Buckwheat Report!!!!!!

[FordGuy]

Bottom line:
my initial report to you guys is that as of today my buchweat I planted just a few weeks ago is in full bloom.  At 1030 this morning, I walked out into the field (3/4 acre) and every single plant had at least one bee on it.  The plants were rocking back and forth from teh activity - and there was absolutely no breeze.  Temperature wasin low 80s.  I came back at 5 and there was not a bee in sight.

Variety - I asked the clerk at my feed/seed storefor a variety that was NOT self pollinating.  He shrugged his shoulders and said this is what we got, want it or not?  Turned out I received 50 pounds of something called "mancan" cultivar of buckweat.  My cost was $35.00.  it is supposed to last a year in teh bag.  

I used a 9 point chisel plow (7 feet wide) to plow, (red clay) then I simply broadcast the seed, which are huge and the shape of beechnuts.  The ground was new ground, and I did not addany fertilizer, lime, or other amendment.  

We are in a dearth right now, and if it were not for this bit of good fortune my bees might have some hard times.  Our first frost is generally October 15th.  Buckwheat is reported to bloom until first frost, so looks like I have 2 more months of natural feed for 35 bucks!  by teh way, my wife commented on how nice it is to walk through a field of blooming buckwheat this time of year.  

I have 10 hives of Italians.  Screened bottom boards.   I hope this information helps someone else.

[bassman1977]

Awesome!  Good job.

[TwT]

hey fordguy, you aren't for from me and I always wondered how buckwheat would do in this red clay soil,  I would have to ask about seeing if I can get some here, dont think our feed stores have it, the first of september I will get my clover planted for next spring, might have to try a few acres of buckwheat next year, thanks for the info  

[FordGuy]

TWT, this ain't the kind of crop you plant in fall for spring like clover or fescue - you need to either plant on april 1-15 or as late as august 1st.  you can still plant now but you wil only have about a month of blooms for nectar.  The only drawback to using strait red clay was that it wasn't bright green, it was a little more pale green so neighbors who are big time farmers commented on the color, but all i cared about was the resulting bloom.

[leominsterbeeman]

FordGuy -

Sounds great.  Buckwheat is pretty much an early day nectar producer.  In the afternoon, the nectar is too hard for the honeybees to reach. Sounds like your bees are smart and don't go to the buckwheat in the afternoon.  

I've been told that the bees get "angry" or "cross" when they try and get the buckwheat nectar in the afternoon, and they can't get it from the bloom.

I love the smell when walking through a field of blooming buckwheat.  It's kind of a nutty/caramel smell.

Hopefully you will get a good soaking rain for a day and then the nectar will really start to flow if it stays above 80.    Good luck and I hope you are able to get a good harvest of the buckwheat honey.

[TwT]

I was wondering if it would make it during our hot summers, I plant for clover in the spring, have goldenrod in the fall and looking for something to plant for summer, just was wondering how it would do for them 90 degree plus days.

[Sting]

I was wondering if it would make it during our hot summers...

I'm far from being an expert, but I can tell you that even here in the Ottawa River valley, Canada, buckwheat seems to usually be planted at the end of July. It flowers at the end of August to beginning of September, after which it is plowed under.

We do get surprisingly hot summers here. This year we've had 28 days of temperatures 30 C. (88 F.) or above. In fact it was so hot here, poultry farmers were feeding ice chips to their chickens to prevent them from laying hard-boiled eggs.

[Chad S]

I tilled an area the other day hand seeded, and lightly tilled in.  The soil was dry as a bone and it has been hot.  I didn't water the seed in just never got to it.  7-10 days later, with no rain, the Buck Wheat was up.  You just can't kill the stuff.  It has rained 1-2 times since which just makes the stuff thicker and more lush.  Beware the stuff goes to seed, and you get Buck Wheat every where.  I personally like Buck Wheat as a weed over some of the other weeds on my place.

[Kris^]

How high does this buckwheat grow?

-- Kris

[Chad S]

Kris,

I grow Japanese Buck Wheat and it gets up around 3'.  I can't remember what I paid for 50lb of seed, but it was cheeper than clover

[fuzzybeekeeper]

Ok, Now you have my curiosity up!!

Will Buckwheat grow in Texas?  We have dark clay soil and lots of heat!

Just a thought.

Thanks.

Fuzzybeekeeper

[TwT]

here's some info on buckwheat

http://www.beeculture.com/content/pollination_handbook/buckwheat.html

[FordGuy]

as to how tall, mine ranges from 8 inches to 18 inches, all of it in bloom.

[Jerrymac]

 This year we've had 28 days of temperatures 30 C. (88 F.) or above. In fact it was so hot here, poultry farmers were feeding ice chips to their chickens to prevent them from laying hard-boiled eggs.

88F ?????? Had a cold spell did you? Been up to the mid ninties the past few months here. We've had a rather cool summer.