Little Joe
Well-known member
Anyone have any experience with Sunn Hemp? I thought about trying it on an acre to see if I liked it. Says it will build organic matter and leave 100 lbs N per acre.
Thank you , I appreciate the heads up. LVRWe planted it mixed with Sudan a couple years ago. The sudan did well but the sunn hemp never really amounted to anything. This was in our hayfields for baleage.
Thank you for your response which more or less confirmed the opinion I was forming. It may have its place but was looking like it couldI mixed Sunn Hemp, pearl millet and SudanX on a few acres that was recently cleared (was partly wooded) in 2018 or so. I did not do soil tests, so I have no idea if N increased. Sunn Hemp provided the least cattle feed by far of the three. I only grazed it, so I can't comment on baling or ensileage. I did not drill it, but broadcast. The area is now planted to perennial grass. I probably wouldn't use it again.
If seeds are not inoculated it will be wimpy. Inoculate the seeds and it will grow 7' tall.Thank you for your response which more or less confirmed the opinion I was forming. It may have its place but was looking like it could
become labor and machine prohibitive to harvest and control if not harvested within a very limited timeline. Thank you for your time, LVR
This being said, do you have any hands on, experience with the plant and if so were or are you satisfied with the results?If seeds are not inoculated it will be wimpy. Inoculate the seeds and it will grow 7' tall.
I've planted it 3 or 4 times. Some was a wildlife blend to use as a nurse crop. The cows enjoyed it. The first time was a blend I did on the farm for a cover crop. I got the seed that were generic and no-name from India and they did not have inoculant. They were about 6" high max and looked terrible. Thank goodness I used other stuff in the mix. The second time I did the same no-name I added inoculant and they grew like gang busters and really impressed me and the cattle.This being said, do you have any hands on, experience with the plant and if so were or are you satisfied with the results?
Thank you for your reply. This leads me to ask, What are your thoughts on using sunn hemp in a rotational grazing system?I've planted it 3 or 4 times. Some was a wildlife blend to use as a nurse crop. The cows enjoyed it. The first time was a blend I did on the farm for a cover crop. I got the seed that were generic and no-name from India and they did not have inoculant. They were about 6" high max and looked terrible. Thank goodness I used other stuff in the mix. The second time I did the same no-name I added inoculant and they grew like gang busters and really impressed me and the cattle.
I don't have hands on experience but am the one that started this thread a few years ago and brought it up in another thread a few days ago, I do plan to try some this year at a lower rate than recommended no'tilled in other grasses with some sunflowers. I've done a lot of reading on it, as I do with most things before I try it, and from what I've read it is not recommended to be baled, grazed only.I just became aware of sunn hemp and I see there has been some posting on it in the past year or so.
Wondering what the response is for anyone planting it for inputting nitrogen, grazing , baling or ensileage?
Hands on experience preferred please. Thank you.
Thank you, I appreciate your input. With the price of fertilizer increasing I am thinking it may have its place. I just need to make sureI don't have hands on experience but am the one that started this thread a few years ago and brought it up in another thread a few days ago, I do plan to try some this year at a lower rate than recommended no'tilled in other grasses with some sunflowers. I've done a lot of reading on it, as I do with most things before I try it, and from what I've read it is not recommended to be baled, grazed only.
There is a guy in GA whom I have visited several times. He is sort of an innovative but quiet leader type. He uses a lot of animal manure. One of his go-to blends to put weight on weaned steers is sunn hemp, cow peas, a sudan hybrid (BMR) and maybe some grazing corn. He does not graze it until it gets tall. He rotates in and out with a high level of emphasis on protecting the forage. The longevity of the higher protein is the cow peas but the sunn hemp and other species "carry" the vines to make it work quite well. The scary part to me was the concentration of nitrates in the forage and he offered the results of his forage tests. But his cattle are apparently adjusted to that via the same spreading amounts on all pastures. Naïve cattle brought in would likely die.Thank you for your reply. This leads me to ask, What are your thoughts on using sunn hemp in a rotational grazing system?
Wouldn't it take a massive amount of hooves on the ground keep it from growing tall and course?
I did mention sunn hemp at the county office and it may have been above their paygrade as hemp the only word they heard..
All for now Thanks
It's not frost tolerant at all, it freezes and drops its leaves. It does work to no-till drill into mowed off bluegrass sod even on a drought year. The seed placement is a little tricky for a decent stand into sod.How far into the fall will it live? (how frost tolerant is it?)