The unusually warm weather of the past few weeks prevented traditional conditions for frost seeding from developing and also accelerated winter wheat development. Successful interseeding is still possible if the soil surface is dry and cracked, but the wheat grow stage should be should be checked to determine the potential for creating wheel tracks. Most wheat in extreme Southeast Wisconsin is at the Zadoks 30 or “Pseudostem erection” stage, meaning the growing point is above the soil surface and a small hollow cavity has formed at the base of the stem. From this point on, wheel traffic has the potential to break the stem, creating permanent tracks and reduced yield. If this is the case, plans for broadcasting seed alone with an ATV mounted seeder should be abandoned in favor of applying seed with N fertilizer using commercial scale air-flow equipment to minimize the number of wheel tracks and associated yield loss. Please visit “Verify Wheat Growth Stage Before Applying Growth Regulator Herbicides” which contains an image of wheat at the Zadoks 30 stage.
For more information please see Frost Seeding Red Clover in Winter Wheat
