Sorghum: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you sow sorghum outdoors?
Sow sorghum after the last frosts, when the soil is warm enough. Dates vary by region: late April does not automatically suit a cold garden. For grain sorghum, soil reaching at least around 12 °C encourages even emergence; the packet instructions and the type you choose remain important.
Choose a sunny, freely draining plot that can remain available for the required growing period. Remove weeds and break up the surface to create good contact between seed and soil. Sow into a layer that still contains moisture, generally a few centimetres deep, without burying seeds excessively in heavy ground.
Adapt sowing density to your purpose. Sorghum grown for grain and a dense cover crop do not share a single spacing requirement. Follow the supplier's instructions instead of routinely leaving 20 to 30 cm between all seeds.
Cover, firm lightly and water if necessary. Keep the seed zone moist during emergence without waterlogging it. Watch the young plants, which initially compete poorly, and remove weeds early before they overwhelm them. Record the type you sowed and the date so that you can follow its development.
Does sorghum need pruning?
How to care for this plant
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Weed
Early in your sorghum crop, remove weeds crowding the seedlings. Identify the rows first: young sorghum leaves resemble other grasses. Hand-weed near the plants without uprooting the crop. Skip this pass if the rows are clear; it is not an instruction to thin the sorghum.
