[Homestead] Additional Rice Information

eureka at hctc.net eureka at hctc.net
Sun Nov 2 18:15:56 EST 2008


Thanks, Lynda, very interesting. I think I will start mine 
in late March. Don't think I will seed by airplane, though 
<g> but I am thinking of sewing by hand rather than take 
up so much greenhouse room. I'm all for minimal 
maintenance. I think one of the concerns is not walking 
around squashing the plants as they come up, and with my 
round metal pond I could balance a big board or a ladder 
across it and perhaps do any thinning from it without 
putting a foot inside. I'll see if I can find that issue 
of OG.

--Sage

On Sun, 2 Nov 2008 15:40:12 -0800
  "Lynda" <lurine at softcom.net> wrote:
> In the valley, in California, where tons of rice is 
>grown, they seed in 
> March.  They are done and harvest in September.  The 
>average temps run 
> between 75 and 100 during those months.  Hitting 90s 
>regularly in July, 
> August and September.
> 
> Of course, one of the characteristics of that northern 
>end of what is known 
> as "The Valley" in California is that it is quite humid. 
> So that 90 feels 
> like 110!
> 
> http://www.calrice.org/c5_how_rice_grows.htm
> 
> Now, in an OLD issue of Organic Gardening (Dec 1975) has 
>an article on 
> growing rice.
> 
> And another sourc of information, or rather a source 
>that lists sources is 
> Carla Emory's Encyclopedia of Country Living.  She has a 
>section on rice 
> growing.
> 
> As to water, here's an interesting article 
> http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=114481
> 
> Lynda, whose kids grew rice in a window as part of a 
>science project.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "EarthNSky" <erthnsky at bellsouth.net>
> To: <homestead at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 8:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [Homestead] Additional Rice Information
> 
> 
> I gleaned this from two different sites and it confused 
>me a bit.  Both
> sites were worded the same Rice grows at temps 
>above...blah blah.  I
> think the 50 degrees is a germination temp and the 75 is 
>a 'grows well
> at minimum temp'  As you know, it gets a whole lot 
>hotter than that in
> places where rice is typically grown.  I think those are 
>minimum temps.
> 
> 
> eureka at hctc.net wrote:
>> On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:13:01 -0500
>>   EarthNSky <erthnsky at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>>> Rice needs a minimum temp of 50-55 degrees to germinate
>>> and grow.
>>> During active growth, temps need to be near 75
>>
>> Sounds like I will need to plant in the spring instead 
>>of
>> summer, that's when our temps are in this range. By May,
>> it's too hot. The seeds will have to go in production
>> about the same time as everything else--I'm wondering if
>> I'll have room in the green house. If my calculations 
>>are
>> correct (9 per sf), I would need 1,593 rice plants to 
>>fill
>> 177 sf at 4 inches spacing. That would be about 25 flats
>> of rice plants! I'm wondering if I could use a hybrid
>> method with Fukuoka's and just seed directly.
> 
> Direct seeding may actually be better for small scale 
>homestead apps,
> but that is something we will have to decide 
>individually. Easier work,
> shorter season, but less yield.
> 
> 
> 
>>
>> He writes "Of course the usual method is to keep several
>> inches of water in the paddy throughout the growing
>> season. Farmers have been growing rice in water for so
>> many centuries that most people believe that it cannot 
>>be
>> grown any other way". According to him, "Rice plants 
>>grow
>> best when the water content in the soil is between 60 
>>and
>> 80 percent of its water holding capacity. When the field
>> is not flooded, the plants develop stronger roots and 
>>are
>> extremely resistant to attacks by disease and insects". 
>>He
>> only holds water for one week in June (that's Japan's
>> monsoon season) to kill dry-field weeds. (not sure what
>> month this would correspond to our respective climates).
> 
> Where was Fukuoka in Japan?
> http://www.jelitto.com/english/japan.htm
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> He has already interplanted with clover, and the water
>> knocks back the clover, allowing the rice to get
>> established, and once it does, the clover fills in again
>> as a cover crop helping to retain the moisture in the
>> soil. I presuming he is using a short type of clover.
>> Using his method, the plants are more compact, making 
>>less
>> straw, but about the same amount of grain.
> 
> 
> It would seem to me that the while the clover prevents 
>weeds, it would
> also inhibit tillering, no?  Does he mention that?
> 
> 
> -- 
> “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. 
>Anger leads to
> hate. Hate leads to suffering.”        Yoda
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