, 30 lbs of phosphorous, 60 lbs of potash and 90 lbs of nitrogen per acre. Disk the fertilizer in and then broadcast 50 lbs of rye grain, and 4 lbs of a brassica mix (forage rape and turnips) with turnips being no more than one lb per acre and again followed by a cultipacking. Do this for three to four years and you should see a change in the color and the soil tests should show a definate increase in the organic content.

For your first soil test ask for the minor nutrient values also, sulfer, zinc, magnanese, copper and iron and of course the organic content. Over the years add more fertilizer than recommended by about 25 to 50 percent. Look for ALL the nutrient values to reach the medium high range. Lime to a minimum of 6.0 with 6.5 PH preferred. Do this as the organic value is increasing not at one time in the beginning. It will mostly leach out and be a waist of time and money. It is the increased content of the organic material that will hold the minerals and moisture.

Keep the fun in hunting!

Ed Spin


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