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NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

If it uses so much nitrogen then why would anyone use it as a cover crop in the winter?

Fall rye has an extensive fibrous root system, can scavenge nitrogen very effectively, and utilizes early spring moisture to grow very rapidly. Fall rye is earlier and faster growing in the spring than the other winter cereals, including wheat, barley and triticale. It heads the earliest of all these fall-seeded cereals, enabling an earlier forage harvest and more "double crop" options.

9/15/2007 9:56:11 AM

[email protected]

Winter Rye will scavenge Nitrogen but it gets returned when we till it under. This is good since the plants NEED early Nitrogen. The key is to use good timing & maybe molasses & a bacterial inoculant to hasten the N release earlier than later. We'd like that flush of N to be ending around fruit-set. Without a flush of N the vines will be too small at fruit-set to support champion growth.

It's a balancing act with time that's for sure.

9/15/2007 10:32:51 AM

Long Island,New York

The nitrogen that the rye scavenges will likely be gone by the time your pkn plant would use it anyway....but it returns it and more through the rye's decomposition in time for pkn plant to use it...consider it storage of N.

9/15/2007 11:40:03 AM

NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

Is fall rye and winter rye the same thing?

9/15/2007 9:39:21 PM

Somers, CT

I just call it winter rye and ask for it at Agway. My bag says 5lb Winter Rye. If there is a difference you want winter rye. Doubt there is.

9/16/2007 7:32:20 PM