Cover Crop

[karacho]

Hi,

I'm just starting an agricultur project near Chiang May, in Prao district. The farmers use fertilizers and pesticide. The quality of the soil is very bad ( I get analysis form Mae Jo univ.) I should like to grow cover crop to increase soil quality ( Nitrogen and Organic matter ). I should like to avoid to spray fertiliser. In the USA more and more people do it.

What cover crop should be suitable for tropical conditions. ( PH 4.9 MO less than 1% )

The cash crop will be Jasmin rice and soya bean.

Thanks for your reply

[Maizefarmer]

You want to grow a cover crop to improve the soil so that you can then, afterwards, cultivate Jasmine or Soya, and you don't want to use fertilizer with the cover crop only, or you don't want to use it with either the cover crop or the subsequent crop? - have I read all that correctly?

[loong]

If you have paid for soil analysis, can't you ask for advice from the Mae Jo University soil science department?

I believe that soya bean itself can be used as a cover crop, but obviously you may also need an innoculant to benefit from the nitrogen fixing ability of the plant.

[fredge45]

Paw tuang (Crotalaria juncea)is a great cover crop... several threads here previously. Spread some cow manure into the soil to make sure your have the bacteria present for inoculation. Seeds readily available in the Chiang Mai area, sometimes free from the government agencies but cheap enough from private seed companies.

Soya beans will add nitrogen to the soil as well, if the correct bacteria are present, if that's what you're looking for.

Atch is in Thai but gives you some idea of the suitability of the plant.

[karacho]

Paw tuang (Crotalaria juncea)is a great cover crop... several threads here previously. Spread some cow manure into the soil to make sure your have the bacteria present for inoculation. Seeds readily available in the Chiang Mai area, sometimes free from the government agencies but cheap enough from private seed companies.

Soya beans will add nitrogen to the soil as well, if the correct bacteria are present, if that's what you're looking for.

Atch is in Thai but gives you some idea of the suitability of the plant.

Thanks for your information.

I think Crotalaria juncea is the Latin name for Sunn Hemp. As I'm not able to read the menu in restaurant, I will ask my wife to read the document.

I heard that charcoal from rice husk can improve the quality of the ground did you tried it? I read some interesting info about "terra pretta".

For Soya bean I don't know if it really improve de soil when we harvest it. Is Soya bean used for cover crop the same as the Soya bean used for cash crop?

[karacho]

You want to grow a cover crop to improve the soil so that you can then, afterwards, cultivate Jasmine or Soya, and you don't want to use fertilizer with the cover crop only, or you don't want to use it with either the cover crop or the subsequent crop? - have I read all that correctly?

I'd like to stop fertilizer and pesticide for ever. The ground is exhaust from intensive farming. i should like to improve it on a way that respect nature quality. I guess that the yield will fall down for a some years but I don't care.

[Maizefarmer]

You want to grow a cover crop to improve the soil so that you can then, afterwards, cultivate Jasmine or Soya, and you don't want to use fertilizer with the cover crop only, or you don't want to use it with either the cover crop or the subsequent crop? - have I read all that correctly?

I'd like to stop fertilizer and pesticide for ever. The ground is exhaust from intensive farming. i should like to improve it on a way that respect nature quality. I guess that the yield will fall down for a some years but I don't care.

Any of the crops reccomended by members above that help fix nitrogen into the soil will be a good starting point - the final choice been dependent on avaliable water (rain and/or irrigation), and weather or not you're prepeared to spend money irrigating. As much as you'd like to steer clear of added fertilser(s), adding a little to stimulate the cover crop first time round, if the soil is really that bad, may be a good idea - and then afterwards, by adhering to a soil supporting cultivation policy will help you stay away from additives later.

Manures are good - all of them - with the general rule been, the drier/older when added and mixed in, the better - never add fresh/wet manure to a crop that is growing. Slurry form pig and dairy farms is great stuff as well if there is any around you and you have the means to transport it - just pour it on the soil and let it soak in, then give it a few weeks to break down (like fresh manure wet slurry will do more harm than good if there is a crop on the field)

But preceding all this, you want to do 2 things:

1) Rip the soil - tractor with a 2 or 3 point ripper. The deeper the better. This will restore drainage characteristics (rip from highest to lowest point i.e. across the contour lines - not with the contours)

2) Leave for a couple of weeks, then plough it all up with a disc plough - leave for a week or so, spread your manure, slurry or whatever you want to add to the soil, and then cross-cut i.e. plough again with a disc plough, but this time at 90degrees angle to the first discing. This will mix in the slurry/manure well and provide a decent soil structure for the cover crop to grow on.

Note - you are almost certainly going to get a ton of weed growth after the ploughing - especially if you do this just before the rainy season starts - and you will then be faced with having to decide how to deal with the weeds. If you get the timing right, you may well be able to get sufficient growth from a cover crop to stunt weed growth, but be certain - you are going to get a fair amount of weeds growing, however bareen the soil may currently appear.

[karacho]

You want to grow a cover crop to improve the soil so that you can then, afterwards, cultivate Jasmine or Soya, and you don't want to use fertilizer with the cover crop only, or you don't want to use it with either the cover crop or the subsequent crop? - have I read all that correctly?

I'd like to stop fertilizer and pesticide for ever. The ground is exhaust from intensive farming. i should like to improve it on a way that respect nature quality. I guess that the yield will fall down for a some years but I don't care.

