Malting Barley Lodging Due to Heavy Rain, May 15, 2011

Last night we experienced prolonged heavy rains in our part of Northern Virginia. This morning the malting barley plot had lodged badly -- the nearly full-sized grass stalks bent over, mainly due to the beating of the rain and added weight of the water clinging to them. By this afternoon some of the stalks had begun to right themselves, but then we experienced another deluge around dinner time. If we don't get some good, dry weather and a little luck then the production from the plot may be impacted pretty badly. Harvest should be just under a month away.

Malting Barley: May 9, 2011

The barley heads are becoming more prominent. The grass is between 2 feet and 2.5 feet tall. Just a month until harvest.

Emerging Barley Grain Heads, May 2, 2011

All is well in the malting barley patch.

In the last couple of days the barley grain has started to emerge from the folds of the barley grass leaves. The awns (the hair-like spikes that form the ends of the husk of each piece of grain) are evident.

The plot is also getting some pressure from a type of climbing vine that encircles individual barley stalks and will bend them over and smother them if not addressed. On the very small scale that I have planted I simply wade into the barley and disentangle the affected stalks and pull the vines out by the roots. This will be ongoing until harvest, if history is a judge. I don't need to kill every one of these vines, but I do need to make sure they do not get so abundant that they pull the barley over and smother it, which would greatly reduce harvest.







My dog also wallowed around in a tiny part of the plot and bent the stalks over (lodged them). That part of the plot will now produce much less barley (photo below). This photo was taken the morning he did it, about 5 days ago. The section has perked up a little since then, as you can see in one of the other pictures.

It has been a very wet spring with twice weekly rain. I think this is good for the barley. It looks great.

Barley in Spring, April 21, 2011

The barley is really growing now that the weather is warmer here in northern Virginia. It is patchier than I would like and there are some tall weeds (more than I remember in past years, but I could have a faulty memory), but the barley grass seems to be growing higher and faster than the weeds and is soon going to be eclipsing them all. We have had consistent rains over the spring. The tassels have not yet emerged from the tops of the barley stalks, but the stalks have nodules and separate leaves are emerging from curls in the barley grass. This is where the tassels will first become visible.

Harvest should be around June 10.

April Fools Day Malting Barley

The barley is really starting to grow. We have had relatively cool weather (low 40s at night, 50s during the day) frequent rain and drizzle. The barley looks lush and seems to be thriving.

Hail

We got lashings of pea-sized hail just before sun up on March 21. The barley does not seem to have been effected at all.

Barley Malting Spring Growth, March 15, 2011

The malting barley plot is perking up . There have been a few nice days in the low 60s and plenty of rain. The barley grass is noticeably greener than the adjacent grass lawn. It is also growing and the brown tips are being superceded by green. If all goes well, harvest in about 90 days.

Post-Snow Barley Plot: No Harm, No Foul, February 16, 2011

Our neighbor removed the fallen fencing and bush from the barley plot about 3 days ago. Being under the fence and bush does not seem to have hurt the barley at all.

The bare spots in the middle of the plot were there to begin with and I think they will be filled in as the barley grows and "tillers" or puts off side shoots which themselves can produce barley heads. You can see in the close-up photos that the tips of some of the barley leaves are a little pale from being under the snow. I have seen this each year I have planted barely and it does not seem to matter. As the weather gets warmer, the barley should really take off.

Barley Plot After the Snow Storm, February 8, 2011

The snow is mostly melted from the storm in late January. In these photos you can see the fencing and bush that fell on the malting barley plot. You can also see that the barley weathered the snow very well and looks green and healthy.

It is a little hard in these pictures to tell where the barley starts and the lawn ends. The barley is brighter green than the grass. The difference will become obvious in early April when the barley starts to take off. By the time I harvest in mid-June it will be 3 feet tall.

Barley Plot in Snow, January 31, 2011

On January 26, 2011 Northern Virginia was hit by a big snowstorm. Many had power out and many, many trees fell under the weight of the snow. One of our neighbor's Leyland Cypress's knocked down two sections of his fence and it all fell onto the barley patch. The fencing and bush covered about 20 percent of the plot. I am assuming this will not result in much damage if it is all removed when the snow melts. The neighbor is a great guy, so I am not worried.

Barley Plot, January 18, 2011

This is the barley plot on January 18, 2011. A light snow fell a few days ago. The barley looks much like the lawn -- green but not growing. Just waiting for spring.