Monday, October 2, 2017

Wheat Update

The lack of rain since planting winter wheat has been unnerving.  The soil is completely dry and there has been no measurable precipitation in almost three weeks.  I checked the Spring Street field today and I was relieved to find that the seed is in good condition below the surface.  However, I'll feel a lot better once we get normal rainfall again and seasonal conditions.

Spring Street on October 2, two weeks after drilling. I've never had to wait this long!

I have watered the test plot a couple of times now.  Germination is normal for these archived seed samples.  It's interesting to see that both Wisconsin No 2 and Vavilov Turkey Red are germinating slower than the Ehmke Turkey.  The difference is hard to see in a photo but it's clear to see in person.
This is a backup Wisconsin No. 2 planting.  Since I did not put all of my seed in the ground at Spring Street, and because the lack of rain is unnerving me, I drilled another 6.8 oz into this area 8.5' x 19'.  If for some reason the Spring Street planting is a failure, I can at least expect to harvest 4-8 lbs of seed from here to plant in 2018.  I will water this as needed.

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