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Choosing the Right Cover Crop

Author: Anne Verhallen - Soil Management Specialist/OMAFRA
Creation Date: 25 July 2007
Last Reviewed: 11 March 2009


Cover crops are a common soil management practice for many horticultural growers. There are lots of good reasons to use cover crops but it is often hard to put a dollar value on the return from growing cover crops. Cover crops are part of a system of soil maintenance - particularly important on the lighter, lower organic matter soils.

Know what you want to achieve with a cover crop and select the best one for the job!

Function of the cover crop

Best choices for cover crops

Nitrogen production

Red clover, peas, vetch

Nitrogen scavenging

Fall uptake - Oilseed radish and other brassicas, oats
Winter/spring uptake - rye, winter wheat

Weed suppression

Oilseed radish and other brassicas, winter rye
Organic growers also like buckwheat for this

Nematode suppression

Note: variety and nematode specific!

Cutlass Mustard
Sudans/Sorghums - Sordan 79, Trudan 8
Pearl Millet - CFPM 101
Marigold - Crackerjack, Creole
Oilseed radish - Adagio, Colonel

Soil structure building

Oats, overwintered winter rye

Compaction busting

Alfalfa, sweet clover

Biomass return to soil

Fall - oats, oilseed radish

Summer - millets, sorghum, sudan

Erosion protection i.e. wind, water

Winter rye, winter wheat, ryegrass (well established)

Learn more

 

For more information:
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