millet

[eastwoods]

brown top broadcasted on top of dirt before a flood of two weeks duration in fairly swift current area. Been dry for about a week. Millet about 1 inch high and thick. Who would of thunk. OK, who thinks it'll seed and how much? One inch tall on 9/25 in NE AR.

[hawkeye]

I know it will seed, millet "heading out" comes from two things...one, millet gets mature. two, daylengths get short enough, and ma nature says its time to procreate no matter the cost, just to keep the population there. I've PLANTED millet at the end of october, and it still headed out. it didn't get but 4 to 6 inches tall, but still had a head on it that contained about 30 seeds on it. It wasn't much, but it was still a heck of a lot better than bare soil, and the seed was already carried over for one year, and I felt that it would waste. So...it will seed. I think it will be about 20 to 22 inches tall with a 3" head on it. hehe Why not guess, huh?

[GulfCoast]

I would think it would head out, too. May be kinda short, but it should head out.

[Delta Duck]

Under the right conditions the millet will choke everything out and come back for years.

[Double R 2]

Keep your fingers crossed for a late frost. A buddy planted some in central MS last weekend just to see what it'd so, probably not much but something maybe. Besides, we've got about 150 acres of teh stuff that was planted in early August, already beginning to senesce. Good luck and let us know what it did. Pictures maybe?

[Bustin' Ducks]

ahhh...Millet..Sounds like a plan..Good LUck

[eastwoods]

Another good name for millet is "poor man's corn" hehehehehehehe

If it get's 22 inches hawkeye, you can shoot with me. It's a little colder up here than you'd think. I'd be surprised at 12 inches and heads.

What I can't believe is that the seed was on the ground less than 24 hours before the river covered it. I thought it would all float and wash away. Guess it absorb moisture over night with a heavy dew and sank. I also am figuring the current is stronger in the higher water levels and not next to the ground level. Anyway that stuff took off as soon as the water got off and it's a good thick stand surprisingly evenly distributed.

I might have to rig up some lights and batteries to run all night so I can get the normal 60 days in thirty. Put the lights close to the ground and not worry about a frost or better yet about 10/20 just make a giant greenhouse about 3 feet off the ground out of painters clear poly sheets. Could just space em out pretty good so that it could let the air circulate during the day and not get to hot.

[hawkeye]

When I guessed 22 inches, I was referring to heavy fertilization along with being planted in a very fertile soil, such as drained beaver slough or bottomland situation.

[Greenhead22]

I went and checked mine the other day, headed out pretty good at about 2 ft tall. I was wondering if it would do that good since I didn't put a bit of fertilizer on it, just waiting for my milo to finish heading out.

[eastwoods]

I think it's planted in about as fertile a place as it could be since the land has been flooded about 8 times in the past 12 months and has never grown anything except hardwoods. Sandy loam good river bottom soil. I just think it's to cold or will get to cold to grow very high, hope I'm wrong about that just like I was about getting it to sprout after a flood. I got about an acre of it in as good a location as it possible gets so if it heads I'm in business. If it was an inch at 9/25 it probably sprouted on 9/21 so it would have more than a full growing season at 11/21. Startin' to think it might make somethin', am thinking it'll be killed by a frost on 11/15 give or take a week. I'll keep ya'll posted. I think any time in August is the best time to plant in NE AR if you can get a good shower.

[SCOOTER]

We got it up about 2 -3 feet tall and headed out, but the water grass is coming one strong. it will headout but will be short, hope far a late frost and small rains. good luck.

[jdbuckshot]

i planted brown top and jap millits. i planted some in june and it grew and dried up and fell over, and there is seed all over the ground. i came back in august and planted more and it all looks great. all my brown top only grew about a foot and a half but had good seed. so is millet supposed to stand up in the water or is it going to fall down?

[eastwoods]

It falls down readily, but there is no open water in say 4 - 6 inches of water which is the ideal depth for puddle ducks. It lays on top of the water for awhile until trampled down. Like floating hay. Ducks love it.

[hawkeye]

Some of you rice guys might can better answer this question, but I have heard of rice farmers spraying some type of fertilizer on rice that has silica or some form of it on rice to help with stalk strength. I have always wondered if it would work on millet to keep it standing up.

[Wingman]

I think the reason for rice lodging is due to several factors, but not all at the same time.

1) Rice water weevils: the larvae bore through the stalks making them weak when the head is put on.

2) Heavy fertilization promotes rapid stalk growth and, of course, heavy fruiting. Heavy heads and long thin stalks means top-heavy rice.

3) Stretching due to flooding. The plant tries to outgrow the water when it is too deep, too early.

No matter what, I think rice and/or millet is going to lodge after it has been dead for several weeks. Thinner stands in your millet may help.

Wingman