Barenbrug Phacelia Stala Cover Crop

Phacelia is a cover crop and bee forage, rated among the top 20 honey producing flowers. It is comparable to buckwheat in many ways. Buckwheat germinates more rapidly, especially at higher temperatures, and phacelia is more tolerant of cold and drought. It grows well in dry soil. Phacelia has rapid establishment and is quick to flower (6-8 weeks) and flowers for 8-10 weeks. It reduces soil erosion and improves soil structure.

Utilization

• Use as a fall/winter catch crop/mulch. Produces abundant biomass and does a good job of catching excess Ca and nitrates before they leach into the ground water Winter kills @ -7 degree Celsius. Appropriate when it will be followed by a vigorous cash crop, like potatoes, in early spring
• Ideal for catch crop for oilseed rotations (non host for club root disease)
• Intercrop option with maize and sugar beet (some data shows phacelia to reduce population of the sugar beet nematode, Heterodera schachtii)
• Cover crop in vineyards and apple orchards (beneficial insects)
• Forage option in COVERGRAZE mixtures

Sowing rate:

• 5-7kg/ha (pure)
• 1-2kg/ha (mixtures)