Cover crop mix/ratios

[Nick.]

I'm after a bit of advice/ideas please on what mix ratio and what rate for a mix of linseed, phacelia, vetch, and maybe a few peas or beans thrown in.
Would it be worth throwing anything else in the mix ?
It'll be going in after wheat and most of it before a spring crop, maybe some before winter beans. Possibly some after OSR too.

 

[Jim Bullock]

We just divide the usual seed rate for a species by the number of species in a mix. For example if we were going to plant an oil radish / oat mixture (50/50) the usual rate for oil radish would be 20kgs/ha and oats 130 kgs/ha so in a mixture we would plant 10 kgs/ha of oil radish and 65 kgs/ha of oats. A bit rough and ready but it seems to work.

 

[Nick.]

That's great.
Thanks Jim.

 

[Farmersdaughter]

Really interesting article about cover crops by Graeme Sait. http://blog.nutri-tech.com.au/cover-crop-secrets-1/ which I have been reading about mixture rates etc.

 

[JD-Kid]

Really interesting article about cover crops by Graeme Sait. http://blog.nutri-tech.com.au/cover-crop-secrets-1/ which I have been reading about mixture rates etc.

intresting link
wonder about this
Graeme: I have always been a little concerned about the inclusion of brassicas in cocktail cover crops in that they could potentially inhibit the potential of the other species. They release isothiocyanates that dissuade root knot nematodes, but this biochemical also repulses mycorrhizal fungi. I felt that the presence of this biochemical amongst the intertwined roots of other species that love to host mycorrhizal fungi, might inhibit that hosting.
what happens in pure rape crops or oil seed etc dose it stuff up the fungi's for following crops or do long term damage to the soils ..
just never heard of it and we do have pure rape crops for grazeing would look like we should be growing mixed grazeing crops