Subject: Re: Proso millet, buckwheat

From: "Verne L. Chinampas" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 23:38:14 -0800 (PST)

I'll be gowing proso millet for the first time this year. If anyone is
willing to send me cultural info, I'd greatly appreciate it.

also, how about buckwheat as a cover crop into a field now covered by
shallow rooted grasses, now forming seeds. Is it best to disk (2-3
acres), and how best to plant seed. Can I sow into freshly disked
weeds with no coverage, but with rain on its way?

Thanks,
v

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From: Jack Rowe <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 10:40:43 -0500

Haven't grown proso, but millets in general like heat and are tolerant of
drought and low fertility (but prefer moderate fertility and moisture).
Moisture levels are especially critical at flowering and early seed
formation if you're growing it for the grain. Too much nitrogen during seed
maturation lowers grain protein levels.

Buckhweat sprouts readily and probably will be happy uncovered on disked
soil if rains are coming, but if the rains don't come the birds will (they
may anyway, since they'll be out 'birding-out' on worms and grubs brought
to the surface by the rain to avoid smothering). Seed balls are good as
soil loss would be minimized. Swales can catch 1/8 inch or more of soil in
a hard rain even without disking. 

Buckwheat is excellent at extracting poorly-soluble Phosphorous, matures
seed in just 50 days or so, but is not an intense smother crop if you're
worried about the existing grasses coming back to mess with the millet.
Maybe a mung bean-buckwheat mix or some such thing, neither are tall but
together make a good, fast cover.

Buena suerte,

Jack