drummstikk
Well-Known Member
By broadcasting or drilling the barley in high population, you could grow multiple times more in a very small plot. This also controls weeds by shading and discourages pest damage, but I admir your efforts. The seedlings look excellent.
Thanks warden! I appreciate the kind words. I don't know anybody who's grown small grains before, so it's really important for me to get this feedback on HBT.
Don't drills plant seeds in rows? I was really just trying to copy the style of planting a drill would do. BTW, I have already given up on digging the hills and furrows next year -- that was a total waste of time. But I am confused as to why broadcasting might help with shading. I don't want to be a stubborn dick , but here me out:
Here's why I'm confused: for a given planting density (the same number of seeds per acre whether you're broadcasting or drilling in rows), crowding the seeds up into rows increases the local barley density when compared to broadcasting, and increases shading of weeds that grow right next to the barley plants. The weeds that grow between rows of barley are definitely less shaded when you plant in rows as compared to broadcasting, but it doesn't matter, because these weeds are easily destroyed by manual cultivation.
On the other hand, if I kept the seeding rate per acre constant but switched to broadcasting, then the same number of barley plants per acre would be spread out into a more uniform distribution, and the shading near each barley plant would decrease. I also wouldn't be able to remove any weeds by cultivation.
If this is wrong -- what part of the reasoning is incorrect? Thanks for any help y'all can provide, and thanks again for the kind words!