- Soil temperatures were running from mid 60's to low 70's this morning at 8:00 am. This will not last long as three of the next four nights are predicted to be in the 40's. Excellent temperatures predicted starting Saturday, May 16. We should be fairly dry from the 17th until we start running into scattered thundershowers from the 21st to the 25th, although that forecast could change. Hopefully, we can complete our planting in the window from May 17 to May 25.
The biggest questions growers will likely have is whether to go ahead and plant through this cool spell or wait until warm weather occurs later in the week. The answer to this may be dependent on how many acres you have left to plant and how risk-averse you are.
Growers who want to plant through this cool spell may want to consider the following:
- Use seed with higher cool-germination values.
- Delay planting in the morning until soil temperatures rise, hopefully into the low 60's
- Find fields with the highest soil temperatures and are well-drained. Soil temperatures can vary based on soil type, soil color, amount of cover, raised vs flat beds etc.
- Avoid planting too deeply, especially in saturated soils or soils that tend to crust.
Growers should check the cotton planting conditions calculator for more local predictions and any changes to the forecast in the next week. https://products.climate.ncsu.edu/ag/cotton-planting/
.