Any of the crops reccomended by members above that help fix nitrogen into the soil will be a good starting point - the final choice been dependent on avaliable water (rain and/or irrigation), and weather or not you're prepeared to spend money irrigating. As much as you'd like to steer clear of added fertilser(s), adding a little to stimulate the cover crop first time round, if the soil is really that bad, may be a good idea - and then afterwards, by adhering to a soil supporting cultivation policy will help you stay away from additives later.

Manures are good - all of them - with the general rule been, the drier/older when added and mixed in, the better - never add fresh/wet manure to a crop that is growing. Slurry form pig and dairy farms is great stuff as well if there is any around you and you have the means to transport it - just pour it on the soil and let it soak in, then give it a few weeks to break down (like fresh manure wet slurry will do more harm than good if there is a crop on the field)

But preceding all this, you want to do 2 things:

1) Rip the soil - tractor with a 2 or 3 point ripper. The deeper the better. This will restore drainage characteristics (rip from highest to lowest point i.e. across the contour lines - not with the contours)

2) Leave for a couple of weeks, then plough it all up with a disc plough - leave for a week or so, spread your manure, slurry or whatever you want to add to the soil, and then cross-cut i.e. plough again with a disc plough, but this time at 90degrees angle to the first discing. This will mix in the slurry/manure well and provide a decent soil structure for the cover crop to grow on.

Note - you are almost certainly going to get a ton of weed growth after the ploughing - especially if you do this just before the rainy season starts - and you will then be faced with having to decide how to deal with the weeds. If you get the timing right, you may well be able to get sufficient growth from a cover crop to stunt weed growth, but be certain - you are going to get a fair amount of weeds growing, however bareen the soil may currently appear.

[karacho]

You want to grow a cover crop to improve the soil so that you can then, afterwards, cultivate Jasmine or Soya, and you don't want to use fertilizer with the cover crop only, or you don't want to use it with either the cover crop or the subsequent crop? - have I read all that correctly?

I'd like to stop fertilizer and pesticide for ever. The ground is exhaust from intensive farming. i should like to improve it on a way that respect nature quality. I guess that the yield will fall down for a some years but I don't care.

Any of the crops reccomended by members above that help fix nitrogen into the soil will be a good starting point - the final choice been dependent on avaliable water (rain and/or irrigation), and weather or not you're prepeared to spend money irrigating. As much as you'd like to steer clear of added fertilser(s), adding a little to stimulate the cover crop first time round, if the soil is really that bad, may be a good idea - and then afterwards, by adhering to a soil supporting cultivation policy will help you stay away from additives later.

Manures are good - all of them - with the general rule been, the drier/older when added and mixed in, the better - never add fresh/wet manure to a crop that is growing. Slurry form pig and dairy farms is great stuff as well if there is any around you and you have the means to transport it - just pour it on the soil and let it soak in, then give it a few weeks to break down (like fresh manure wet slurry will do more harm than good if there is a crop on the field)

But preceding all this, you want to do 2 things:

1) Rip the soil - tractor with a 2 or 3 point ripper. The deeper the better. This will restore drainage characteristics (rip from highest to lowest point i.e. across the contour lines - not with the contours)

2) Leave for a couple of weeks, then plough it all up with a disc plough - leave for a week or so, spread your manure, slurry or whatever you want to add to the soil, and then cross-cut i.e. plough again with a disc plough, but this time at 90degrees angle to the first discing. This will mix in the slurry/manure well and provide a decent soil structure for the cover crop to grow on.

Note - you are almost certainly going to get a ton of weed growth after the ploughing - especially if you do this just before the rainy season starts - and you will then be faced with having to decide how to deal with the weeds. If you get the timing right, you may well be able to get sufficient growth from a cover crop to stunt weed growth, but be certain - you are going to get a fair amount of weeds growing, however bareen the soil may currently appear.

Thank you for your accurate advice,

Water is available every 2 weeks from irrigate system. So I will seed cover crop, "Sun hemp", just after harvest of current crop. For ripping and disk plough I will look for it. My father in law has a Kubota with a plough but no disk.

I went to agriculture department to get information where to get sun hemp. They don't know where to get it. The government gives seeds for one cover crop every year. this year it's a kind of soya bean but black and smaller. Next year another. We got 50 Kg free. Does anyone know where I can buy sun hemp seeds?

[Foreverford]

Paw tuang (Crotalaria juncea)is a great cover crop... several threads here previously. Spread some cow manure into the soil to make sure your have the bacteria present for inoculation. Seeds readily available in the Chiang Mai area, sometimes free from the government agencies but cheap enough from private seed companies.

Soya beans will add nitrogen to the soil as well, if the correct bacteria are present, if that's what you're looking for.

Atch is in Thai but gives you some idea of the suitability of the plant.

Thanks for your information.

I think Crotalaria juncea is the Latin name for Sunn Hemp. As I'm not able to read the menu in restaurant, I will ask my wife to read the document.

I heard that charcoal from rice husk can improve the quality of the ground did you tried it? I read some interesting info about "terra pretta".

For Soya bean I don't know if it really improve de soil when we harvest it. Is Soya bean used for cover crop the same as the Soya bean used for cash crop?

Start with the Pah teung (sun hemp) available through your local ag advisers and through comercial sources around. If you soak in warm water it will sprout in a few hours (be careful because you must plant it immediately, have fun experiment with it and see) . It is by far the simplest thing in the world to grow and should be growing anywhere there is earth witih moisture. Any form of manure must be incorprorated into the soil to make the magic of nitrogen fixing work with beans such as these but once you introduce the bacteria from it you are set for life. Go to the organic section at the top of this farming section and you will be able to get on the sub-forum for organic farming and there is a plethora of info on green manures and organic fertilizers and a good and healty life for all. choke Dee