Any tips on growing rice?

[Alan]

I'm thinking about planting some green sticky rice and purple sticky rice this year for trialing and for fun, chances are they will end up in the new worm house in an aquaphonics system, but if they were to be grown outside does any one here have any experience and tips to impart on me?

[orflo]

I tried an upland or dryland variety this year, it doesn't need aquatic circumstances, just a wet soil, which is easily done by placing some hay or straw or... I did get very few ripe kernels, at the time of flowering temperatures were too low for a good pollination. The variety is one of the earliest existing: duborskian, there seem to be some early ones in Japan, more precisely the hokkaido part. It's quite easy growing, a bit of mulching and high temperatures is all it needs...and we had the worst summer I can imagine... ;D ;D ;D

[canadamike]

Frank Van Keirsbielk!! Are you trying to steal our ''worst summer ever ''title?

Ok then, I'll leave it with you, the only condition is to keep it for you ALONE for all the years to come ;D We even wish you success with it as long as you make sure it only happens in Belgium!!

I read about the dryland ones but the papers I put my eyes on seemed to indicate poor harvest. As Alan know, rice is realy something I'd like to toy with. Where can we get seeds of these babies? I mean more than a few ones if possible...

[stevil]

I had some contact with a guy in Western Norway a few years ago who successfully grew a dryland rice several times (from Northern Japan/Korea) in a cold greenhouse. Unfortunately, I lost his name (he didn't have email) and I never got any seed. Would love to have tried.

[bunkie]

alan, i was fascinated, still am, with growing rice last year, and have been collecting info on growing it from a few forums. i finally found some Wells Rice which is grown as garden plants, not flooded in water.

i started it in early spring in large cells in the greenhouse. come early June it was about 4-5 inches high and yellowing a bit, and i transplanted it to the garden. it was recovering nicely till late June when we got a freak snowstorm of heavy snow for 4 hours and temps in the 30sF. it killed the poor things. i'm thinking it needs warmer weather as orflo mentioned. i am thinking of trying it again, maybe in our greenhouse this spring.

here's info i've collected...(Bountiful Gardens has no grower at the moment)

I got my seeds from a friend and no idea where she got it from as the package doesn't say. I do know Bountiful Gardens (http://www.bountifulgardens.org) was selling Wells variety rice seeds but I don't see it on their website now. You might ask if they still have access to the seeds.

This website (http://www.kidsregen.org/howTo.php?section=inGarden&ID=4) has more information especially where harvesting is concerned. They also tell you how to grow rice in a bucket; as well as obtaining rice seeds from:

Kitazawa Seed Co.
Call [phone] or email: kitaseed at pacbell.net

Garrett Farms
Call [phone] or email: garrettfarms at usa.net

This was written on my seed packet:

Rice, Long Grain (Wells)
Soak seed for 24 hours; plant in flats of moist, mucky soil about a month before your last frost. Prepare raised beds with plenty of organic matter and cover with a thick organic mulch. Transplant 6 to 8 inches apart, pushing the mulch aside. Water daily, cut back once grain begins to harden Harvest when the last few bottom grains are still doughy and top ones are all ripe.

Rice Growing Instructions
Written by: Dr. William H. Collins

The following simple directions are intended to allow you to grow and harvest your own organic rice right in your own garden. You do not need ponds, "paddies" or waterproof containers to grow your crop as usually depicted in photos of many domestic rice growing areas. The water, believe it or not, is just a way of controlling fast growing, competitive grasses and other weeds. It is very easy to grow a great crop of rice just like you would any other grain or garden item.

First and foremost, prepare your soil as you normally would for any other crop with plenty of good compost. The garden soil temperatures must be atleast 60 degrees F for transplanting, so plan your seed-starting accordingly.

Soak seed (paddy rice) 24-36 hours and then drain the seed for 18-24 hours before planting.

Plant the seeds about 1 cm deep (1/2 inch) deep and about 5 cm (2 inches) in flats or plug trays. DO NOT pack the media but water the seed in so there will be air for the germination process.

Transplant within 15 days after the first (primary) leaf emerges, spacing single plants 15 to 20 cm (6-9 inches) apart in beds OR 25 cm (10 inches) each way in rows. Be careful not to damage the root system by gently laying them in the soil and not just pushing them in which would delay transplant recovery and effect your overall yield. Early transplanting will be the key to your success as this is when the plant has the most potential for producing more tillers.

Keep soil moist but not saturated and be sure to keep well weeded without damaging the shallow root system. Let soil dry completely occasionally allowing more air to the roots.

About 90 120 days depending on variety selection and your local conditions; rice will be ready to harvest. The grains heads or pinnacles will tip over and start to turn brown. When the rice plant is completely brown, about 7 to 14 days later, the rice is ready to harvest.

