Fertiliser for cover crops

[cotswoldcs]

Is it too early to apply fertiliser (Nitram) to cover crops?

We have 55 acres of vetch and rye cover crops put in after wheat. I intend to graze them off with sheep from mid February onwards. Some will be in until fodder beet or kale is planted at the end of April onwards and one field will be planted with spring barley in mid march. Vetch is quite prevalent so was only thinking of 30-40KgN/ha but forage rye looks like it would benefit from some N. Cover crops were grown for EFA but prove to be a useful buffer for our sheep after stubble turnips have gone (mid feb) and before we start lambing in April.

 

[jack6480]

You for real?

 

[cotswoldcs]

Yes.

 

[Brisel]

There isn’t enough growth to help, so applying lots of N will just leach and make the amino levels too high in the rye. If you haven’t got enough biomass now, I’d spend the money on hay or silage to buffer feed or start asking around the area for other grazing.

 

[cotswoldcs]

OK thanks. Was a beautiful warm day yesterday and felt like spring. Frosty today and feels like winter! Will wait until later in the month until it warms up. The fields that are going into fodder beet & kale have another 10 weeks of growing before they will be destroyed so I hope they can still provide some decent grazing. Have plenty of silage so will feed some on the cover crops and strip graze with electric fence.