Sledgehammer Cover Crop Mix

Description

Sledgehammer CC Mix is a cover crop mixture of Annual Ryegrass and Tillage Radish.  A sensible blend of radish and ryegrass developed for maximizing root mass and capturing nutrients.  The best combination of species for breaking up hard pans and holding onto leftover nutrients.  Sledgehammer CC Mix works well with fall manure applications; annual ryegrass is fairly tolerant to salt differences in manure.  A flexible mix to use in front of corn, soybeans, and many other cash crops.

Planting window:  3-10 weeks before frost

Seeding rates:

• Seed 15-20 lbs/acre alone with a drill (7.5″ spacing)
• Broadcast/Aerial:  20-25 lbs/acre
• For forage 20-25 lbs/acre

Seeding depth:  ¼” to ½″ deep

Comparable setting on drill chart:  Tall Fescue (reduce by 25%), Crested Wheat Grass (reduce by 15%), or Annual Ryegrass

Germination soil temperature:  45° F

DM tons/acre:  2-4

Considerations:  Any time annual ryegrass is used, spring management has to be a main priority. Keep ryegrass from going to seed at all costs. Annual ryegrass not terminated can have adverse effects on any subsequent grass crops. The use of ryegrass blends have given ryegrass a bad reputation – make sure it is a single, respected variety. Multiple maturities make control even more complex.

Benefits:  scale 1-5, 5=best

• Compaction Alleviation      5
• Weed suppression               4
• Biomass production            4
• Erosion control                    4
• Disease/Pest control          4
• Pollinator/Beneficials        3
• P & K Cycling                       4
• Ease of Establishment       4

Termination:  Radish will terminate with multiple nights in the teens. If radish overwinter, glyphosate and 2,4-D provide effective control. For annual ryegrass termination, using glyphosate by itself or with other grass killers can be used, but several key management criteria need met to ensure success.