Many growers are planting peanuts and some have started planting cotton. The weather has heated up and we have gotten very dry. With these conditions it is important to keep in mind the physiology of cotton. It has been said numerous times that if you plant a peanut seed in the middle of an asphalt parking lot it will come up. On the other hand we often plant cotton seed into tilled prepared soil and…..nothing. With all of the new cotton varieties out there\u00a0you will see a major difference in seed size\u00a0for many. Make sure you are paying attention to seeding rates. Optimal\u00a0seeding rate is 2.5 seed per foot. This\u00a0rate is expected to achieve a final plant\u00a0stand of 1.75 plants per foot of row. Cotton seed\u00a0cannot be planted too deep. If ideal environmental conditions are not present it will not emerge. When planting into good moisture a maximum depth of 1 inch is suitable. For dry conditions like we are\u00a0encountering now, a half inch depth is more appropriate. Getting heavy rain after\u00a0planting can also cause issues with crusting. To overcome crusting most farmers plant\u00a0hill-drop. Dropping 2 seed in one hole helps increase the pushing power of the seed. To reach optimal seed per foot on hill-drop you plant 2 seed every 8 to 10 inches. Many growers have adapted these rates to meet their needs. Decreasing seeding rates saves money as long as the crop does not encounter emergence problems from adverse weather conditions.<\/p>\n
Keep those tractors rolling and monitor the weather conditions to adjust your planting needs accordingly.<\/p>\n