|
|
Veteran
Posts: 210
| I have one field that is in it's first year back into wheat, and wish to plant a cover crop after harvest, with the idea of going back to wheat in the same field next fall. This is very Sandy ground. I know I could plant cowpeas, but want to include something else with the peas. I could probably use sun hemp, but was wondering about something like buckwheat. I know cowpeas like the heat of summer, but didnt know if buckwheat would tolerate the heat. Not really concerned with the moisture for wheat planting next fall, as I think it will be adequate. Main worry is getting a cover crop established to choke out whatever weeds, and grasses that might try to grow during the summer. I didn't pose this question to anybody at the notil conference in Salina this week, and I probably should have. I'm open to suggestions?
thanks,
Jim |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 29
Location: south central kansas, Halstead | I did some of this last summer and will again be doing it this summer. We had a couple of fields of sunn hemp by itself and a couple of mixes that included cow peas, radishes, pearl millet, and german millet. The mixes will out do the sunn hemp as far as weed control. We are looking at a few different mixes for this summer. Overall worked well, sunn hemp got pretty tall and woody. Ran the drill through it and most of it is still standing. Ryan |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 121
| Jim,
If you feel you have enuf moisture to grow a cover crop why not plant something that has a chance to generate income like soybeans or sunflowers? Maybe plant something that you can graze, if that's an option. I have yet to see anything that will improve soil (or more importantly grain yields) better than manure.
I'm assuming, probably mistakenly, that you would have enuf time to harvest the double crop and still get a wheat crop in.
Edited by brad c 2/2/2010 9:29 AM
|
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 210
| Brad,
I do that quite a bit on my acres, but this particular field is enrolled in the CSP program, that is why I wanted a covercrop on it for next summer, to meet compliance. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 274
Location: Harper County and Reno County, KS | I've ran into that exact problem the last couple years or so. We'll still do some double crops, but I'm really looking at cover crops for those later fields, or between wheat crops.
Todd |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 121
| Ok Jim, I have to plead gov't ignorance here. To be honest i avoid the gov't involvement all i can so i do very little research into their programs. I know a little about the csp but do the rules that you signed up for state that you must plant a cover crop? My only thing w/cover crops are that unless cattle are involved there is nothing that will compete w/a double crop as far as earning income.
BTW, although sudan is a grass crop i think you could maybe minimize some of it's effects by spraying it 2-3 weeks before planting wheat. I always preffered that somethign be green when i'm planting so i know it can be planted. Spraying it before runs the risk of being rained on and not pulling moisture which can give less than ideal planting conditions. How about some bin run soybeans/sunflowers w/a little sudan. Throw in small % of cowpeas to limit cost. Good luck w/what ever you decide. Problem w/broadleafs are that they do very little to build residue which is the whole purpose of a cover crop. Hairy vetch maybe...i dunno. Babling so i'll stop now. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 274
Location: Harper County and Reno County, KS | A cover crop may not generate income, but it will likely make the soil better, lead to better moisture retention/use, and for legumes sequester some N. Also with a cover you can look at the possible benefit of better weed control. There are many other benefits that we may not realize as well. If you could grow a cash crop that would be hard to argue against, but the wheat to wheat rotation is a pretty hard one to get a crop out of, and adding some N in front of some other summer crops, could be looked on as a "cash" crop since indirectly you won't have to spend as much cash for fertilizer.
Todd Miller |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 121
| Not arguing the soil improvement or moisture use. My only thought was where he lived he could double crop some soybeans and might still have time to plant a wheat crop. Won't quite work here as often double crops are cut in early november and that 9 out of 10 years that is too late for wheat.
As far as N gains i doubt that you would be able to mineralize the N quick enough for the following year of wheat. Corn or milo woudl be different but that's not what he is going back to.
Lots of stuff to weed thru and weigh out...gl Jim which ever way you go! |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 274
Location: Harper County and Reno County, KS | Yeah, that probably wouldn't help the wheat crop, maybe later in April or May. I think I heard 60-90 days for breakdown from a cover crop.
Todd |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 29
Location: south central kansas, Halstead | The breakdown of the cover is dependant on the C:N ratio of the cover. Higher the ratio is the longer it takes. The real benefit from the N produced is if you d.c. something after the second year wheat, like milo. |
|
| |
|
New User
Posts: 2
| have you considered Groundhog Radish and peas or crimson clover? the radish deep roots scavenge nutrients and the legumes fix N. here is a great website if you don't know about it already...
http://www.mccc.msu.edu/
|
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 210
| I'm familiar with planting radish, only question is I have of time of year of planting, in late June, early July, didnt know how they would fare in the heat. Clover might raise the same question. |
|
| |
|
New User
Posts: 2
| Yes, radish and clover should be planted early/mid august in your area. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 101
Location: South Central Nebraska | Jim, we are going to try a mix of buckwheat, sunhemp, cowpea, and sunflower in some oats stubble going back to wheat in the fall. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 210
| Brian,
I'm thinking about a cowpea/buckwheat combo, I think both will grow well during the summer. Only concern I have, is some people tell me buckwheat will go to see if I plant it as early as I want, and may cause problems for the following crop. It will be going back to wheat, and I suppose if I see it going to seed to early, then I could just kill it earlier. Ideally, I think I would like to have the cover viable and living until the first part of September, then burn it down and plant wheat into it in October. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 210
| Brian,
Will you mix all your seed together, or I assume your using your drill, will you try and split the rows and plant different combinations through the front and back hoppers? |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 101
Location: South Central Nebraska | We will probably just mix everything together in one tank because we want to use the other tank to apply our 11-52-0 for next year. Save a trip plus the cover crop can use up the little bit of N in the 11-52-0. We are really excited about seeing how the forage peas do, I think they will make an excellent N producing cover. We will have, forage peas, yellow field peas, Austrian winter peas, cow peas, winter vetch, and lentils that we can mix together to give us a diverse legume mix. Add some radishes, turnips, pearl millet and oats and you should have a mix that all the cows in the county will be drooling over. Not to mention the critters under the ground. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 210
| Brian,
Now, are we talking about two different plantings? The one following oats going back into wheat in the fall, would be the buckwheat, sunhemp,cowpeas, sunflowers, right? That's the one I was wondering if you would mixing all together. The other cover you mentioned, I would think that you will use for fall grazing of your cattle, correct?
thanks,
Jim |
|
| |
Possible covercrop between wheat crops?
