Questions about Growing Winter Rye

N1ST · Jun 28, 2008

I called a second agway in the area this morning and they said that it sold for $13 for a 56 lb bag last year. They checked their source's web site and it wasn't listed yet for this year.

Since I don't have a hay cutter (9 hrs to cut 1 acre with a sycthe IF you know what you're doing!), and I don't have a bailer, haying it isn't going to be an option. So, I would cut it with a mower and till it in to improve the soil.

In my travels, I read that rye tends to prevent germination of weeds and vegi crops. The vegi prevention could be a problem! Anyone plant vegis after rye and experience an problems?

Below is the "hand" spreader I use.

randy41 · Jun 28, 2008

you're going to have to chop the rye up pretty good if you're going to till it in.

Charlesaf3 · Jun 28, 2008

hmm, vegi prevention would be bad, but I haven't heard that.

I haven't had any problem running over it with the brush deck, then tilling it in. Do the same thing with some pretty nasty weeds, saplings and briars, into the soil to enrich it they go.

Now I have to find a place that charges something closer to lone cowboy's rates!

EddieWalker · Jun 28, 2008

One of the big reasons for the priced differences in grass seed is the amount of filler material added to the sack. Just because it says 50 pounds of grass seed, doesn't meant that there is actually 50 pounds of grass seed in there. You have to look at the lable that' sown onto the sack to know what percentage of actual seed is really in there.

I don't know for rye grass seed, I never really shoped around for it since I just buy one sack every fall and it seems reasonable, but it's not a number that I remember.

On bermuda grass seed, it's very common for the sack to be 50% seed. Then there is hulled and un-hulled, which also makes a huge difference in price. A 50 pound sack of hulled, pure seed will cost $300 or $6 a pound from my feed store. You will pay the same price per pound for the sack they sell at the big stores, but since they are all 50% bermuda seed, you are actually paying twice as much for the pure seed.

Eddie

Egon · Jun 28, 2008

Sometimes we get rye confused. There are different varieties. Winter rye is considered a cereal crop and is an annual. There are other rye grasses that are perennials and quite different.

WTA · Jun 30, 2008

I've always planted a mix in two of my fields here that had rye in it. Usually beardless wheat, rye and triticali. I swear I can't tell any of them apart.

I thought about drilling in some annual rye grass into my bermuda pasture after my last cutting this ear. It can't hurt I figure and will save me some hay bales over the winter hopefully. I try to keep the horses off it from April till October when we are baling that field and it just sits there all winter.

Luremaker · Jun 30, 2008

randy41 said:
you're going to have to chop the rye up pretty good if you're going to till it in.

I till winter rye in my garden every spring. I plant it in early October and till it in in mid to late May. It tills in really nice. The winter rye I plant is the cereal type. I plant 2 bushels of rye per acre. All I do to plant it spread it with my 3ph spreader and roll it with my roller. It's real easy to grow. Last September I paid $10 per bushel for uncleaned rye (has a little corn ans wheat mixed in it). Last fall cleaned rye costs $12/bu but they were out when I went to pick it up.