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sorghum
May 3, 2012 20:20:24 GMT -5
Post by steev on May 3, 2012 20:20:24 GMT -5
Last year I grew some Tarahumara Popping sorghum for seed increase; when I brought home the cut heads, my landlady thought they were very decorative, so we put them in a nice tall crock for a bouquet and to dry. Last week, our roomie who was cleaning was walking up the drive as I went out; he was carrying the crock! I checked and found that he'd just tossed my seed supply in the green recycle bin out front for pick-up. It seems they'd gotten dry enough that seed was falling on the floor and he'd had no idea of their importance to me. No harm done, but that was close!
Anyway, this year I'm going to grow:
Black African Lesotho Tunisian Tarahumara Popping (big patch for eating)
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sorghum
May 3, 2012 22:00:04 GMT -5
Post by 12540dumont on May 3, 2012 22:00:04 GMT -5
Steev, that sounds fascinating. This year I'm growing out a patch of sorghum for Atash. Next year, I'd love to try the popping. Little early here to plant Sorghum. I'm focusing on getting everything else that's in a pot in before I start direct seeding! Gosh, I haven't even started melons yet!
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Post by steev on May 4, 2012 0:11:57 GMT -5
Neener, neener, neener! I've got 74 melon varieties seeded and sprouting, and finished seeding 33 various squashes today. Now to attack the tomatoes!
I'll fire you off some popping sorghum asap.
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Post by potter on May 4, 2012 0:15:10 GMT -5
Oh..great..now I have somebody to ask questions from. I was given some white popping sorghum seeds..something I've never grown before. I'm not living in great hope with having huge success with them over here in UK..but..one can only try. I'm going to have to start them in modules as our weather is not really warm enough yet...but how about otherwise?..I seem to get very confusing info when googling? Do they need really warm growing conditions?..more 'heat' than maize/sweetcorn? What kind of spacing I'm looking for?..I'm not talking about big quantity of plants..propably a dozen if lucky.. Are they very needy?..I understand they would prefer more dryer conditions..but as our weather is so unpredictable, I propably have to safe few plants and try growing in greenhouse.. HELP!
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sorghum
May 4, 2012 10:40:28 GMT -5
Post by steev on May 4, 2012 10:40:28 GMT -5
My limited (one shot) experience: planted in a 4" pot to sprout; transplanted to six-paks when grown to 2"; set out spaced 12" when 4"; grown in very hot, dry conditions; irrigated ~1 gallon weekly; mulched heavily. A scant teaspoon of seed produced ~2 cups of product. Good luck.
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sorghum
May 4, 2012 16:33:59 GMT -5
Post by atash on May 4, 2012 16:33:59 GMT -5
Yes. Sorghum grows faster than maize but requires more heat. It seems to be particularly fussy about cool weather striking when it is blooming. Does not pollinate well when nights are cool. You will get heads that are mostly empty.
It would do better in a greenhouse. Bear in mind that it varies a lot in height. Anything from a few feet tall to maybe 9 or so. Grain sorghums tend to be shorter than syrup types but all bets off if you're growing an old variety.
Your best bet would be one of Tim Peter's Sorghums. They were bred in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, where nights are cool. I have 3 varieties of it in my back yard and am currently trying to propagate the "winners". One of them performed surprisingly well and I think I sent some of that one to 12540dumont, but the one she referred to earlier is a different variety you would not realistically be able to harvest (I got all of about 12 grains off it as a result of last year's cold summer). That's why she's growing it...down in warm, sunny California. That variety's claim to fame is "bird resistance". Sorghum contains cyanoglycocides, which is why you need to be careful feeding sorghum to livestock. That particular variety, enough to kill birds that don't leave it alone--except they do--they won't eat it by choice. Somehow they register the bitterness. It's perfectly safe for humans once cooked--don't eat it raw. Bird predation is a serious problem with Sorghum because you have those oh-so-tempting sprays of what look like millet sitting right on the top of the plant, totally unprotected. At least maize is wrapped in a husk, and further down the plant.
The cool-growing Sorghum will be available in a few years. It has some propensity for perenniality here in the PNW (similar climate to yours, but a little warmer and the rainfall more seasonal with a peak in late fall and winter), and I have maybe a few dozen plants that survived from last year. The seed from these should be more thoroughly perennial.
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sorghum
May 4, 2012 21:21:37 GMT -5
Post by 12540dumont on May 4, 2012 21:21:37 GMT -5
Steev, I can't believe you neenered me. Here I've been so sick that I've been barely able to crawl out of bed, Leo's been farming with one hand tied behind his back (I'm his good left hand!). The son even had to turn out to plant corn, and I get a neener.
