Sunn Hemp

Yes, it's a summer species, but I mixed it in with a fall mix planted around the first day of September two years ago. It came up quickly and was browsed hard by my picky deer that won't eat a lot of other things.
 
Yes. Grows easy and provides tons of protein if you can get it established. Small plots will get wiped out quickly.

If it gets 6' tall and stalky, you cannot brush hog it and disc it on the same day. It needs weeks to break down the hemp (AKA rope) fibers. Ask me how I know!
 
Yes. Grows easy and provides tons of protein if you can get it established. Small plots will get wiped out quickly.

If it gets 6' tall and stalky, you cannot brush hog it and disc it on the same day. It needs weeks to break down the hemp (AKA rope) fibers. Ask me how I know!
How big of a plot did you plant
 
I did one acre and then a big strip on my 20 acre farm that might have at most 10 deer on it and it got tall and bushy....I don't think they knew what it was at first. On my hunting lease, we did a couple of acres and it got wiped out. More deer density and less other browse in the local area to eat there. We were able to grow nice buckwheat in small plots for a couple years until the deer figured out they liked it.
 
I have a right of way cleared last year that is bare. This sounds like what I need. Any suggestions on who has the best seed price?
 
I think Rusty Baker (who posts under the name “Baker”) has a good deal of experience with Sunn Hemp, hopefully he chimes in to share his experience.
 
I’m adding more sunn hemp to our summer mixes this year. Deer love it and it can provide a pile of tonnage for them. Kicking up the dinner mix to 8-10 varieties this year.
 
I’m adding more sunn hemp to our summer mixes this year. Deer love it and it can provide a pile of tonnage for them. Kicking up the dinner mix to 8-10 varieties this year.

I’ve never planted a factory generated blend (mainly thanks to this forum) but the Green Cover Seeds summer release looks interesting. I’m sure it could be pieced together locally, they’re not shy about what’s in it and the exact percentage.


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I like sunn hemp and have been growing it for years. Deer will browse the growing young plants then eat the leaves once plant gets large. I usually plant in a mix though it can make quite a forest planted monoculture. Can withstand fairly heavy pressure though I plant in larger fields.

My typical mix:
5 lbs sunn hemp/acre---more and it can choke everything else out. cowpeas will trellis up the hemp.
25 lbs cow peas
10 lbs soy beans
3-5 lbs sunflower
1 lb okra
5 lbs buckwheat--sometimes more
1 lb milo or sorghum sudan grass

Make quite an impressive jungle
 
I like sunn hemp and have been growing it for years. Deer will browse the growing young plants then eat the leaves once plant gets large. I usually plant in a mix though it can make quite a forest planted monoculture. Can withstand fairly heavy pressure though I plant in larger fields.

My typical mix:
5 lbs sunn hemp/acre---more and it can choke everything else out. cowpeas will trellis up the hemp.
25 lbs cow peas
10 lbs soy beans
3-5 lbs sunflower
1 lb okra
5 lbs buckwheat--sometimes more
1 lb milo or sorghum sudan grass

Make quite an impressive jungle

Are you broadcasting or drilling?


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5 lbs sunn hemp/acre---more and it can choke everything else out. cowpeas will trellis up the hemp.
25 lbs cow peas
10 lbs soy beans
3-5 lbs sunflower
1 lb okra
5 lbs buckwheat--sometimes more
1 lb milo or sorghum sudan grass

I love okra when its breaded and deep-fried ... but I've never heard of it being used in a food plot. Is it just for structure or do deer eat it?

Any suggestions on how much the planting rate for this mix should be increased for broadcasting?
 
I like sunn hemp and have been growing it for years. Deer will browse the growing young plants then eat the leaves once plant gets large. I usually plant in a mix though it can make quite a forest planted monoculture. Can withstand fairly heavy pressure though I plant in larger fields.

My typical mix:
5 lbs sunn hemp/acre---more and it can choke everything else out. cowpeas will trellis up the hemp.
25 lbs cow peas
10 lbs soy beans
3-5 lbs sunflower
1 lb okra
5 lbs buckwheat--sometimes more
1 lb milo or sorghum sudan grass

Make quite an impressive jungle

Baker,

I like the sound of this combination. When do you typically target planting this mix?
 
I'm in La. Planting sometimes between mid April and early May weather and moisture considered. Drill into crimped thatch, though that will be changing as I intend to use cattle in the future to terminate crops with intensive mob grazing.
 
Can you plant that mix via spray, throw and mow?

I have a plot here is MO which was turnips, WW, & WR. As it greens up and bolts this spring it will likely have some crab grass/weeds. Was thinking I could spray early to mid June, seed your mix and then mow the thatch??

I don’t have a no till, but it is a very small plot in the suburbs and will get a ton of browsing. Want to see how Sunhemp handles it.


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I planted sunn hemp as part of a mix, it reminded me a lot of horseweed, with about the same grazing value, deer eat it, but it's not a top preferred species. I would plant it as a soil builder, but not primarily as deer food.
 
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