Winter wheat

[dmiller]

Knowledge is nice but experience would be better.
Curious about wheat at this time of year.
The guy I worked for as a kid (NE Wash.) would plant winter wheat in early to mid sept. He wanted 4 leaves up before snow cover for the winter (about thanksgiving or early dec.)
I planted in late Sept. early Oct. (couldn't get in earlier due to the dry conditions). The winter wheat has sprouted (about 70 percent or so I'd say, there seems to be a lot more seeds germinated but not sprouted yet if you dig a bit)and is about 2 inches tall some working on the second leaf.
So how does this compare with normal???? A few of the guys around here say that they want it to be germinated but not sprouted. They claim it vernalizes fine and can't winter kill if it's still in the ground?????
 

[jackinok]

lot of wheat here likely to freeze out simply because of the lack of rain. i personally like to see at least two leaves,threes better,even more in a good year. but we dont normally have really bad winters here for a extended period. this drought here is really going to hurt if it doesnt let loose soon. i planted oats first of sept right before the only rain weve had this fall.they came up good but havent had one drop of moisture since,and their looking mighty peeked. the guys who planted wheat later than that, looks like their stands are 1/4 or less of what would be normaly. just plain too dry for seed to germinate.in my experience,anything north of about I-40, needs to have more growth, anything north of about the kansas southern border,i would want to see 4 leaves on my own wheat. but wheat can fool you also,i wouldnt give up on it yet,a few warm days and some moisture can make all the difference.
 

[jackinok]

forgot to add we use wheat for winter grazing also so we often want more growth than some folks. Several folks here already have cattle on wheat,simply because they are out of grass.
 

[dmiller]

Thanks,
I sure wish I could've put on some starter fertilizer but the increasing cost of feed sent that money to other things. I told myself that with the lack of moisture and cold soil temps. the plants wouldn't do much with the fertilizer anyway and I should be able to make up for it in the spring.
One of the guys at church said that he planted the second week of Nov. one year and still got a good crop.
 

[Erik Ks farmer]

Fall starter will allow the plant to establish a more developed root base to better utilize moisture and spring applied N.
 

[jackinok]

honestly,ive seen folks out planting at christmas here and made as good a crop as anyone else.but if you use it for grazing you couldnt of course.cattle would simply graze down it to nothing,and stress it so bad it wouldnt make.