Conservation Education, Cover Crops Series - Issue 7
How do you plant Sunn Hemp?
Plant at a depth of 1/2" - 2 1/2"
For best germination, plant when soil temps are about 65 degrees during early summer to the beginning of August
Plant a minimum of 20 lbs/acre
Tropical legume with a rapid growth rate
Can reach 6' in 60 days!
Sunn Hemp as a cover crop
Sunn Hemp can fix up to 120 lbs of nitrogen during the growing season
Biomass can reach up to 4 tons an acre of organic matter, making it ideal for forage and grazing
Sunn Hemp uses its own MOA to suppress soybean cyst and root knot nematodes
The benefits of Sunn Hemp
Sunn Hemp has the ability to transfer residual potassium and phosphorus to the topsoil, as well as fix up to 120 lbs of nitrogen.
High biomass production and nematode resistance makes it the ideal forage to shade out weeds and keep soybean cyst and root knot nematodes at bay.
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze Sunn Hemp around 45 days after planting, or between one and three feet tall. The stems are high in fiber, and the leaves are high in forage quality.
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