Which type of ground cover to use?

[ishiboo]

This year, I was hoping to get a corn planter and plant corn... however for a few reasons it looks like that's not going to be an option. So I'm left with a bunch of ground that was weedy (now disced) that I would like to have some sort of cover crop to prevent the weeds from taking over again, and look nice.

I'm looking for something not terribly expensive, so wildflowers are out I have about 5 acres to cover, ideally with broadcast seeding. Options seem to be a regular "cover crop" like clover, alfalfa, a grass, or maybe a food plot mix. What should I get? And where's the cheapest place to buy it?

I am in Wisconsin and my soil is pretty heavy clay.

 

[bigtiller]

How about some oats?

 

[DJ54]

I'd go with something like a medium Red Clover. It will grow about anywhere, in any type of soil. It will put nitrogen in the ground for you. Seeding rate is 10-15# per acre, so a 50# bag will do it. Here, a 50# bag will run you less than $100.00. It will reseed itself when it gets ripe.

And, by mid summer, your field will look like a giant red carpet.

You are far enough north, you may still be able to take advantage of frost seeding, if you still have some cold weather.

I'm sure you have some seed companies fairly close. I'm pretty fortunate to have several within 15 miles. Here is the website to the one closest to me: Ruff's Seed Farms - Offering top yielding corn, soybean, and wheat hybrids Click on Grasses/Forages in the products menu. Local prices are listed with the products.

 

[DJ54]

I'd go with something like a medium Red Clover. It will grow about anywhere, in any type of soil. It will put nitrogen in the ground for you. Seeding rate is 10-15# per acre, so a 50# bag will do it. Here, a 50# bag will run you less than $100.00. It will reseed itself when it gets ripe.

And, by mid summer, your field will look like a giant red carpet.

You are far enough north, you may still be able to take advantage of frost seeding, if you still have some cold weather.

I'm sure you have some seed companies fairly close. I'm pretty fortunate to have several within 15 miles. Here is the website to the one closest to me: Ruff's Seed Farms - Offering top yielding corn, soybean, and wheat hybrids Click on Grasses/Forages in the products menu. Local prices are listed with the products.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Yep red clover with some oats thrown in as a nurse crop. You can hay the oats or just leave them and plow it all under a few weeks before you plant your corn next year to release the nitrogen the clover has taken out of the air.

 

[Utopia Texas]

If you were further South I would recommend Kudzu as a care free ground cover but then you would have to go to the expense of hiring a hit man to come and look for me.......

 

[vtsnowedin]

If you were further South I would recommend Kudzu as a care free ground cover but then you would have to go to the expense of hiring a hit man to come and look for me.......

That's where you're wrong. He'd be able to get plenty of volunteers. :devil:

 

[ishiboo]

Red clover sounds like a definite winner! Probably no frost seeding for me. I tried that with grass and didn't get much germination anyway.

Does it grow pretty fast? I wonder if it would be a good cover for temporary areas? I was planning on doing grass seed to some stuff I need to dig up again, just so it doesn't look like ****... but I might as well continue with the clover there.

 

[mx1alex]

Cereal Rye (grain, not grass) with some clover.

 

[vtsnowedin]

The problem is that you have no control over the weather for the two weeks after you sow the seed. If it is hot and dry only grasses adapted to arid conditions will survive and if it is wet and rainy other varieties will do better. That is why seed mixes are popular. Throw out a bunch of different seeds and one of them will be the best for the weather that comes later and for the soil it was planted into. Often seed mixes have six or more different seed types in them hoping one of them will hit the weather it is adapted for and produce a good stand that holds the ground against erosion until native species can move in and permanently stabilize the area.
Many mixes have a good proportion of annual or cereal rye which is great at holding soil against erosion and lets other seeds get established to take over after the rye has ripened and gone.