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Planting Bee Forage

4K views 29 replies 7 participants last post by  Gypsi 
#1 ·
RoadKillBob posted:

I bought a bunch of seeds for butterfly bushes and have started them to grow, they have just sprouted and hopefully by spring time they are decent size to plant outside,I also bought what they call " the bee tree" seeds and am in the process of starting them , again, the first batch that sprouted died, I think the soil had the little worms that eat roots, so started over with new soil..I also brought back from upstate milk weed seeds and a few bunches of golden rod, ill see if that continues to grow in the spring, the bees certainly loved all them yellow flowers and took all he pollen from them..
 
#2 ·
Springtime brings a lot of white Dutch and other clovers here. I plant soybeans over a month or more usually so I have quite a spread when it is blooming but I haven't really ever seen them working it. I have heard it both ways, good forage for bees and flowers too small so I still don't know. I planted a couple acres of buckwheat in September this year and will probably try to harvest that seed for planting next year. The guy who recommended it to me said it was fast and he wasn't kidding! If planted early in the season, it should be possible to mow or disk it down after it makes seed and get several
 
#3 ·
Several crops throughout the summer. My plans to use it to build up some cutout bees for winter fell through so I only had a couple hives working it.

Maybe I can time it to carry the bees through the late summer early autumn dearth next year. If I had irrigation it would be more dependable.
 
#5 ·
Yes. The whole farm was pasture divided in about 20 acre fields, each with a trough. This year the ditches have never been dry for long. It has been one for the record books! Might not be a record total, but it sure has been regular.......now I am trying to harvest! Really need a break!
 
#6 ·
We had rain all summer here then a fall drought. going to see what the final outcome was on goldenrod honey probably Friday. I've had them on feeders for backup and they really just started taking syrup. cold here tonight, 70 tomorrow
 
#7 ·
Planting two Black Locust in the front yard , some BeeBee trees along the side of the house, and some Russian Sage in the back yard.
I know, it will be a few years before the trees are large enough.

Water: Have a hose dripping into a plastic animal-watering-pan, it has a couple of big old bricks in it, overflow goes to another on the ground for water for the Beagle.
 
#8 ·
both my locations have ponds for water source, im starting those bee bee trees from seed and hopefully they are nice little seedlings by planting time this spring..any other perennial forage trees or plants that the honey bees like more than others? I tried sun flowers but those dam squirrels found most of the seed before they grew, this year ill start the seed indoors and harden off the seedlings to plant and also try planting outside again..
 
#11 ·
It's going to be in the 70's next week here. I haven't gotten anything planted. going to do refrigerator seed starts for a bunch of milkweed and other hard to start perennials. Finally getting a little rain
 
#20 ·
I think it is this one, known as the bee-bee tree. http://www.myseeds.co/bee-bee-tree-...eeds-honey-bee-attractant-cold-hardy-zones-5/

I'm not sure I want to plant one here, although it has its benefits, I get a lot of drought, and I'm already fighting off chinese pistache and cherry laurel (the cherry laurel is native and attractive but aggressive and I don't have enough land.)

Bob, I have those seeds in trays doing cold stratification in my refrigerator. Will see what I get. When you don't get a winter for germination, you have to improvise. It's cold here but very very dry
 
#22 ·
you should just be able to toss yours on bare ground Bob. My temps are too warm and the weather too dry for the last 4 or 5 winters, so I have learned to do a moist stratification in the refrigerator.
 
#23 ·
Im not exactly sure where I want to plant them and may use big flower pots ( around 2ft diameter, I have a bunch of them) and place them around the bee hive to grow, on my long island place..upstate I have plenty of forage for the bees, at least a hundred acres of pasture where I want to put the bees, thats where i got the milk weed and golden rod I brought back to the island..
 
#30 ·
One thing to keep track of with seed prices is the % of seed in the pack. Lowes sells Pennington, I've bought some grass seed and some wildflower seed, both are 90% inert ingredients and neither germinated for me, and the grass seed I watered. (granted I had drought last winter, this year I haven't winter sown anything because no rain) With Stock Seed, it is 100% seed, it says 1 pound of crimson clover seed, it is 100% crimson clover seed
 
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