When and what to use for cover crop.

[KentT]

A couple of bits to add:

1. Chicken manure is the "hottest" manure you can use -- i.e. it has the most nitrogen from urea, and is the most likely to burn your plants. Cow manure has less nitrogen, and horse manure even less.

2. With clay soil, you need to improve not only the fertility, but also the tilth of the soil -- the amount of organic material in the soil. Organic material allows the soil to absorb optimum amounts of moisture, and allows excess moisture to drain away. With heavy clay soil, adding a combination of sand and organic material can significantly improve the soil for growing plants. Cow or horse manure will add significant amounts of organic material -- chicken manure will not.

3. If you can find a local source for composted cow manure (typically one year old, and has been turned/stirred as it begins to decompose), that would be my recommendation. Composted manure is much less likely to burn the plants and doesn't smell as strongly as fresh manure, making it more "acceptable" for use in residential areas. With composted manure, you can safely add 2" to your soil and till it in, adding significant organic material without risk of burning plants...

4. Finally, if you're looking to add only organic material in large quantities, consider using buckwheat as a "green manure" crop. It grows a large quantity of green material very quickly and can be tilled in. However, it doesn't winter over as well as vetch or some other crops -- it is best used in warmer months.

My 2 cents...

 

[Yalerider]

Have been reading stories lately in the Capital Press (www.capitalpress.info ). Farmers in the midwest have been planting Oregon Annual Ryegrass with good results. Some of the roots are reaching 48" deep which helps the soil. They are then using no-till planting techniques. I planted the ryegrass a couple of weeks ago, and will till it in in the spring.

 

[Yalerider]

My ryegrass is coming in fine. It only took about a week to turn the field green.

 

[KentT]

After clearing the building site on my lot about a month ago, I planted 50lbs of annual ryegrass and 100 lbs of winter wheat -- not so much as a cover crop, but for erosion control on this sloping area. By using annuals, this "temporary solution" won't be a permanent challenge when its time to put in the actual lawn...

Freshly sown

According to local reports a/o Sunday, it came up real well, and is now 6"-8" tall -- with no signs of erosion...

 

[alpaca1]

Hooray! Sounds like your interested in the organic method of building your soil. What you are referring to is called "green manure", or "cover crop"...as opposed to animal manures. Green manuring is one of several methods to improve your soil. Basically, there are two types of crops, legumes and non-legumes. Legumes arecrops such as common vetch, Hairy vetch, Calcarata Vetch, Wedge peas, Horse beans, Fenugreek, and Bur Clover. Non-legumes consist of mustards, wheat, barley, oats and rye.
The The most important thing in selecting a green manure crop os to select the one which will produce the greatest amount of organic matter in the time allowed. This may mean growing several stands in one season.

There are books several hundred pages thick that give tons of information on this and other topics such as different composting methods, etc. A good author is J.I. Rodale.

Find a local Farm Supply and ask what the local farmers are using for your area. If you have a tiller, till in animal manures as well. Remember to check the pH levels, kits are available online for $20-$30.00.
What you'll do is grow the crop over fall, winter and spring, then till it under about 6 weeks before you are going to plant. (Till in the manure in fall) Do this year after year, adding horse manure as well, tilled in or composted and mulched around the plants or veggies.

This will do more for your soil then just slow erosion...it will biuld the soil with organic matter the aerates the soil, and provides the "magic" that will cause minerals in the soil to be released as plant food.

Remember, your soil needs organic matter to stay moist during dry spell, cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Even weeds, when tilled in adds organic matter to the soil. Good luck! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[NewClimber]

I tilled in some chicken manure although it was not what I was expecting after I was done. What I bought had a lot of sticks and more looked like compost..I am not complaining at all...then put down some winter rye...in about a week it has started to grown and with the rain and then sun we have had it is looking pretty good...before you till will you cut the grass with a brush hog or mower???