COVER CROPS
What are cover crops?
A cover crop is a unique type of ground cover. It has living roots in the soil during autumn and winter when other plants have died back for the season. In late spring and summer, it rots into the soil underneath the trees to increase the organic matter.
At Wildergarden we have used winter cereal rye. (See photos). It is astonishing to see the amount of green biomass that grows and decomposes into the soil.
Our cover cropping activity is experimental. We believe there are benefits for native forest restoration.
Annual Winter Cereal Rye cover crop
What cover crops do we use at Wildergarden?
The winter cereal rye seeds are scattered on the soil in autumn and usually germinate soon after. The rye plants form flat ground cover during the winter. When spring brings warm weather, they suddenly grow vertically and become tall. This is a stewardship challenge, as the cover crop must be timed so it doesn’t block the re-growth of native herbaceous plants in the spring.
Winter cereal rye begins vigorous growth in the spring.
Winter cereal rye reaches a maximum height of about 5 feet.
Winter cereal rye plants lose their standability during spring rain and wind conditions.
Winter cereal rye in summer becomes a straw ground cover for habitat and decomposes into the ground.