Brian662
5 year old buck +
AL seeds has a dealer list, may be one near you to save on shipping?
Summer plot soil builder
- Thread starter Bladesmith
- Start date
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
This. Polycultures for biomassAlbert Lea seeds sells this summer tonnage mix that is as cheap as a bag of peas and will provide much more biomass, IMO. I have not used it but others on this forum have, looks to be a good blend for soil building and even if you broadcast heavy at 75 lbs/acre you're still around $75 for the acre with more diversity.
I'm going to try drilling some this summer I think even though I'm not really in soil building mode, I'd like some biomass to nurse along my fall brassicas in a few areas.
SummerMax CC6 Cover Crop Mix | Albert Lea Seed
Vigorous growing warm-season mix of summer annual grasses, broadleaves, and legumes blended for maximum summer growth, weed suppression, and soil building.alseed.com
For this application, you might consider Green Cover’s Warm Season Soil Builder. 30# per acre with a drill/seeder or 45# per acre broadcast. $43 bucks shipped for a 30# bag. Cheap and super convenient. I am still thinking about using this for all my summer plots this spring. I will do Summer Release from then on.
I planted this around the 4th of July last year (too late) but really liked it even in a drought year.
Here is what is in it: Non-GMO Soybeans, Black Beans Forage Soybeans, Mung Beans, Sunn Hemp, Sorghum Sudan, Pearl Millet, African Cabbage, Mustard, Sunflower, Buckwheat, Okra, Flax, Rapeseed
GMan5465
5 year old buck +
Warning, cringe worthy pics! With drought conditions last year, growth was poor. It was my second year planting a summer cover. I have sandy soil so I’m in desperate need of organic matter. This the best growth I got as it was a depression in a previous pasture. Surgham grew tall and i could see all the plants grew. You can see the sand on the right…and the dead grass from no rain also.
The bic below was a new plot we cut in the previous winter. Thats about two months of growth.
I didn’t fertilize as I was waiting for rain that didn’t come. We received only 3 inches of rain in June (3 weeks after planting) and less than an half inch in July.
Here is my take. I consider I started with the bar at 0, and trying to get to 100. This will be my third year with full planting seasons. I planted a summer cover the first year, then a fall crop. Fall crop was hit and miss, but that was a dry year as well. I figured I may have raised the bar a little, but was learning along the way. Picked up an old grain drill which is nice to have. Planted last spring with high hopes but no rain. Planted in the fall again with much better results but also still in drought conditions. Deer are still digging in my plots for turnips. I think if I went from 0 to 10 the first year, last year I went from 10 to 25. with a normal rain year and some fertilizer, I have once again high hopes for 2024.
There are a lot of great mixes out there. I’d go with more diversity which is why I did the Diversimax. Go with a reputable company and get it the cheapest you can. Shipping is the killer. I’m within driving distance of Albert Lea seed. If you planted two different quality mixes side by side, you would probably end up with the same results. Rain, fertilize, ground prep, planting technique are probably bigger factors.
Not great pics at all, but it’s the reality.
The bic below was a new plot we cut in the previous winter. Thats about two months of growth.
I didn’t fertilize as I was waiting for rain that didn’t come. We received only 3 inches of rain in June (3 weeks after planting) and less than an half inch in July.
Here is my take. I consider I started with the bar at 0, and trying to get to 100. This will be my third year with full planting seasons. I planted a summer cover the first year, then a fall crop. Fall crop was hit and miss, but that was a dry year as well. I figured I may have raised the bar a little, but was learning along the way. Picked up an old grain drill which is nice to have. Planted last spring with high hopes but no rain. Planted in the fall again with much better results but also still in drought conditions. Deer are still digging in my plots for turnips. I think if I went from 0 to 10 the first year, last year I went from 10 to 25. with a normal rain year and some fertilizer, I have once again high hopes for 2024.
There are a lot of great mixes out there. I’d go with more diversity which is why I did the Diversimax. Go with a reputable company and get it the cheapest you can. Shipping is the killer. I’m within driving distance of Albert Lea seed. If you planted two different quality mixes side by side, you would probably end up with the same results. Rain, fertilize, ground prep, planting technique are probably bigger factors.
Not great pics at all, but it’s the reality.
Local beekeepers will curse you, though. Buckwheat makes an “interesting” tasting honey, and makes a lot of it. Straight up ruins marketability.
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I’ll second the CC recommendation for the south.
Fannin County Texas, zone 8A
You could hear this 2 acre field from 40 yards away.
The vetch and AWP did well too. My best plot to date. Waist high across the whole thing. It has held too much water, or been dry as a bone, every other year. The joys of black gumbo clay and poor drainage…
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Telemark
5 year old buck +
Nice. I think I'll order a bag of that. Thanks for the tip.
Drought wiped out my summer plots as well, so that is something to consider when planting warm season blends to build the soil. I've never had a failure with the oat/pea mixture when planted in early spring though. The lower temps and better rainfall seems to make the early spring plantings more of a sure thing.
But realistically, there's no reason you couldn't plant the oats and peas in early spring and then plant your warm season summer blend in June or July.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
My $0.02 This will be inexpensive easy to plant and do just what you are looking for.
5#/acre Balansa Clover
2#/acre Tillage Radish
If there are bare spots weeds will fill it in and also condition your soil.
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
For southern folk no better summer plot than deer vetch (aeschynomene), Alyce clover, and Milo for summer. Can’t beat it.
davidhelmly
5 year old buck +
You’re right about that!
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
I add sunn hemp too for biomass but not sure deer eat it much. They hammer the other stuff though.
With my heavy clay, and extremely hot/dry summers, 1 can't get aeschynomene to live through June.
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davidhelmly
5 year old buck +
I see them use sunn hemp when it’s small but not once it gets head high or more.
Buckhunter10
5 year old buck +
Yep. I agree, buddy! They love the sunhemp in our blends. I also love it as it’s a higher c:n legume which is a nice benefit- if the deer will let it get that high.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
For you guys with the hot and dry climate why not plant a mix of sun hemp, chicory, and samfoin? They should all do well in those conditions and give plenty of benefit to the soil and deer.
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