COVER CROP

    May 9th, we seeded our first cover crop mix on approximately 50 acres.  It was a 10 cultivar mix of brassica's and legumes, with one grass (Graza, Anaconda, and Nemaflex radish, Ethiopian cabbage, Attack mustard, buckwheat, Crimson clover, Hairy vetch, Journey pea, and winter Triticale.

     May 13th, we seeded a second cover crop mix on approximately 20 acres.  It was a five cultivar mix of brassica's, legumes and grass (Graza radish, Ethiopian cabbage, Winfred mustard, Proso millet, journey peas.

     Our drill seeds on 10" spacing using two ranks.  The depth of the front rank was set for 1.5",  and seeded the peas and  Triticale.  The back rank was set at 1" and seeded the small seed cultivars.  Some acres of each mix was seeded on 10" spacing without the peas.  Both mixes were seeded at 10#/ac and emerged well.  We forgot to reset the front rank depth from 1.5" to 1"and that tiny seed still made a respectable showing.

     The last real rain we received to date was 0.46" on May 12th.  June 12th, we had 28 degree night.  Our winter wheat across the road was damaged, but the cover crop seemed to have no damage. Temperatures have been abnormally high for late May, June and July, with weeks of temperatures in the high 90's and 100+.  With all this adversity, this cover crop is doing amazingly well. 

      What we are trying to accomplish with cover crops is not yet well defined in my mind.  Mining nutrients?  Making N?  Building OM?  Modifying pH?  Making Cover?  All the above?

This pic shows the color change between the two mixes.  The darker green in the background was the PGG, 5 cultivar mix.  In the foreground the Nemaflex and Anaconda radishes bolted, bloomed and are setting seed.  Few Graza radish plants have bolted.  They spread large leaves across the ground.

This pic shows the 10 cultivar mix from Landmark in a low area providing a little more moisture.  Most of the cultivars are present in the pic.

This pic shows the three radishes.  All three types have grown tubers of about the same length.  The Nemaflex and Anaconda appear to be more bulbous than the Graza (middle).  The Nemaflex and Anaconda tend to grow more upright than the Graza.