I thought I would let the forum members know about my favorable experience planting sun hemp this year in the up state ( piedmont) area of South Carolina. It was planted in mid may using no-til techniques and fertilized at planting with 17-17-17 at a rate of 300 lbs./acre. We had a dry summer. The goal was to provide summer forage for the deer.
The deer did brose it significantly all summer keeping it eaten down to less than 6 inches until mid august when we had about 6 inches of rain in a freak thunderstorm. It then took off growing in height. By the end of September was 7 ft tall providing an excellent screen and or bedding area.
So what are the advantages of sun hemp.
1. summer forage
2. drought tolerant
3. Nitrogen fixator (soil builder ).
4. Allopathic...keeps weeds down to a minimum.
5. provides a visual screen (7 feet tall at maturity)
The down side is that once it took off growing the deer could not eat it fast enough and now at it's current height they are leaving it alone.
Over all I was very pleased and will plant more of it next summer.
The deer did brose it significantly all summer keeping it eaten down to less than 6 inches until mid august when we had about 6 inches of rain in a freak thunderstorm. It then took off growing in height. By the end of September was 7 ft tall providing an excellent screen and or bedding area.
So what are the advantages of sun hemp.
1. summer forage
2. drought tolerant
3. Nitrogen fixator (soil builder ).
4. Allopathic...keeps weeds down to a minimum.
5. provides a visual screen (7 feet tall at maturity)
The down side is that once it took off growing the deer could not eat it fast enough and now at it's current height they are leaving it alone.
Over all I was very pleased and will plant more of it next summer.
