Volume22.05

Seed Movement & Our Newest Cover Crop Radish

May 2022 (Spanish)May 2022

Cool, Wet Spring - Summer is Almost Here

If you are in the northern half of the US or in Canada, you are well aware that this is one of those years where the past few months has not been conducive to good seed movement. Too cool and too wet, for most. Soil temperatures are cooler than normal as well. For some, the spring window is fast closing, while others still have a good full month or more.

The good news for contractors, lawn care operators and local seed dealers, is that their regional distributors should be able to fulfill any immediate needs, as well as supply reorders without delay. Undoubtedly, some distributors will carry seed into late summer. This will likely ease some of the pressure of summer shipment of new crop seed, particularly turf, and select forage legumes. With anticipated costly freight, a bit of inventory may be a blessing in disguise.

That said, there are still plenty of species which are in tight supply and will not be replenished before mid-fall. Here is a partial list of species that seem likely to remain tight through September: Chewings fescue, creeping red fescue, hard fescue, sheeps fescue, turf perennial ryegrass, timothy, Dutch white clover, ladino clover, white clover, birdsfoot trefoil, yellow blossom sweet clover, Austrian winter pea, radish, balansa, mammoth red clover, and medium red clover.

Additionally, if there are specific varieties you need in your program, it is not too early to let your needs be known - best to not assume that you can wait till harvest for any variety key to having in your early fall program.

FragiBlaster Cover Crop Radish

We are pleased to announce that our proprietary cover crop radish, FragiBlaster is now available. FragiBlaster is an improved deep-rooted cover crop radish purposed in breaking through hard sub-surfaces, increasing water permeation, forming root channels, all the while capturing excess nutrients and suppressing weeds.

Fragipan is the term used to describe subsurface layer of hard soil with relatively slow permeability to water, mostly because of its extreme density or compactness rather than its high clay content or cementation. FragiBlaster radish helps break though compacted soils and capture excess nutrients left over from crops like corn and soybeans.

As shown in these photos, during the fall growing months, FragiBlaster puts down a deep taproot, opening up macro pores. Above ground, its wide canopy densely covers the soil surface. The roots break up compaction while the surface coverage reduces weeds and erosion. Note the significant absence of weeds.

Once winter weather sets in, FragiBlaster terminates without any chemical application. As FragiBlaster decomposes, FragiBlaster feeds the good bugs in the ground and most importantly, slowly releases all the captured nutrients. Subsequent crop can take advantage of these “free” nutrients as well as the new root channels and water filtration.

Place your order now as supplies are limited. Learn more at FragiBlasterRadish.com.

FragiBlaster Cover Crop Radish in a trial

FragiBlaster in the Fall - Dec 7, 2020, OSU, South Charleston, OH

FragiBlaster Cover Crop Radish in a trial

FragiBlaster in the Spring - Mar 3, 2021, OSU, South Charleston, OH