# buckwheat in Texas



## ChickenChaser

I have planted buckwheat a few times over the last few years. If you have sufficient moisture and temps for germination, and feel you are past your last frost date, you can plant now. Expect seedlings in 5-7 days and blooms as soon as three weeks later. You are maybe 200 miles south of me as far as lattitude....I'm holding off for fear of a late frost. Heat and dry conditions will stress buckwheat but I have planted small patches around July 4 and have blooms in mid August with 90+ afternoon temps. Moisture is the key.

That being said - I was planting for the bees to work in the dearth before fall flow (goldenrod). The verdict is still out on the success of this timing. The bees worked it heavily in the morning...but I have no stores to show - unless it went into the brood boxes. 

Nectar is produced, as I understand it, when the nights are cool ( spring or fall ) and summer nights staying around 70 degrees may be the problem. Also, the common variety ( Mancan and I think Mancor ) may not produce sufficient nectar for surplus. It is suggested that the harder-to-find Japanese varieties is what we want. 

I have a small amount of the Japanese variety but only enough to plant for seed production. I kept it last year in case dry weather got my main crop. It did. 

If you are planting for bees and not harvest, I suggest succession planting. Maybe an acre now, assuming you are planting three, an acre two weeks from now, and the final acre one month from now. If you get the first blooms around the time you sow the last acre, you can mow planting #1 when seeds mature and till in. Ideally, you can have blooms until frost. 

CC


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## Jaseemtp

Awesome! That's the information I was looking for. I greatly appreciate it. I am worried about a late frost getting the planting, do the succession planting makes the most sense. Do you or y'all think 3 acres is enough to bother with for the bees? I know I can not supply all of their needs with a small planting. I did figure it would be a small bonus for them though.


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## ChickenChaser

Many references to buckwheat say an acre can yield 100+ lbs. for a hive. Again...I've yet to get a teaspoon full that I know of. LOL

Do an internet search on "buckwheat for honey bees" and check out the PDF from Purdue or Jefferson Institute.

CC


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## Nantom670

I just planted a small patch last year and the deer loved it.


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## Jaseemtp

blahhh those darn deer eating our bee forage


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## spunky

I wish I would have taken a picture of a frame I had a few years ago of a grapefruit sized patch of buckwheat honey surronded by lighter color wildflower honey; that was off a 20 x 20 foot patch on the side of my garden. I plant it in mid summer and seem to notice the bees will work it in the morning after a cool night with dew. I plant it thick and it will smother out all the weeds, going to try that with borage this year.


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## ChickenChaser

Spunky,
Thats cool! Did you extract it? Seperately? I've never tasted buckwheat honey.

Did you plant the common variety?

CC


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## maedmonson

Jase,
Ever considered planting phacelia tanacetifolia should grow wonderful in TX. Maybe mix it in with the Buckwheat


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## Jaseemtp

I have not heard of that plant maedmonsom. I will look it up and see


oppps I have heard of this and it is kinda expensive to try and plant 2 - 3 acres of it


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## maedmonson

$10/lb from these folks and a lb goes a long ways

http://shop.wildseedfarms.com/Purple-Tansy_Lacy-Phacelia/productinfo/3334/

My bet is the nectar output from buckwheat doesn't come close to Phacelia


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## Jaseemtp

Thanks, I will look into it today. Maybe mix them together and see what happens


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## summer1052

I'm here in Lavaca county -- about halfway betwixt SA and Houston, and 20 miles south of I-10.

I plant Buckwheat, and it does just fine! Averages 6 weeks from seed to bloom. Yes, the deer love it. I can get 2 plantings in spring, and 2-3 in the fall. It is too hot for buckwheat from about June-August. It does well even if things are a bit dry.

Phacelia is called "Purple Tansy" in these parts. It is a fabulous bee flower!! See the separate thread about it.

I would not plant them together, as the Tansy will bloom for 3+ months, and the buckwheat blooms for about 2 weeks. But, you are quite a bit north of me, so your Results May Vary.

Good luck!
*Summer*


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## Jaseemtp

Awesome! Thanks


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## Ozone

I ordered some phacelia tanacetifolia, and will plant in near my buckwheat. I don't know why, but the deer never touched my buckwheat.


We all should know alot more this fall.


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## Jaseemtp

Honestly I'm afraid of the deer eating it all up. Where I live there are tons of them


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## Ozone

My buckwheat is amongst a lot of deer. See 20 every day. So go figure. They walked around mine.

Question:

With all the info above, Since my buckwheat is irrigated, what time of day should I irrigate in order to maximize nectar?

I THINK I learned that frequent irrigation keeps the grasshoppers out.


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## ChickenChaser

Ozone,

Are you talking overhead (sprinkler) irrigation? If so, considering the fact that rainfall "washes"
out" nectar, I would consider trying noon to early afternoon. That would just be a guess on my part, though. 

CC


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## Jaseemtp

I agree with chicken chaser. I would water late afternoon or early evening. The buckwheat is suppose to yield nectar in the morning and rain could "wash" it out


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## avalonweddingsbcs

bout the deer thing...

i get something called liquid fence... it is the only thing i can spray on a rose bush and the deer will avoid it. It stinks like rotten eggs for a day, but lasts for 30 days.. then ya gotta respray,, you could probably plant something around the perimeter of your field and spray it on those plants... deer will avoid it ... so it would cost way too much to spray a field... but if you just did the outside in places you won't see a deer near there..

for 30 days..


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## spunky

Chicken chaser:
I just picked it up at the local farm store , not sure the variety. Yes, it is dark brown and not nearly as sweet as most of the common honeys . It does well in mid summer beacuse it hardly needs any rain to germinate


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## avalonweddingsbcs

i was told u have to sow it... anyone know if u can just throw it in a field? does it reseed itself?


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## summer1052

We sowed ours, in shallow soil, and ran the drag over it to cover it lightly. It does not like to be planted deeply. The heirloom varieties will self seed, the newer ones will not.

Good luck!
*Summer*


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## Jaseemtp

All I did was use the teeth on my box blade to bust up the soil. That was about 3 weeks ago and it finally rained yesterday. So I'm hopeful to see them pop up soon.


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## 500592

Hi am new here but when we planted buckwheat last year we didnt sow it and it worked great.


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## Gypsi

ok, so if I can't get my buffalograss to germinate how likely am I to get buckwheat to germinate? I have wasted a LOT of seed in the last 4 years. How did yours do Jaseemtp?


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## RichardsonTX

Gypsi said:


> ok, so if I can't get my buffalograss to germinate how likely am I to get buckwheat to germinate? I have wasted a LOT of seed in the last 4 years. How did yours do Jaseemtp?


Did you try the Purple Tansy? I just read this thread and I'd like to plant some of it just for the view. If someone on here tells me that it will do well here I am going to definitely plant some.


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## Gypsi

RichardsonTX said:


> Did you try the Purple Tansy? I just read this thread and I'd like to plant some of it just for the view. If someone on here tells me that it will do well here I am going to definitely plant some.



I did not try the purple tansy, I was going to order seed and it stopped raining. In my recent experience of the last 4 years, if it isn't raining it is a very bad time to buy seed. or you can buy and refrigerate and wait for rain.


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## spunky

Chicken Chaser :
Yes, I planted the common variety ,and yes I crushed combed some of it. Very unique, dark brown, not at the molasses stage though, and a different taste


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