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  Other Temperate Crops

Common Name:

 Broomcorn

Latin Name:

 Sorghum bicolor

Variety:

 landrace

Crop Origin:

 India or Africa

Type:

 Annual grain - Brooms

Date Planted:

 24 May, 2005

Growth Stages in Ohio

Broomcorn Jan 1 06.JPG (3202640 bytes) Broomcorn feb 6 06.JPG (2112673 bytes) Broomcorn March 4 06.JPG (3209509 bytes) Broomcorn Apr 4 06.JPG (3594780 bytes) Broomcorn May 5 06.JPG (3010915 bytes) Broomcorn 3 June 05.JPG (2866929 bytes)
January February March April May June
Broomcorn 1 July 05.JPG (3579982 bytes) Broomcorn 7aug05.JPG (2139706 bytes) Broomcorn 3 sep 05.JPG (2198264 bytes) Broomcorn 1 oct 05.JPG (2572788 bytes) Broomcorn 4 Nov 05.JPG (2717649 bytes) Broomcorn 2 dec 05.JPG (3693160 bytes)
July August

September

 October November December

Cultivation in Ohio

Primary Uses:

 Making Brooms

 Planting:

 Land is usually plowed, double-disked and then harrowed prior to planting in the Midwest.  Planted between May 1 and June 15 in 36 to 40 inch rows.

 Seeding Rate:

 2-4 lb/acre.  Plant in rows about 1 inch deep and 6 inches between seeds. Germination takes 2-3 weeks.

Fertility:

 Does best in warm, fertile soils.  Requires 60-120 lb N and 30 lb/acre of both P and K for medium soil test levels.  Best yields result in pH range of 6.0 and 6.5.

Insects:

  

Diseases:

  

Harvest:

 Should be harvested when the entire brush is green from the tip down to the base of the peduncle.  The brush turns red and becomes less flexible within a week of the proper stage of harvesting.  When hauling, curing, threshing, and baling broomcorn, the brush must be handled in small bunches to keep the fibers straight and untangled.

Comments:

                                                                                                                                      MVB

Identification

Leaf:

 Broomcorn_ leaf1.JPG (1631643 bytes) Broomcorn_ leaf2.JPG (1833826 bytes)

Flower:

 Broomcorn_ flower1.JPG (2045154 bytes) Broomcorn_ flower2.JPG (2025168 bytes)

Seeds:

 BroomCorn_ seed1.jpg (13720 bytes)

Distribution:

More Information

Links:

 http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/broomcorn.html