Generation 2 or Northern Soybeans – Planting Instructions
Planting Date – Plant soybeans after the soil temperature has reached 60-degrees. Planting too early can result in poor germination rates and planting too late will have a negative impact on forage and grain production. For most of the country the ideal planting time will be during the month of May through June. If farmers in your area plant soybeans watch when they are planting their fields and plant your plots a week or two later. This will encourage the local deer to start feeding in the farmers soybean fields first and better allow your smaller soybean plots to become established without excessive deer browsing pressure.
Site Prep – Start by spraying your soybean plots in the spring to kill any vegetation. When it is time to plant prepare a good seedbed by disking or tilling the ground so that it is primarily free of bigger dirt-clods. The soil does not need to be worked into a power-fine consistency but just free of large clods.
Planting – Soybeans are very easy to grow and can be planted several ways. The goal is to get the seed covered with about 1-inch of soil. If you have a planter or grain-drill, that is fantastic. If not, you can broadcast the soybean seed and then cover it by dragging the plot or disking it very lightly. Make sure the seed is not more than 1 ½ inches deep. If some of the seed is exposed on top of the ground, it can still grow as long as it gets adequate moisture.
Maintenance – Once your soybeans are planted the only thing you will need to do is spray your plot for weeds. Real World soybeans are “glyphosate tolerant”, meaning glyphosate herbicide will not kill them. You can buy glyphosate without a special license at most farm and home stores.
As your soybeans germinate a lot of weeds will also be germinating in your plot. Allow the weeds to get about 6” tall and then spray the entire plot with glyphosate. This will kill the weeds and yet not harm the soybean plants. In most cases a single spraying is all that is needed but sometimes a second spraying may be warranted.
Notes – Soybeans have a unique ability to grow within the space they are provided. If your soybean stand is sparse, each plant will have more room to bush-out and grow taller. If the plants are crowded they will not get as tall and produce as much grain per plant.
You can add to the drawing power of your soybean plot by over-seeding Real World Plot Topper into the plot once the soybean plants start turning yellow. Do not try to over-seed in soybeans that are still green or germination rates will be very poor.