A mixture of forage oats and peas that provides protein and effective fiber as a forage mix and nitrogen and organic matter as a cover crop. Best seeded in late winter/ early spring or late summer, it can also be used as a nurse crop for rapid-growing weed suppression with new perennial seedings.
Nurse Crop:
- For forage, cut and wilt when oats reach flag leaf stage for best quality forage.
- Pea-Oat Mix makes a good nurse crop for a spring or fall seeding of alfalfa or other legume (at approximately a half seeding rate), as it will grow more rapidly and provide shelter and weed suppression to the slower-growing perennial.
- In a fall-planted cover crop scenario, the mix winterkills and provides an overwintering killed mulch for weed suppression and organic matter that can be easily no-till planted in the early spring.
The Components: 4010 Peas are a purple flower pea and can be planted in either spring or fall. Grows best in cooler climates. High-protein forage for grazing or haylage/baleage. Alone, the feed value is comparable to alfalfa haylage. Large leaves and excellent palatability.
Forage Plus Oats: A leafy late forage oat with excellent feed quality with very good disease resistance.
Must be inoculated with KingFisher Biotrigger cover crop or N-Dure Pea/Vetch Inoculant for optimal legume nitrogen fixation.
