Crops

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Wheat

Published:

August 10, 2024

Key Takeaways:

Wheat requires a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight daily. The ideal pH is 5.5-7.5, and the preferred temperature is 70-75°F (40°F for winter wheat).
Appropriate location is the cornerstone of getting healthy wheat and an overall plentiful harvest.
It takes 100-130 days to grow spring wheat and 180-250 days to grow winter wheat.
There are six most common varieties of wheat, each having different protein content and optimal uses.

Quick Summary

To grow wheat, plant seeds in well-drained soil with ample sunlight. Space seeds evenly, about 20-25 per square foot, at a depth of 1 inch for spring wheat and 2 inches for winter wheat. It takes 100-130 days for spring varieties to grow and 180-250 days for winter types.

Wheat is one of the most important crops, and knowing when to plant, how to grow, and when to harvest it requires experience, expertise, and exceptionally accurate timing. Cropler offers smart technologies for gathering the real-time data you need to cultivate a profitable harvest. In this guide, we share insights into each stage of wheat growing, from planting wheat seeds to post-harvesting.

Wheat Growing Conditions

Spring and winter wheat require a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight per day. You can expect winter wheat to have a longer, slower growth period due to shorter days and less direct sunlight..

Fertile, loamy soil with a pH of between 5.5-7.5 is ideal for wheat growth. The soil should also have low iron and sodium as these can inhibit the development and growth of the plantlet. Ideally, you will want to test and prep the soil to ensure optimal nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, boron, and copper. Getting the balance of these nutrients just right can have a significant impact on your final yield.

In this regard, it's common to give the field a boost with phosphorus anywhere from 10-14 days before sowing spring wheat, and with sulfur around 14-21 days for winter wheat. Of course, this depends on the existing condition of your soil, climate, wheat variety, etc., thus you'll want to pay close attention to the specifics of your field when determining which treatments to select and apply.

As with all agriculture, water is essential. Ideally, the heavens will provide all that's needed. More realistically, you will need to rely on irrigation. However, this is a balancing act as irrigated fields typically have high salinity which can restrict wheat growth. As such, you will need to pay considerable attention to planting depth, choosing which chemical treatments and fertilizers to apply, and both planting tolerant species and cover crops that can mitigate any excess salinity in your fields.

70-75°F is the optimal wheat growing temperature. However, winter wheat can grow in temperatures as low as 40°F, while spring wheat can grow in temperatures as high as 95°F.

Finally, because wheat florets are hermaphrodites and the plant is self-pollinated, there is no need to encourage pollination or prevent cross-pollination. In most cases, it will take around four days to pollinate a head of wheat.

Types of Wheat

Hard red winter wheat. Ideal for the Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, and California, HRW is a consistent, reliable crop. Planted in the fall, it will grow until winter at which time it grows dormant and resumes growth in the spring. It is high in protein, fiber, selenium, and manganese which makes it ideal for milling and baking.
Soft red winter wheat. This high-yield crop has a low-protein content and weak gluten which makes it ideal for cakes, cookies, crackers, etc. It can be grown in a wide range of climates and is commonly found in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania where it is commonly blended with other varieties to improve texture and appearance.
Hard red spring wheat. A close relative of hard winter wheat, hard red spring wheat is planted in spring and harvested in the fall. It features the highest protein content of all wheat varieties. It is well suited for North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota, Idaho, and Washington where firm seedbeds and the proper sunlight and moisture conditions are most reliable.
Hard white wheat. It is common to cultivate wheat of this new variety in the Central Plains, Montana, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, and California. It features a medium-high protein content and low polyphenol oxidase, which makes it ideal for use in noodles, rolls, flatbreads, tortillas, and steamed bread products.
Soft white wheat. With low protein, low moisture, and weak gluten, soft white wheat is suitable for noodles, sponge cakes, and other products that rely on blended wheat varieties. This variety thrives in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern Michigan, and Northern California.
Durum wheat. Ideal for pasta and macaroni, this is the most common variety after hard winter wheat. Between 5-8% of all wheat grown globally is durum wheat which thrives in regions with long days, warm temperatures, and cool evenings.

How to Plant Wheat

Location, location, location. When it comes to real estate for wheat, there is nothing more important than choosing the right location to plant. Wheat requires considerable sunlight and well-drained soil, thus the reasons you'll find most of the wheat in the United States planted in the Midwest and western regions of the country.

20-25 seeds evenly spaced per sq. foot is considered standard planting density. While there is some margin to increase the number of seeds, it's not advisable to push it too far as doing so will increase competition for resources and result in a lower yield. Rather, it's best to focus on ensuring that each seed is planted to the proper depth; one inch for spring wheat, and 2 inches for winter wheat.

How Long Does It Take to Grow Wheat?

For spring wheat, you can expect a growth season of 100-130 days. For winter wheat the range is between 180-250 days. Soil temperature, humidity, precipitation, and other growing conditions can affect these time frames.

Facts about wheat

Global production of irrigated wheat is just under 240 million tons.
Superior yield in the United States is roughly 50 bushels per acre, with the desired weight of around 60 lbs. a bushel, for a total yield of 3,000 lbs. of grain per acre. Nationally, the average is around 40 bushels per acre.
Of the 37.3 million acres of wheat under cultivation, Kansas & North Dakota lead the nation with more than 8.1 million acres of wheat. Nationally, the greatest yield per acre is Arizona at 103 bushels.
It is impossible to control sunlight and precipitation, so accurate forecasting, seed selection, soil preparation, and application of irrigation techniques are critical at every stage of the wheat-growing process. From plantlet development to harvest, even minor deviations can significantly influence crop yield.

Harvesting and Post-Harvesting Techniques

Harvesting starts when the stems begin to bend from the weight of grains, the texture of kernels becomes crunchy and hard, and grain moisture is about 12.5%. The moisture rate can be slightly higher in the case of prolonged rains but it still has to be 12% to 9% during storage to prevent the development of diseases. This is achieved during the drying process.

After threshing (separating the grain from the chaff), winnowing (removing the separated chaff), and drying, it’s important to set up and maintain correct storing conditions. Take only healthy grains and make sure the silo is clean, waterproof, and appropriately ventilated.

Common Growing Problems

In addition to high sensitivity to moisture and sunlight conditions, wheat varieties are susceptible to a broad range of diseases including brown rust, fusarium ear blight, eyespot, mildew, septoria, yellow rust, and aphids. When growing wheat from seed, planting high-quality, resistant, and less susceptible wheat seeds, ensuring crop rotation, and using seeds pre-treated with fungicide can protect plant development and increase yields.

When you have questions, we'll help you find the answers you need to take control of your fields and the harvest you care about. Contact Cropler to discover more about our products and the ways we help you proactively protect your operations from the effects of crop diseases. Discover More

Cropler Can Help!

We can help when you want to grow wheat! Our technologies can assist you in determining when to plant and when to harvest wheat, identifying any threats from plant diseases to pests, and more. With portable agri-cameras and a web platform, you have an advantage when sowing wheat seeds in your fields because you can monitor them 24/7 remotely. Our technologies give you the real-time, actionable information required to make effective decisions that help shield your crops from diseases and maximize harvest yields.