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Seeding Timing

Apr 17, 2015
An Alberta agronomist says that when it comes to seeding, early isn’t always better.
“While there isn’t a hard and fast rule for seeding, we tend to look for a soil temperature of about 5ºC, with better forecasted temperatures in the mid-long range forecast,” says Keith Gabert, Canola Council of Canada. “We don’t want to put seed into the ground with cool temperatures and then have poor weather take things lower.” 
 
Gabert says there are a couple of problems that can happen if seeding is too early. 
 
“While we know canola can germinate in soil temperatures as low as 2ºC. But we also know that this germination can take a long time, often two week or longer, and, if you’ve got any other challenge to germination, it may never get over that 50-60 per cent range.”
 
He says things can often be quite different if you wait a bit later to seed.
 
“If you wait until the soil is at 8-10º C, we often see germination in a span of a couple of days. Later seeded fields can also be a little thicker, more uniform and tend not to have the same sorts of challenges that colder seeded crops have.”
 
Source:  Agriculture and Rural Development