What Cover Crops??

[mikey 2]

the covers will soon be going in just wandered what shoots will be putting ,weve got to think about something apart from maize because it just seems to get bulldozed by badger or deer,any recomendation as what to use instead idealy something to last a few years to reduce costs?

[danw 1,748]

Yellow blossom clover and chicory with a nurse crop of triticale or you could use reed canary grass but that will need a nurse crop as well failing those go for kale

[willum 89]

On one shoot I help on we got kale tricacaily bit of millet a few strips of mustard and the odd turnip patch we planted some canary grass that is now coming up n this year putting in some elephant grass . A right mish mash lol the whole shoots is E L S for the benefit of wild birds in winter seems to do ok on it .

[Tom_hib 0]

We've tried utopia which stood really well, also had a lot of wild bird mixtures included in HLS schemes, and that seemed to hold birds really well.

[shovel leaner 7,650]

Utopia is very good,but its only good for the season you plant it,it wont come again next year .Check out poacher leave it mix , i think Kings do it ,that stuff is good for several years.A T B

Edited March 18, 2013 by shovel leaner

[borderhunter15 5]

rows on canary grass and chicory holds loads of birds

[pro keeper 111]

Hi, last year because of the poor growing conditions I had to plant kings winter cover mix after most of our maize failed, I took the chance as a last resort and I couldn't believe how well it did, I will say it lacks real feed value so you need to feed it heavy.

 

It held up to all the weather even under water at times the birds held well too, its really cheap and easy to sow I just spun it on top, I was told by kings to mix in utopia into the winter cover mix don't do this as utopia needs to be drilled to grow to its true potential much to my disappointment !! not a blade came up

 

you could use sorgum grows and stands like maize but not so easy to grow

 

at this rate its going to need a good amount of drying up before i could even walk across the land let alone a tractor to plough it up !!! maybe we should all grow rice lol

[brucemyster 75]

mustard stood up well last season and held alot of birds

[Blakloks 5]

Has that kings got a website? I'm looking for stuff to plant in a hardwood to aid in holding birds through the winter it's to open just now

[johnygreenfeet 5]

plant hazel under hard woods

[Blakloks 5]

Why hazel?

[johnygreenfeet 5]

hazel will grow fine under hardwoods and when it gets to five foot probley third or fourth year you lay it by cutting a nick about a foot high and this creats ground cover for the birds to hide and stop them running through trim branches to let light in on the layed hazel if you buy cob nut verity you will have lots of nuts but you will have to keep squriles down its all a bit long term but i allways have plans for short term and long term and it will only cost you once allso plant the hazel in tree gards / tubes you realy wont get much elce to grow under trees christmas trees are ok but i think hazel works best

[Blakloks 5]

Cheers mate i was at the boys in our shoot last year to do summit but it never came of anything that's a year we lost when we could have planted we have a shoot dinner on fri I'm going to mention it again as its a waste of what could be a half decent drive!

[Blakloks 5]

That guy that looks after the birds on our shoot says he doesn't think hazel would grow he works for the forestry estate where our shoot is situated. I'm an optimist id rather give stuff a go then see