Another Chufa newbie (same questions, move along if easily annoyed)

Like the post title says, I'm a chufa newbie and starting small with a single 50lb bag of NWTF Chufa Gold but wanted to know what's worked for folks in North AL. I did a lot of searching through the forum on older chufa posts but wanted to know what folks tend to do consistently for site prep and planting? Seems like between now and Aug is when most folks plant? What's best time time and product(s) for spraying weeds/competitive grasses "if" we get a stand growing?

I'm also fairly new to growing chufa myself but I can share what I've learned from the master chufa grower PCP on this site.

I would do a burn down of the grass and any broad leaf prior to planting. I'd use a 2% or 3% solution of generic gly for the grass and 2,4D for broad leaf. I use 4 oz. of Milestone just because I have some on hand. However, Milestone is very expensive so I would go with 2,4D. After you spray wait a few weeks for everything to die. When good a dead prepare a good seed bed, broadcast 200# to 300# of a quality fertilize per acre. I personally use 17-17-17. Broadcast 50# of chufa seed to the acre and cover lightly cover with disc or drag. If you are using a planter or grain drill you can get a little more acreage per bag of seed. At 60 days growth fertilize again with 100# per acre of ammonia nitrate 36-0-0.

If this is a new site you are planting you will most likely have few issues with grass if you do a good burn down prior to plating. If you do have a grass issues you will need to spray your established chufa with Clethodim used with an nonionic surfactant....do not use crop oil with clethodim on chufa. If you have broad leaf issues you will need to buy Milstone. I personally use 4 oz. mixed in with my Clethodim and spray for both grass and broad leaf at the same time.

End of June through mid July is the preferred planting dates for most folks.

Squeaky has covered it well. Chufas are easy to grow on new ground. You probably can get by without spraying them if the land hasn't had a crop growing on it in a long time. Growing them in established fields with a big weed seed bank is more challenging. Good luck!

Squeaky - Great summary! thanks for taking the time to share that. I've read lots of pieces of the process but not all this info in one place. I actually planned to give PCP a call also when we can coordinate a time... this might narrow down what I need to ask!

only thing I would add is to do a soil test asap. You might be able to save a little money on fertilizer. I have one plot that only requires nitrogen(ammonium nitrate or urea) and phosphorus(0-46-0) and one that needs nitrogen and potassium(0-0-60)

When mentioning established chufa, and spraying how soon or when can you spray? I have my plots in a little early and walking through I see some plants out of the ground and some weeds as well. I also feel like a lot of the chufas hasn't popped through yet either. What kind of timing on herbicide applications do y'all use? I guess since seed is roughly $80 an acre I don't want to chance burning it up if it needs to be so old??? Or as long as you are using the 10oz Clethodim and 2-4oz Milestone mix is anytime ok? Thanks

I usually wait about a month to do the first spraying, and if I'm getting rain and look like I'm gonna make a decent crop I will spray again at about 60 days. But my fields are all old and have every weed imaginable. Most places you can probably get by with one spraying.

I don't think you need to spray if chufas are still coming up. Weeds aren't really hurting anything until they start competing with the chufas.

I have heard of people using 4 oz of Milestone but I've never used over 2 myself. It is possible to damage them with most any herbicide, but the combo of the 2 mentioned here does less than anything else I've used. You are most likely to get damage in drought conditions, so you can likely get away with using a lot this year.

Couple more questions.
1. In general how long to see yellowing of grass with the 10 oz Clethodim spray?
2. Is there any way to tell Yellow Nutsedge from Chufa? I will say that the only thing that looks like a sedge in the entire 6 acre field is in the 1.3 acres where I sewed chufa, but I cannot find a good way to know if I also have a competing stand of YNS in my chufa plot and I also understand that YNS won't react to the Clethodim.

Sorry to keep rehashing this, but I really do appreciate the information.

I sprayed a small plot Monday and the broadleaf weeds are dying pretty fast. The grass shows no effect yet, but it was already too big. I didn't have any herbicide at my house and it was raining every day and I just let it all get too big. I'm thinking I may have to spray some Clethodim again. I've noticed that grass is slow to die from Clethodim, but it's real hard to put a time on it. So much depends on the size of the grass and the amount of rain.

I have pics on PB showing the difference in yellow nutsedge and chufas, but can't access them. It's hard to tell the difference until they get size on them, but the yellow nutsedge tends to come up in thick patches while the chufas are just single plants. A sure way to tell is to just dig down around a plant and see if it's coming out of a chufa. As the plants mature, the chufas will start to grow in clumps, while the nutsedge will be a lot of single plants that are real close together. That may sound contradictory, but with a little experience you can tell the difference.

In your case, just start digging up a few plants in the area of the field that has them. You will find the chufas if that's what it is. Good luck!

Thanks PCP!

