Winter Wheat Planting Considerations

As I sit down to write this article, winter small grain planting has started within some parts of the region. Ideally for growers that would like to push for higher yielding wheat, the optimum first planting dates for our part of the state is around October 15th. However, there is still good yield potential left on the table for wheat that gets planted up until the Thanksgiving timeframe.

A good recommendation from North Carolina State University calls for some sort of nitrogen application before winter wheat planting to promote even germination, even emergence, and it can also support early tillering. At least 30 pounds of nitrogen per acre before winter wheat planting is ideal, where it can be sourced from synthetic fertilizers or animal wastes. Just be sure to remember how much nitrogen you applied before winter wheat planting, because that will become an important factor when you are calculating your topdress application later in the growing season!

Ideally when it comes to winter wheat planting, you want to spread your risk across your farming operation by selecting at least three different wheat varieties, where you also have the availability to have different maturity ranges. Plus, another good North Carolina State University recommendation is to use newly purchased seed, with an option for a fungicidal seed treatment package. The fungicidal seed treatment can protect young wheat plants from early season disease pressure, however, you still would need to consider a late season fungicide application, especially if any of your wheat varieties are susceptible to late season disease pressure.