It’s not too late to apply your topdress of nitrogen to your wheat.
Wet fields have delayed the process and people are getting anxious to get the job done. Yields are not affected by delay as long as you don’t have to wait too long.

According to the Ohio Crop Weather Report for the week ending April 4, only about 4 percent of the wheat fields had jointed.
The cold temperatures this past weekend will slow the growth process. The crop is a little behind anyway; the five-year average for the week of April 4 is 5 percent of the wheat jointed.

According to Ed Lentz, Seneca County, Ohio agriculture educator, yields are the same or slightly better using a single application when the first node is visible as compared to initial greenup. When the wheat stem begins to elongate and the first node is visible, the wheat is said to be in the joint stage.

Boot stage, when the wheat head just begins to swell in the leaf sheath, usually occurs here after the first of May. Yields drop as much as 10-15 percent when you have to delay the application to early boot stage.

Remember that there are several herbicides that can no longer be used after initial joint.

No herbicides can be applied after stage 9 when the ligule of the last leaf is just visible, the early boot stage.