Buckwheat??

[texasproud11]

Need some help from the pros...I see that Jeff Sturgis and others, who manage land up north mostly, swear by a late spring planting of buckwheat, to block out weeds, hold moisture, and build soil quality. He kills and crushes it in the early fall for seed cover. My question is whether buckwheat in Central Texas would even make it to early fall with our heat? If not, he claims there is no better ground cover, is this true?

[elgato]

I'm learning to like buckwheat. I included it in my mixes last year at 10 lbs acre and it worked really well. Comes up fast and goes to bloom seed fast. Several years ago I planted a straight buckwheat strip along some pines. It went to seed died and reseeded at least twice before frost. It has a very short rotation from sprout to seed so only will make it to frost after reseeding a couple times. Is effective at choking out weeds. I was also surprised to see a fair amount of grazing on it last year.

This year as an experiment I'm planting it into an 11 acre field of fall wheat/crimson at 40 lbs acre. Waiting till June to avoid fawns and turkey nests. Idea is to soak the nitrogen from the crimson, hold weeds at bay and 'maybe' create a dove field with the wheat in Sept. I'll report on that.

[tex4k]

I planted some year before last, came up in spring did fairly well into fall then nothing, I was hoping for some reseeding, no such luck! I'm gonna have to nuc stinking bermuda and Johnson grass 3 years in a row then try again.

[Low Fence]

Need some help from the pros...I see that Jeff Sturgis and others, who manage land up north mostly, swear by a late spring planting of buckwheat, to block out weeds, hold moisture, and build soil quality. He kills and crushes it in the early fall for seed cover. My question is whether buckwheat in Central Texas would even make it to early fall with our heat? If not, he claims there is no better ground cover, is this true?

Moisture in your area will be the issue planted late. It has its place... don’t put too much into what he says most don’t apply to my area anyway

[texasproud11]

Moisture in your area will be the issue planted late. It has its place... don’t put too much into what he says most don’t apply to my area anyway

I can tell hes mostly focused on northern properties, is there someone similar for Texas you recommend?

[Low Fence]

Grant Woods is a wealth of knowledge. That won’t tell you about his 900 clients in 64 states. Also doesn’t invent practices 20 years ago.... but was doing it complete opposite 2 years ago.

The deer �� n Pennsylvania and Michigan are a completely different situation from a terrain and pressure aspect. Trial and error and well kept records will be the best. Takes time but the best usually does.

For a soil builder, I like millet varieties and sunflowers too. Cheaper and deer (in my area) will still eat some sunflowers. But that don’t make em the best, just an option

[elgato]

Another option is sunn hemp. I had a field last year that had sedge in it I wanted to get rid of. I planted it in a heavy dose of sunn hemp { 15 lbs acre I think...I could check } Added 10 lbs /acre of buckwheat. Completely chocked everything out including the sedge. The buckwheat came up fast and was done fast but the sunn hemp grew thru the buckwheat, lasting till I replanted in clover in the fall. It would have lasted till frost if I let it.

It creates a giant 8'+ jungle smothering weeds, fixes nitrogen, lots of organic matter...and deer like it.

[texasproud11]

I'll probably be hand spreading since I have no heavy equipment. One of the things I like about Jeff Sturgis is his entry level accessibility by not having heavy equipment, tilling, etc. Can this be the same for Central Texas plots and still be effective?

[Drycreek3189]

Buckwheat has become my go-to spring crop on new plots. I plant it two years in a row and then transition to IC peas, or as in this year, a pea, bean, sunflower, sunn hemp mix. My deer eat it but not heavy, but it does improve the soil IMO. Anecdotal evidence, but I had a couple plots here at home that wouldn’t even grow a decent plot of winter wheat. After one spring crop of buckwheat, the wheat looked so much better last fall. It’s said that buckwheat mines nutrients from deep in the ground and brings them to the root system depth. IDK about that, I just know what I see.

It’s a fact that if you get good coverage of buckwheat it will shade out and starve out weeds and grasses. I started a new plot last spring on our lease and limed, fertilzed, and planted buckwheat all in the same day. The plot had behia grass in it. I haven’t seen a blade of behia since. That’s good enough for the girls I go with.

[texasproud11]

[QUOTE=Low Fence;14875027]Grant Woods is a wealth of knowledge. That won’t tell you about his 900 clients in 64 states. Also doesn’t invent practices 20 years ago.... but was doing it complete opposite 2 years ago."

Thanks, isn't he from Missouri and thus likely to not apply to Texas as well? Also what do you mean by "was doing it complete opposite 2 years ago"?

[Low Fence]

2 years ago he was tilling dirt to powder... now “he been throw and mow for past 65 years. He’s a flake to me, with good production crew. But in fairness could be to different regions. I just get tired of him telling me how good he is and only proof is a few doe and a 6 pt killed by “clients”. Not gonna derail thread

But buckwheat is good. But I. Texas I wouldn’t plant late. I’d plant last week. Same as Missouri. He crimps... too late for that here. I spray

Both of them get frost by September

[SFAbowhunter]

I have followed Jeff on youtube for a while and have been trying to decipher what I can apply to my place in OK and what is meant for up north. He is big on not feeding deer during the summer and he is big on only capturing the afternoon feeding window. I have been intrigued on the buckwheat and how it would do in OK, but haven't ventured down that road. I'm with Low Fence though, Jeff seems pretty full of himself and acts like he invented no till, and no one else knows what they are talking about. He has made quite a few comments in the last few videos about expensive crimpers and no till drills, but I know in the past he used the same drill that Grant Woods uses.

Sorry to derail this thread. I'm interested to see what would be best for the spring if going the throw/mow/spray/roll method.

[texasproud11]

I have followed Jeff on youtube for a while and have been trying to decipher what I can apply to my place in OK and what is meant for up north. He is big on not feeding deer during the summer and he is big on only capturing the afternoon feeding window. I have been intrigued on the buckwheat and how it would do in OK, but haven't ventured down that road. I'm with Low Fence though, Jeff seems pretty full of himself and acts like he invented no till, and no one else knows what they are talking about. He has made quite a few comments in the last few videos about expensive crimpers and no till drills, but I know in the past he used the same drill that Grant Woods uses.

Sorry to derail this thread. I'm interested to see what would be best for the spring if going the throw/mow/spray/roll method.

It would be awesome if there was a Texas/OK equivalent to him, so I'll stay on the lookout. As a gardener, no till has been around for a long time, and I would love to get my deer off a nocturnal pattern by using foodplots without having to buy heavy equipment and using it for the acre I have

[KactusKiller]

It would be awesome if there was a Texas/OK equivalent to him, so I'll stay on the lookout. As a gardener, no till has been around for a long time, and I would love to get my deer off a nocturnal pattern by using foodplots without having to buy heavy equipment and using it for the acre I have

Yup, I've been trying to find someone with his same "experience" and advise but based in Texas/oklahoma. Nothing yet.

I use buckwheat in my spring/summer mix and it works well. The sun hemp the deer loved as well.