Ping Eggs

[Steveo]

Have you ever planted crown vetch from seed?

[Eggs Zachtly]

Yup. Getting ready to fix some nitrogen somewhere? =)

Coronilla varia is a pretty useful plant, as are most legumes. But, it can get outta hand VERY easily, especially once it's established and starts sending out rhizomes.

Fresh seed is the best. If it's been stored, it's best to soak it for 12 hours or so, in warm water. Direct sow it in the fall, and it should germinate rather quickly. It also won't grow in the shade, IIRC.

Apologies for the delay in replying. I left the house at 0430, and just got home, sigh. =/

HTH

[Steveo]

Yeah good to go with your advice so far man. I inoculated the seed using milk and molasses for the slurry and planted it 10 days ago on a drainage culvert here in N. Ohio. It's coming up like gang busters so I'm good to go with germination.

My question is.. should I re-straw it right before old man frost shows up in order to protect it? It won't go to seed this year and the plants are barely creeping through the cover straw today. I'm late in the season for establishment, and yet perfect for germination if you get my drift.

Will it re-grow from the young tubar's next spring?

[Eggs Zachtly]

Perhaps a bit early on your planting, though. Any chance to reseed at a more "natural" time? And, what rate did you sow? I think the MoDOT uses

15lb per acre, along highways and ditches, here.

Ya, but germination at an un-natural time. Fall sowing is optimum because that's when the seeds sow, naturally. Straw would be a good idea. It's a perennial, so seeding the first year (which it rarely does) is pretty much moot. Protect those roots! ;)

Lemme check my crystal ball... =P

Seriously, *some* will probably survive. We're talking an extremely short growing season. A lot depends on the weather. A late winter gives the plants more time to mature. Likewise, with a mild winter. OTOH, it could go the other way. Anything you can do to help them is better for the plant, and less work for you. ;) Get through this first winter with it, and it will go like gangbusters next year. =)

[bittersweet]

[Steveo]

Early? Most of the on-line instruction I could find suggested fall sowing, and the weather has been near perfect for it..germination looks really good. I'll straw it again right before the first frost to try and extend its growing season and help protect it.

Thanks man.

[Steveo]

Yeah it's on a drainage ditch not close to much of anything else. I've heard three way herbicide controls it, so I'll find out in a year or two.

[Eggs Zachtly]

Just saying that it's not quite fall. Crown vetch around here doesn't really drop it's seeds until mid-late October, IIRC. When's your first frost?

[Steveo]

In a few weeks usually. The plants won't be anywhere near mature by then, they're only about a half inch tall right now..