Re: air temperature/cover crops

Might I add a suggestion;

Part of the purpose of the cover crop is meant to keep
the soil moist/ loose/ and also alive with worms and 
beneficial bacteria. The other purpose is to keep 
nutrients locked in the upper soil surface and in the
cover crops plant tissues. This is why when it is tilled 
under in spring, you are then tilling in "green manure"
more or less, nitrogen which is active in the live plant 
tissue. I think mowing it is a terrible idea. iIf you mow
it, your collecting all the nitrogen and throwing it away. 
If you mulch mow, your still loosing large amounts of N 
into the air as the tissue dries and uv's break down the 
tissue. either method you use, you still then are having to 
walk on the ground/ compact in every space you step/ 
and have the mower also doing the same thing. if your fall
prep and cover crop work went well, your soil should still 
should be too soft to push a mower over anyway, as it 
should  sink too deep. If you absolutely need to get it down
to a lower height, as sometimes its needed if its dying 
off, then weed whack it, and do not walk on the soil, use
stepping boards or something. It is best to have your 
plants tissue turned under when you till in spring. If it
is tall then, as it should be, that is prime time to weed 
whack it or mower mulch it, as you won't loose the nitrogen
that you will if you do that this time of year.

Thought this might help to fully utilize your cover crop
to it's fullest potentials, like we try to do with our plants.

Marc
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a kind of blend of grasses, vetch, and other weedy stuff
growing in the patch at present. Should I allow it to grow until 
rototilling time or whack it back now?

Thanks!


Kathie
Kathie I would mow it as if it gets too long it will wrap around the 
tinesof the roto-tiller. You probably would have to mow it a few 
times till

April.

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