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I've tried growing rice the last couple years. Useful stuff I've learned =

1) Plant as early as possible
2) Direct-seeding is usually better -- all the transplants we did died.
3) When weeding, make sure to keep grass under control -- once grass gets large, it's hard to tell it apart from the rice. Ken

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I have found that-- while transplanting Rice, that the soil should be pulled back and then gently pushed back over the root of the seedling, --then it must be soaked very well with water, at least over night, --if the root is allowed to dry out very much you will loose your transplant, ---
I, flood my Rice patch after planting and leave it flooded for 2-3 days, --then I drain it and just water when the ground is almost dry, -- Michael

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How to grow rice in your own garden

www.associatedcontent.com/article/732313/how_to_grow_rice_in_your_garden.html

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I wish I had seen this post earlier. But I grow rice and have grown it each year for the past 6 years with exception of this year. I have been too bogged down with my real job and have not planted as many things that I normally like to plant. But I will still give some insight into growing rice. I grow Carolina gold rice which is an heirloom rice and the first rice cultivated in the the US and grown in the 1600's in Charleston SC. It is an upland rice takes about 150 days to mature. I start plants in a glad one quart plastic container (those reuseable throw away food storage containers) in Mid April. I fill the container half way with sterile potting mix then fill it half way with water when the potting mix is saturated I scatter the rice seed over the mix then cover lightly with more potting mix.Keep the container full of water, In a couple of days the rice sprouts and in about 10 days I transplant. I plant in a row in the garden spacing about a foot apart. I do not flood the field. Rice needs the same water requirements as any other grain ie corn ,wheat ,oats, or about an inch per week. Rice needs standing water to germinate but not to grow. In the wild it is spring floods which sprouted the rice. Flooding the fields is used for weed control and the fields are alternately fooded and dried to control pest, rodents and weeds. In my garden I use drip irrigation and only keep the ground moist. The mature plant will be about 6inchs in diameter at the base and about 3ft around at the top and about 3ft tall with around 20-30 seed heads in late Aug with maturity around late sept early oct. The plants have to be covered when the seed heads are formed otherwize the yellow finches will clean the plants in a few hours of all seed. Rice is a grass and needs a lot of Nitrogen I till in Chicken manure about a wheel barrel load evenly spread over a 4ft x125ft row along with #15 of bonemeal. I use no other fertilizer during the season.It is extremely difficult to hand thrash rice to remove the hull making it only practical as an ornamental and not for cooking unless you have a dehuller which start around $500. I have spent several hours of hand thrashing and winnowing to remove the chaf and hull only to get a few punds of rice to eat.I grow it for the historical aspect and use it to teach others about the history of foods in SC. I grew it last year at a Plantation where I grow an interpretive public garden and feed the finches which are enjoyable to watch. The finches show up in droves . Rodger, SC

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expensive seed...

www.organicaseedco.com/newitemssales.html

 

[orflo]

Dryland rice does have a smaller crop compared to rice grown in aquatic circumstances, but these water crops can absorb lots of investments and, off course, water. So you have to con sider what works best for your own specific situation.
Meanwhile, if anyone is interested: here's a rice gene bank from Japan, I didn't check if they send out material though:
www.gene.affrc.go.jp/htbin/plant/SEARCH/common/e_pl_raireki.cgi?torp=0&s_syurui=01001
By the way, I didn't make myself clear, the duborskian rice I grew was grown outside, and still I did get a few ripe kernels. It would certainly work in a greenhouse, but I don't want to sacrifice the space, so I'm going for an outside variety.

[canadamike]

For me, it could only be interesting seeded outside.

[ottawagardener]

Speaking of rice like grains. Has anyone ever tried growing wild rice - the NA species? I didn't even think to try growing Asian rice but if I had more property then I'd definitely be interested in trying especially with my youngest being a celiac.

[orflo]

I think you mean zizania aquatica?? This is one thing I do like to try, together with another zizania which can be grown in drier conditions, but the name escapes me...
Isn't it sold a lot at high prices in health food stores in North America? Or did I get a wrong image about this? If it is, buy some and try it out.
I recently read a report it is a nasty weed in parts of New Zealand, overwhelming all the native flora and it seems to be very hard to get rid off

[stevil]

I've read that wild rice (Zizania) must be sown fresh - it mustn't dry out as it quickly loses its viability. Therefore, shop-bought seed (you can buy it in speciality shops even in Norway) doesn't germinate (I've tried!). Still waiting for a kind soul with a local population to send me some fresh..

[PapaVic]

Alan, you crazy hippie, there aint no way yer gonna grow rice on that dry-ass hilltop in Southern Indiana! What the hell are you thinkin'

pv

[canadamike]

The one in stores is lightly roasted by the amerindians harvesting it to boost the nutty flavor. You can't grow it. This is not an easy thing to get, I have tried...

[stevil]

Dec 8, 2008 13:10:15 GMT -5 orflo said:

I recently read a report it is a nasty weed in parts of New Zealand, overwhelming all the native flora and it seems to be very hard to get rid off

Hadn't heard of that. A quick Google and it seems to be the Asian species Z. latifolia that is the problem:
www.issg.org/database/species/management_info.asp?si=866&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN

[orflo]

Well, your link didn't work , but I did discover you were right, it's the latifolia, next time I'll check first ;D ;D ;D ;D

[bunkie]

from what i've read about wild rice, it has to be grown in a pond of sorts. it is pollinated by the wind rippling the water and moving the plants. i don't know if a kiddie pool would work.

a few years ago, in the bulk section of the grocery store, we took some long grain wild rice (black/dark brown) and it did germinate.