Cover Crops

Description
Root N Fixer is a mixture of KB Royal Annual Ryegrass and Crimson Clover. The name for this mix comes from the root mass of the Annual Ryegrass and the nitrogen fixation of the Crimson Clover.  Root N Fixer is a quick-growing winter annual mix that does well in cool, moist conditions. Top growth accumulates rapidly in early spring, but root growth occurs in late fall and winter, so don’t be deceived by the lack of top growth! Six-inch tall ryegrass can have roots several feet deep. This mix can optimize nutrient recycling, ground cover, carbon sequestration and nitrogen fixation all at the same time.

Management
Root N Fixer has to be sprayed or moldboard plowed in spring before planting the cash crop. 30-40 units of N at planting will give this mix a good start in the fall. We have seen winter-kill in northern zones, but many of the benefits are realized even in a winter-killed stand because much of the root mass is already accumulated by
the time winter-kill can occur.

Establishment
Seed 15-25 lbs./A. Drill ½” deep. Excellent results have been obtained by flying on into standing corn or soybeans as those crops mature and some sunlight can penetrate the canopy.