Ground Cover Options For Your Hemp Field

Today we’ll discuss the various options hemp growers have for ground cover and cover crops in their outdoor fields. You may choose to use clover, ryegrass, a blend of clover and rye, or Hairy Vetch to suppress weeds and replenish soil nutrients during the off-season and the hemp growing season. 

Let’s go over the main uses for ground covers, how to use cover crops, and the basics of major varieties of ground covers, and how to terminate ground covers used in hemp fields. 

Uses for Ground Cover

Ground covers are used for two main purposes: building and balancing soil nutrients and suppressing weeds. Hemp farmers may plant groundcover as a cover crop on the entire field during the off-season to control erosion and weeds and to balance the soil. A ground cover is also the best solution for suppressing weeds between rows during the growing season.

Off-Season

Cover crops grow during the off-season in the soil where hemp has grown and will be planted again. A well-chosen cover crop offers many benefits to the industrial hemp farmer. A good cover crop will overwinter well, help control erosion and weeds, and balance nutrients in the soil. An excellent cover crop could also be harvested as a secondary crop and would be easy to prevent from going to seed and causing weed problems during the regular growing season. 

In-Season

During the season for the main crop, a cover crop is used as groundcover between rows. While some farmers choose to install black plastic between rows, natural crops planted alongside hemp are a more sustainable, efficient, and time-saving way to control weeds. Rather than weeding between rows or spending lots of man-hours installing black plastic at the beginning of every growing season, a groundcover crop can simply be planted alongside the main crop and mown down regularly. Alternatively, groundcover can be allowed to grow tall enough to be mown and baled for hay, offering a great benefit to any working farm that also houses animals. 

Clover

Clover is a legume crop that makes an excellent choice for groundcover between rows or cover crop between seasons. It overwinters, which means it provides weed suppression and erosion control through the entire off-season. It balances soil, especially nitrogen. Clover can even be harvested as a secondary crop to feed livestock at the end of the off-season or mown and baled throughout the main crop season. 

Grass

Oat, wheat, barley, and ryegrass are all possible cover crops. However, Rye Grass is particularly popular as a cover crop for hemp fields. It has several benefits to offer, from being cheap to improving soil structure, preventing erosion, and controlling weeds. 

Ryegrass can also be used as an in-season ground cover that is mowed between rows.

Blend

A mix of ryegrass, medium red clover, and dwarf white clover makes an excellent in-season groundcover between rows. The mowable, dense growth prevents erosion and weeds and improves the soil. 

Hairy Vetch

Hairy Vetch is one legume crop that can be planted in fall. It primarily provides a healthy supply of nitrogen, but it can control erosion, suppress weeds, and attract pollinators. Hairy Vetch can be tilled under or roller-crimped prior to the main crop planting. It can also be grown as a groundcover between rows. However, this should be done with caution since Hemp and Hairy Vetch can both attract and be infected by downy mildew and gray mold. A legume-like clover may be a superior choice for in and off-season groundcover.

How and When to Terminate a Cover Crop

An off-season cover crop that is growing on an entire field will need to be removed prior to planting the main crop. There are a few ways to terminate the crop, including tilling it under, mowing and baling, using a roller crimper, or using herbicides. 

You’ll need to consider the implications of each method, some of which will depend on what cover crop you’ve planted. For example, ryegrass can suppress the growth of other plants for a period of time after being tilled under, which means tilling will need to be done well in advance of planting, or a different method should be considered. 

Herbicides, in particular, should be used with extreme caution in the hemp field and avoided as much as possible. Each state has guidelines and rules for herbicide and pesticide use in hemp farming, so be sure to check the rules in your state carefully.

For clover, ryegrass, or a blend, maintaining rows of the cover crop between rows of the main crop can be an efficient, cost-effective way to suppress weeds and improve soil during the main growing season.