I think based on your explanation that I just have a banner crop of the good stuff! At least that is what I hope!

I'm like you though, the milestone killed the sicklepod overnight almost, but I'm afraid my other grasses may have been a little large to get a good kill with the Clethodim. I may hit them with another shot in a week or so before I put the nitrogen on the Chufa in early August.

Thanks again.

Would it be possible to have a chufa and white clover plot?

Managed to find my pics on difference in chufas and yellow nutsedge. Top pic is solid yellow nutsedge that has taken over an area of a chufa field. I had sprayed it a couple weeks before with a $400 per bottle of herbicide, but ran out before I got it all. You can see how it's just single stems very close together.

Second pic is an isolated chufa plant. You can see how it is growing in a clump that no doubt produced many tubers. I believe that is purple nutsedge growing around it; does anyone know?

I would say it's not possible to grow chufas on the same land as any other crop. Chufas just don't compete well with anything. If you are really desperate for land you might be able to sow crimson clover into your chufas in early spring and get it to provide a little turkey food during the season, but it would be far better to grow the clover somewhere else.

As much rain as we've had in South Alabama, guys I hunt with are thinking it's just too wet to plant right now, as in the ground is so wet, we think the seeds will just rot before they germinate. Agree? Wait for drier weather??

You still have time, so I'd wait. But chufas handle wet ground better than some crops. Mine all look good, except they desperately need spraying.

Thank you, sir. My place is in Washington county and it's like a very wet sponge right now.

Sharpspur, I noticed that the grass in one plot has turned a sickly yellow 15 days after being sprayed with Clethodim. I think it took so long because we've had good rain and the grass was tall and healthy. I've never kept a record, but I think that was unusually long. Still, looks like it's gonna die after one spraying.

My plots on upland fields have a chance to make really well this year. The best bottom land that I have is still too wet to plant, so I am just gonna forget it this year. I've made some good looking corn and Milo.

Yes sir, same here, the grass in mine are pretty sickly themselves and I'm about 13 days in on my spraying. I may not spray again but my plot is not 100% weed free (probably 85% or so). Do you have advice for a spot spray mix or how about a straight gly/water or a straight clethodim with a wand for spot spraying?

I may not have Turkeys this fall or spring but I feel pretty good about having a WHOLE LOT of chufas! I think the main thing I've been missing on my place has been food and since last February's burn and this chufa I have increased it about 200% and I'm adding 2 acres of Durana beside the chufa patch in the fall to that. The goal is to have one huntable gobbler on the 150 or so acres behind my house. I can hunt more elsewhere but I want to hang one up on my back porch after never cranking a vehicle. I'm anxious to see the attract and hold ability of the chufa as the turkeys are around but they migrate through. And aside from the price tags on the Chufa and Herbicides this has been a whole lot of fun to grow!

What part of Wash. Co. are you in? My place is between Chatom and Tibbie and I planted on the 15th. Everything looks good right now.

I've planted in August several times and made bumper crops of chufas.

Fairly close to St. Stephens. Glad to hear August worked for you.

do you remember when the first frost those years were? ( roughly). latest I've ever planted them was this year on the 15th. latest before that was the 4th of july and it made the best out of any i've had

Sounds to me like you have a good plan. I've never grown a field 100% free of weeds. Its possible to damage chufas with too much herbicide of most anything. I think I would just live with those weeds remaining unless you really think you need an entire second spraying.

If y'all would just wait and plant it the front part of March, you won't have to worry about all that spraying.

I don't! I've planted them 3 or 4 years in August and have had good luck each time. Less weed competition and the chufas seem to put on tubers faster. PCP and I have had several discussions about it possibly having something to do with photosynthesis. The actual plants don't seem to get as big but seem to go into overdrive producing tubers as the days get shorter. I had pictures on photobucket but..... PCP can vouch for them if he remembers. I know I had chufas the size of nickels and quarters at less than 60 days in the soil the first year, and had 4 longbeards and over a dozen hens use the patch daily from January through May.

I could have just been extremely lucky! Who knows!

I had one of the nwtf bags delivered in early March one year, and it was the year after the meal moth fiasco so I couldn't store them in the house. I decided WTH, I'll just plant them. I put them in the ground March 12. I knew they not come up until the ground warmed up, but I figured they would be there ready to come up when it did.

Wrong. Turkeys scratched up the whole patch I had to replant. No comment on what happened to the turkeys.

North40, I sure do remember that late crop you made and have seen that effect too. I have no doubt it's real.

Having turkeys in the Spring is the whole point. Doing it that way is a lot less to worry about.

That is the ultimate goal but chufas provide a great food source for the turkeys through the winter months also. If the only point was to have turkeys in the spring you can buy enough feed to pull them in and keep them on your property through the spring way cheaper than you can plant chufas!

No doubt.