Cover Crops

Dwarf Essex Rapeseed

Buckwheat is a summer annual with extremely rapid growth and can reach maturity in 70-90 days. It is frost sensitive, so it needs to be seeded in a timely fashion to allow enough growth before the frost date. Buckwheat is unique in its ability to make phosphorus and possibly other nutrients more available to the cash crop. It is used to condition topsoil, rejuvenate overworked poor fertility lans, weed suppression, and to attract pollinators.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is a summer annual with extremely rapid growth and can reach maturity in 70-90 days. It is frost sensitive, so it needs to be seeded in a timely fashion to allow enough growth before the frost date. Buckwheat is unique in its ability to make phosphorus and possibly other nutrients more available to the cash crop. It is used to condition topsoil, rejuvenate overworked poor fertility lans, weed suppression, and to attract pollinators.

Oat

Oats are typically spring seeded between March and April for grain production or as a nurse crop for establishing forage legumes. Oats can also be sown in the late summer or fall for a cover crop or forage source. Spring oats are an ideal choice for first-time cover crop users due to their compatibility and ease of winter kill termination. Winter oats are another choice as a cover crop with live roots going further into the fall/winter for increasing soil microbial activity.

Pearl Millet

As a warm season annual forage, pearl millet is a fat-growing, high yielding, and excellent for summer grazing and silage. It is highly palatable and does not produce prussic acid, making it safer for livestock and horses vs. other available options. Increased nitrate levels could be a concern especially in the lower 6” of the plant if drought, excessive heat, cold or high plant stress conditions are present – avoid grazing small plants or overgrazing. It also has some potential to reduce some soil borne diseases as well as root lesion nematodes.

Bounty Annual Ryegrass

Annual ryegrass enhances water filtration and soil quality and can significantly increase crop yields during stress years. It has been shown to drastically reduce soybean cyst nematode and also has the ability to break compassion both physically and chemically. Non-allelopathic traits, ease of emergence, and shade tolerance make annual ryegrass the primary grass species for interseeding into corn. An added bonus is the ability to redeposit phosphorus and potassium from the subsoil to within reach of shallow rooting plants.

Sunn Hemp

Sunn Hemp is a tropical legume that can produce 120 lbs/ac of nitrogen and transfer residual phosphorus and potash from the subsoil to the topsoil. In just 60 days, sunn hemp can grow up to 6 feet tall, creating up to 4 tons of organic matter. Primarily used in cover crop summer mixes after small grains, sunn hemp is an excellent forage for grazing mixes. Sunn hemp is excellent at weed suppression and has been shown to reduce soybean cyst nematode. Well-drained, sandy soils with a pH between 5 and 8.2 are preferred for planting sunn hemp with a soil temperature of 65dF and will terminate at 28dF and below.

Red Clover

Red clover is a short-lived perennial clover that is very winter hardy and will work well interseeded into wheat or other cereals in the spring, a few months before harvest. Part of the red clover protein is a bypass protein allowing it to make an excellent livestock feed. While being both heat and shade tolerant, red clover can fix nitrogen and can produce upwards of 100 lbs/ac of nitrogen under optimal conditions.

Iron and Clay Cowpea

Iron and Clay cowpeas protect soil from erosion, smother weeds, and produce 100-150 lbs/ac of nitrogen. They are drought and heat tolerant while being moderately shade tolerant and will grow on lower fertility soil. Originally used as a forage crop for cattle and sheep, Iron and Clay cowpeas are now primarily used in summer cover crop mixes. Cowpeas are late maturing and have the ability to climb tall species when used in a mix.

Balansa Clover

Balansa clover is a cool season annual legume that thrives in a variety of soil types. White its growth is slow in the fall, it can grow up to 10 feet in length once it breaks dormancy in the spring. It flowers about two weeks later than crimson clover, making it a great choice for pollinator mixes. Balansa clover is usually hard seeded, meaning ⅓ to ½ of the seeds may germinate over several years.

Sorghum Sudangrass

Sorghum Sudangrass is good for weed suppression, soil erosion management, and building organic matter. By planting a thick crop of this you will have such a thick stand that no late weeds will be coming up in the fall. It needs to be mowed off at about 20- 30 inches tall to be managed properly before winter kill. If it is not mowed it can be difficult to manage in the spring.

Crimson Clover

Crimson Clover is used primarily for soil erosion control and nitrogen fixation. It is a great addition to a mix to hold nutrients for the coming corn crop. This clover is a little more winter hardy than most other clovers. More than likely it will not over winter in our climate but if it does it is easily controlled.

Vital Hairy Vetch

Hairy Vetch is a winter annual legume. A very good legume to have in a mix ahead of corn. It needs to be planted early in the fall. Not much nitrogen will be fixed in the fall due to the nodules taking a while to develop. Most of its nitrogen fixing happens in the late winter to early spring.

Triticale

Triticale is a cross between wheat and cereal rye. In most cases triticale is used for cattle grazing or haylage. It is ideal for seeding it in the fall, letting the livestock graze it in the winter, then letting it grow in the spring to be a cover crop. Good forage quality with some weed suppression along with holding the soil together to minimize erosion.

Cereal Rye

Cereal Rye is an all-around ideal cover crop (as long as you have the correct variety). Do not get confused with annual rye. Great root penetration into clay soils, weed suppression, good nutrient holding capacity, helps against soil erosion, and easily killed in the spring either before or after planting. AgriVision Solutions considers cereal rye to be the backbone of most cover crop mixes. The Ryman variety of cereal rye is the easiest to manage because it will not get over 4 to 5 feet tall in most conditions. We suggest to kill it at a 2 to 3 foot in height to prevent too much water holding capacity in the soil and it not being able to dry out.

Turnips

Turnips are a winter hardy plant and will usually survive a normal winter. Good soil penetration by the taproot which will add more organic matter after decomposition and along with nutrient holding capacity makes this an ideal over winter cover crop. Since turnips are more winter hardy you will have a release of nutrients later than if you were to plant just radishes.

Bayou Kale

Bayou Kale is a cross between Kale and Dwarf Essex Rape. It has the strong taproot of a radish but is more winter hardy. Along with having the taproot to break up soil it also has some fibrous roots to help hold the soil from erosion. It puts on a yellow flower and has a bit of a sweet taste. Works well for rotational grazing for livestock and grows back after grazing well.

Radishes

Radishes help break up soil compaction with their deep tap root, scavenge leftover nutrients, and helps increase soil organic matter. The optimum time to plant them is late August to middle September. To get the full potential out of the plant they need to have 60 days of good growing weather. It is best to use radishes in a mix due to the fact that they have a tap root and soil erosion can happen easier if no plants with fibrous roots are mixed in.

Cover Crops for Healthier, Stronger Soil

Legumes