Sunn Hemp

[Doug Galloway]

Just want to take a moment to thank John and all of the members here.....this forum is starting to really shape up into a nice venue...kudos!

56 lb/ac....drilled into standing rye etc or spin-spread into the same mix on earthworks reclamations....I won't tell you that these mixes can and have been used to regenerate rangelands on multiple continents.....that is something a guy needs to try for several years and monitor himself. I will say...there is a definite 'native vegetation stimulation effect' which can occur....if you have seed leftover....go spin it and see what happens....when you put seed into a soil that have never seen that seed before some awesome things can happen!

seed lb/ac
Egyptian wheat 2
Wild game sorghum 4
Pearl millet 2
Buckwheat 4
Black oil sunflower 4
IC cowpea 18.5
Eagle foage soy blend 18.5
Sunnhemp 4 (pending)
Okra, Clemson spineless 0.5

There will be a small NT veggie section in there too!

We made a 'double pass' vs 'single pass' test of the SA mix last spring....I liked the plant characteristics in the high seeding rate better...so we just upped the rate of each seed in the blend this year.

What am I testing this spring?.....we will leave ~4' wide check strips of the standing rye etc mix across the field...these will alternate with the summer annual planting strips which will be ~30' wide. The goal is to monitor the effects on beneficial insects and plant pests by leaving the cool season habitat intact for insect habitat.....screening cover for wildlife is automatic.

Use check strips in whatever management you do!

Did I mention these mixes are fun to plant and watch grow.....don't stress just roll with the flow and learn!

 

[dipper]

Rye is very good at suppressing cool season grass growth. Actively growing rye will let a lot of spring planted plants like sunflower and clover, peas and beans, thrive.

We can't ever let up when it comes to improving our soil. I have gained access to 2 million square yards from a municipal waste-treatmen facility. They are going to deliver this organic mAterial 23 miles round trip for o cost. I already added 200 yards of mulch from the same place this fall. My sand is gonna be kicking ass in ten yeArs.

 

[mikmaze]

2 million cubic yards is a lot of material, and will give that sand the moisture holding power it needs, good score for sure.

 

[wildfire]

Doug, is there any merit in planting sun hemp by its self and terminating late July and then putting in lick creeks mix? I have plenty of rye-clover mix planted last fall, which has plenty of use now. Plan on planting soybeans with as early maturing as I can get. Then broadcasting rye, gfr, turnips early August.

 

[Bill]

56 lb/ac....drilled into standing rye

seed lb/ac
Egyptian wheat 2
Wild game sorghum 4
Pearl millet 2
Buckwheat 4
Black oil sunflower 4
IC cowpea 18.5
Eagle foage soy blend 18.5
Sunnhemp 4 (pending)
Okra, Clemson spineless 0.5

Doug,
Help a non farmer out here. I've got a Great Plains no til and planting a single species is a cake walk. I think I could even plant one seed type in the large seed box and a small seed in the small box at the same time. But how on earth do you calibrate to get the rates disbursed correctly as you have listed?

Do you mix the seed all together and shoot for 56 lbs of what ever comes out?

Also do you kill the existing rye at planting or let it mature and die.

 

[Doug Galloway]

Drill setting for that blend is a tad richer than for straight forage beans.

So I set the large box setting at 14 put in 56 lb, then drilled a test acre per the counter on the drill. Drill ran out at 0.8 ac...or 20 % shy of an ac. So I set the drill at 12 which is roughly 20% less than 14 and drilled 2.3 more ac....it came out just about right. Total Ac count now is 6.5..slightly under an ac of seed left from the 8 ac blend total....so we are 'close enough'. I'd rather be a tad high than low with these mixes.

 

[Doug Galloway]

Roll and spray with gly in one pass after planting. I'll take some more pics tomorrow....fore and aft on that pass. Pollinating rye is easy to kill....if the AWP vetch and arrow leaf don't completely kill that is groovy...more N. Not growing a cash crop so it doesn't matter that all covers are terminated....but it seems best if rye is killed ASAP.