My first day back on the farm I planted 400 onion transplants and 200 TPS. I potted up the tomatoes we didn't plant. I'm so far behind and now tonight I feel like I've been run over by a bus. And all I got was a neener. You'll see. I'll rise again!
I'm going to put my corn and sorghum in trays, so I don't get behind on the planting schedule.
I still have rice to transplant! And flowers! And the squash is ready! And so are the cukes. I have to finish harvesting onions to get them in.
Neener indeed.
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Post by steev on May 5, 2012 0:57:32 GMT -5
I've got two kinds of lentils, twelve of onions and leeks, and a pomegranate to set out this week-end; three kinds of spuds and horseradish, if I can get to them. Seeded 11 tomatoes today, with more to do as space is opened in the hotbox by sprouting melons and squash. Rice? Oh, yes; lots of rice to transplant.
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Post by potter on May 5, 2012 2:48:07 GMT -5
It would do better in a greenhouse. Thanks!...I had sniggering feeling it would be so. Ok..Greenhouse it is..luckily I've got one that has quite a bit of headroom so I'll get few plants into ground next to my peach tree. Its more of 'curiosity' to me..so I can 'tick off' the boxes 'been there and done that'...if it should crop anything, that is big bonus and the I shall repeat the experiment. I like to see how much I get away with UK weather. Last year I did try some cotton in GH..but it didn't like it a bit..It grew 2ft tall..and then just stood there sulking. Our summer was horrid..it was good enough for tomatoes but not for cotton.. But..I will have to try cotton again..if I can achieve enough 'fluff' to make two cottonbuds..that is a success ;D
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sorghum
May 5, 2012 13:21:35 GMT -5
Post by castanea on May 5, 2012 13:21:35 GMT -5
I've got two kinds of lentils, twelve of onions and leeks, and a pomegranate to set out this week-end; three kinds of spuds and horseradish, if I can get to them. Seeded 11 tomatoes today, with more to do as space is opened in the hotbox by sprouting melons and squash. Rice? Oh, yes; lots of rice to transplant. What pom?
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sorghum
May 5, 2012 22:24:27 GMT -5
Post by davida on May 5, 2012 22:24:27 GMT -5
It would do better in a greenhouse. Ok..Greenhouse it is..luckily I've got one that has quite a bit of headroom so I'll get few plants into ground next to my peach tree. Potter, So do you have a peach tree in your green house? If so, how is that working for you? David
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sorghum
May 6, 2012 17:05:02 GMT -5
Post by potter on May 6, 2012 17:05:02 GMT -5
So do you have a peach tree in your green house? If so, how is that working for you?
Yes..I've had one in now..about 10 yrs and it does crop huge amount every year. It is grafted into dwarfing rootstock and trained against glass into fan shape. It is bit too happy under glass and needs quite a bit of pruning and fruit thinning every year. But I cannot complain..it is little efford for the amount of fruit I get as reward. That peach lives in unheated greenhouse..we can grow peached outside in UK...but unfortunately we have 'peach leaf curl' fungal problem here that is spread by winter rains..so either you have to use fungicides (I don't fancy that) if grown outdoors or erect some sort of canopy to keep rain away..greenhouse was easiest option for me. I've been so happy with my tree that I've now bought another different sort that sits in a large pot for time being..and next spring I'm going to buy some rootstocks in and do some crafting and have myself 'doughnut nectarine' This 'mother' tree is too big to plant indoors so I have to start from scratch and create something smaller to start with.
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sorghum
May 6, 2012 17:14:34 GMT -5
Post by davida on May 6, 2012 17:14:34 GMT -5
So do you have a peach tree in your green house? If so, how is that working for you? Yes..I've had one in now..about 10 yrs and it does crop huge amount every year. Potter, How interesting and thanks for the information. Do you have to do anything special for pollination? David
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sorghum
May 6, 2012 17:22:09 GMT -5
Post by potter on May 6, 2012 17:22:09 GMT -5
Do you have to do anything special for pollination? No..not with the 'old' tree..that one is self-fertile..though I do give it bit of helping hand with rabbits tail if the weather is not very good. This doughnut one is hand pollination job.. ..that one is eventually going into different greenhouse..one that is next to beehives..so we'll see..I might get some venturing indoors doing the job for me.
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sorghum
May 6, 2012 17:59:09 GMT -5
Post by davida on May 6, 2012 17:59:09 GMT -5
Do you have to do anything special for pollination? I do give it bit of helping hand with rabbits tail if the weather is not very good. Potter, Thanks for all the information. Just one more question, would you please explain the "helping hand with rabbits tail"? Thanks again, David
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