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WC Illinois | We plated radishes this year for the first time on corn ground going back to corn and got one heck of a stand but I was out in them yesterday and, although you can't see it from the field edge, we also have a heck of a crop of hen bit and chickweed. I, like you, have seen the benefits of a bare seedbed in the spring, which is why we went with radishes, but it looks like we will still come back with a shot of simazine in the early spring (or should we do it now) to get everything cleaned up. Next year we might try adding some oats to the mix to thicken up the stand/smother out winter annuals but that might leave too much residue in the spring. Also, like you, we are trying to strip till, but as far as I can tell, radishes force you to make strips in the early spring, unless we move to precision planting and leave a strip to put the anhydrous into in the fall, but, there we are again, leaving space for the winter annuals to grow! I think cover crops, especially radishes, have a place in our rotation, but we are figuring out where they fit best....look forward to all the shared ideas on here!
Edited by aqf 11/21/2012 08:07
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