F.A.Q...Cover Crops

What are cover crops?

What are cover crops?

A cover crop is any crop of plants that are grown primarily for the benefit of the soil or main plants rather than to be harvested as a crop for money. Usually a cover crop is grown either in the in-between ,ain crops, before the field is needed for growing the cash crop or between the rows of the main crop to then benefit it.  

Why are cover crops important?

Why are cover crops important?

A cover crop benefits the soil by making certain nutrients available and these are then deposited through either cutting it or rolling it sown and planting through it.  Cover crops also provide increased organic matter for your soil. The other ways cover crops help are by keeping weeds down,  helping control pests and diseases, plus they prevent your soil from being exposed to the weather.

What will cover crops do in the long-term?

What will cover crops do in the long-term?

By maximising the use of the sun, water, nutrition, time and soil life and building a beneficial environment, you have the best possible chance for full soil recovery, restoration and peak growing performance. It is important to plan ahead on how you will maintain your cover crop and harvest it to give the best possible results.

How do I grow a cover crop?

How do I grow a cover crop?

Start by considering how you could best possibly assist your cash crop. Consider what nutrition they might need or you might need to build up lots of organic matter. Consider how you will harvest this cover crop and plan accordingly. Many growers find adding a rich diversity of plants into your cover crop to be most effective. A balance between legumes (for nitrogen) and grasses is often chosen.

What plants do I use in a cover crop?

What plants do I use in a cover crop?

Legume perennial plants, mostly vines, are favoured in farms with trees like cashew, coconut, durian, mango, mangosteen, oil palm, pummelo and soursop.  These legume perennials could include, calopo, centro, kudzu, siratro and stylo.  Other plants that may be considered include creeping peanut.

Living Mulches may be grown at the same time with any cash crop, to prevent rapid loss of water from the soil through evaporation. Examples are grass plants like bermuda grass and carabao grass under coconut, oil palm and in many orchards and vineyards. For fast establishment of living mulches, leguminous vine plants may be seeded.

Catch Crops are grown after harvest of a main crop to use soil moisture and fertilizers and to reduce nutrient leaching. Cowpea and mungbean become catch crops if they are allowed to mature and harvested for pods. After rice melons, garlic, tomato and many vegetables may be grown or other short maturing crops which can be planted between main crop seasons. 

Green Manures are plants grown for soil improvement and worked back into the soil. We recommend limiting digging and suggest slashing them or rolling them. A roller-crimper has been found to be very effective for medium to tall cover crops, killing them while still leaving the root undisturbed in the soil and a thick cover of flattened mulch over the surface of which the cash crop can be planted through. Examples are legumes; cowpea and mungbean after rice. Green manures are capable of adding significant amounts of organic matter. 20 to 30 tonnes per hectare of farm manure or 4 to 6 tonnes of dry matter per hectare. 

There are a wide variety of possibles not mentioned here. Moringa is fast growing nutritious nitrogen rich tree which which could be chosen. 

What if I never grow cover crops?

What if I never grow cover crops?

If you have the opportunity to grow cover crops, you will be well rewarded. Alternatively you can source organic matter to protect and build your soil. The least preferred option is to leave your soil bare between crops. Your soil health is most likely to be deteriorating whenever it is left exposed. Weeds are better than bare soil as they at least protect it from the weather. It is unnatural to have exposed soil in nature. Weeds quickly work to grow where soil is exposed, They also can assist in bringing nutrients up from deeper within the soil and also help to open soil structure. They may also create habitat for beneficial insects.

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