----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Bosko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 9:14 AM
Subject: Re: Cover crop
> Rye has always germinated well for me as a cover. Even last year when it
> wasn't able to get irrigation water due to the drought, and the rains
> didn't come until early November. I usually mix it with hairy
> vetch. Which too, last year both germinated and grew, I'm just not sure
if
> the inoculant lived through the dry spell tho (dang it).
>
> Any one have any thoughts on that btw? I inoculated the seed, and put it
> down in early October. But we were cut off from water late July and had
no
> rains until early November. I was hoping for a good couple squalls to
> water it in, but none ever came. I wasn't sure if the inoculant would
> survive w/o moist ground. Tried to check the roots for nodules, but the
> vetch has such spindly roots I was never able to get a good sample to see.
Hi Mike
Re your innoculant - experience (and lots of research -
documented and written up in the appropriate places) says that dry
conditions are down the list a ways as far as survival of innoculant in
Australia
We will assume here you're not using any chemicals either on the seed or as
soil treatments
top of the list and a big time number one is exposure to ultraviolet light -
so never store treated seed in the open even for a short time - there is no
need to dry the seed before rebagging it (pasture seeds) - if you're seeding
big stuff like vetch or lupins with glue in the innoculant and using bulk
seed then it can stick a little in the seed bin but to fix this just put a
length of plastic pipe 4" to 6" diameter vertically down in the bin over the
outlet and pull it out after the seed has dried.
next is exposure to acids - so no acidic seed dressings - dont sow the seed
in contact with fertiliser - and if you farm acid soils you must lime pellet
the seed to get effective innoculation.
There is a wide range in the survivability of different strains of
innoculant - the ones we use for lupins, lucerne, and subterranean clover,
seem to be good and will easily last over a dry summer (probably two) but
when the cost is considered why would we not innoculate every time we sow
new seed?
Hope this is of help
Lloyd Charles
