Winter Cereal Rye - 1 LB ~8,000 Seeds - Non-GMO, Open Pollinated - Farm & Garden Cold Weather Cover Crop & Erosion Control

Cereal rye may be used as a cover crop grain hay or pasture. It is one of the best cover crops where soil fertility is low and/or winter temperatures are extreme. Cereal rye is an excellent choice as a late-sown cover crop. Because it establishes rapidly in cool weather and grows throughout the winter cereal rye is excellent for protecting the soil from wind and water erosion scavenging soil-N before it is leached below the root zone and suppressing weeds. Cereal ryes extensive root system makes it among the best cover crops for improving soil structure. Incorporating mature residues can improve water infiltration and aeration and add substantial quantities of organic matter to the soil.

Cereal rye grows best on well-drained loamy soils but is tolerant of both heavy clays and droughty sandy soils. It often grows in infertile soils where other cereal grains fail. Optimum soil pH is 5.0­7.0 but pH in the range of 4.5­8.0 is tolerated. Cereal rye is the most winter-hardy of all cereal grains enduring temperatures as low as -30 F once established. It can germinate and grow at temperatures as low as 33 F