Is it Too Late to Plant Cover Crops in WNY?

by Jodi Putman

In the last week, many people have asked, "How late is too late to plant a cover crop this fall?" I would be more confident in recommending the last date for establishing a cover crop if I knew what the weather would be like for the next four-six weeks.

It comes down to understanding the weather trends for your area and the amount of risk you want to take, much like the same risk you take in deciding when to plant your cash-crop in the spring. If it's mid-June and still too wet to plant corn do you switch to beans? For cover crops, the same thinking applies.

It's commonly known that cereal rye can be planted anytime in the fall and will undoubtedly grow. You may not see it until spring, but it'll be there. The question is, when do other species reach their limit on a justifiable planting window? It's important to know that within a given species there are winter hardiness and late planting date variations. An example, as it relates to the planting date is hairy vetch; varieties can vary widely in survivability. Only with personal experience or advice from a trusted farmer or seed salesperson, can you know how particular species perform in your field.

Planting cover crop mixes has been common for many reasons. Specifically, this method at the end of a planting window for species has merit. For instance, in most regions, radishes might be the best cover to plant at the end of September. But if you planted them in a mix that includes cereal rye or triticale, spending $4.50 an acre on 2 pounds of radish seed could be worth the risk. In addition, a mix with more winter-hardy species can protect the others.

Be sure to get the seed in the ground any time you're planting late. Do not broadcast the seed on the soil surface, as this will delay germination if rain is not experienced immediately. In the fall, soil temperatures are generally warm and seeds will sprout rapidly, especially in a no-till situation where there's significant crop residue.

The winter cover crop planting scheduler, which is affiliated with Cornell's Climate Smart Farming Program, was created by Cornell University for those in the Northeast. Just type in your zip code, enter the desired species you would like to plant, on any given date, and the model will tell you the likelihood of success. It uses historical weather data from the last 30 years, but also allows for the past 15 years to see more recent weather trends. For those of you more comfortable managing late planning decisions with data, this tool is for you!

The Climate Smart Farming Winter Cover Crop Planting Scheduler can be found at this web address: http://climatesmartfarming.org/tools/csf-winter-cover-crop-planting-scheduler/

The CSF Winter Cover Crop Planting Scheduler tool showing the probability of establishing a Rye cover crop in Geneseo, NY before the end of the season. Click the image to view larger.