will winter wheat green up?

[turkeyriver]

This is my first year with a winter wheat plot. It turned brown with the zero temps the first week of Dec. With all thisrain and warm temps will it green up? If it does, will Jan freeze kill it or can it still come back next spring?

 

[jrjr23]

Yes, it will green up in the spring.

 

[Daver]

In fact, it will probably be the first thing to green up in the Spring. Hen turkeys in particular will be drawn to the fresh, green growth early on. It's been awhile since I read about this, but there is a connection between fresh, green growth and helping with egg shell strength and/or egg formation.

I saw a lot of early action in my carryover winter wheat field last Spring and then it slowed as the season wore on. There are multiple variables, but one is that as it got taller I didn't mow it right away. This year I think I will try mowing at least a section of it to see if that helps keep it attractive.

 

[dbltree]

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This is my first year with a winter wheat plot. It turned brown with the zero temps the first week of Dec. With all thisrain and warm temps will it green up? If it does, will Jan freeze kill it or can it still come back next spring?

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I'm kinda curious about this because I've never had winter wheat or rye turn "brown"

Normally it stays green all winter and then with warm spring weather it starts a flush of new green growth.

My rye is still green and it's been down to at least 6 degrees.

Dave...has your wheat turned brown?

 

[Skully]

My wheat plot is the ony thing left that's green at my place. The clover that I interseeded with it is long gone but should take off full force this spring.

 

[dbltree]

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My wheat plot is the ony thing left that's green at my place.

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Kinda what I figured

Maybe we should go check on Davers wheat, Skully...maybe a 1/2 hr before sundown...

 

[Skully]

Let me grab my smoke-pole, I mean, ur....uh.... my wheat testing stick.

 

[Daver]

Hey, hey, hey... let's not get hasty there guys!! I would hate for my remote controlled vicious attack dog to see two interlopers around my wheat field unescorted. He even eats the bones, so there wouldn't even be enough remains for a proper burial!

I guess if I see that you guys quit posting on here I'll know you tried to sneak in there, but don't say you weren't warned!

My wheat, what is left of it, was still green during the first shotgun season. I haven't been there since, but will probably be there next Tuesday. I'll let you know what I see.

My clover is nibbled down pretty good too and had browned up some, but there was still green to be seen if you looked real close.

 

[turkeyriver]

Up here in northern Iowa we had zero to two below a couple mornings. My wheat isn't dead brown but you sure can't call it green either. It's down on a creek bottom so it probably was colder yet there. My ? was more about it's ability to green up now, then freeze down again in Jan. and then come back in the spring. Does it go dormant in extreme cold or can it kill out in the cold?

 

[dbltree]

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My ? was more about it's ability to green up now, then freeze down again in Jan. and then come back in the spring. Does it go dormant in extreme cold or can it kill out in the cold?

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It's not going to grow or "come to life" now...it's dormant for the winter.

It shouldn't kill out...at least I would say it's extremely rare for WW or rye to winter kill.

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my remote controlled vicious attack dog

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Is that thing gonna have pups Dave...cause I'd like pick of the litter!

 

[dbltree]

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It turned brown with the zero temps the first week of Dec.

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Normally I don't even pay any attention to winter wheat in my travels but I took notice the other day.

All the wheat fields I passed were nice and green (for this time of year)

Even fields that had been under a foot of snow earlier and all of it subject to single digit temps several times, were still green.

I also took notice of the WW down the road from me that a farmer planted in November...it did come up and is green...although you have to look very close to even notice it.

"Brown" wheat would have me wondering...

 

[Daver]

As of yesterday, my winter wheat, what very little is left of it, was still green. To glance at the field you would think brown, but that is because more dirt is showing than plant cover now. My main wheat field is 5+ acres, it is kind of wierd to think of how many deer have been grazing that field to reduce it to the level it is now.

My clover fields look they have been roto-tilled. The deer appear to have been scraping the ground with their hooves to expose even a 1/4" more stem for them then to snip off. My son, who remembers mowing that field this Summer when the weeds were pretty thick, could not believe it was the same place now.

In fact, the clover has been so closely cropped that I wonder if it would be wise to overseed during the late winter. How much abuse can the clover take and still come back?