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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Wednesday, March 04, 2009
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Jordan Rivington (JRO)
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Windsor, Ontario, Canada
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Entry 10 of 165 |
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I have been doing some research regarding a cover crop....to be more specific, a spring starting cover crop. I need for it to go fairly deep, break up some compaction, and unlock some nutrient trapped in the clay.
Most crops that go down deep, need a longer period of time to become established (1-2 years) but I don't have that kind of time, and at home I have nowhere else to rotate to.
1. White mustard is one of the fastest growing green manures
2. Mustards flower from 3-5 weeks after sowing
3. Mustard taproots extend to depths of 1-3 ft
4. Biofumigant (helps prevent some diseases/pests/weeds)
5. Increase infiltration rates and soil OM
6. Withstand temperatures into the low 20s°F (-6 C)
7. Reduce the N needs for next crop (high Nitrogen content)
8. Seed will germinate at a soil temperature as low as 40°F
Now, I had alot of trouble finding White Mustard seeds. I then realized, these are the seeds used for pickling. I found them at the bulk barn for $0.42/KG which is dirt cheap. Now, whether or not they will germinate and grow....I don't know. I do know however that I put 4 seeds in each of 3 peat pellets (in my germination chamber) to see what happens.
Hopefully this will work, and that is another issue solved. I hope to get this crop planted by mid to late March, depending on how cold it stays...to till down by May 1 or so. The forecast for the next 5 days calls for 40-50 during the days, so this will help warm/dry the soil.
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