Benefits of Cover Crops vs. Companion Crops
September 3, 2024

Benefits of Cover Crops vs. Companion Crops

General

In landscape development, including meadows, both cover and companion crops are used to support the growth of other plant species.

In landscape development, including meadows, both cover and companion crops are used to support the growth of other plant species. They do this either by improving the health and structure of soil or by directly protecting the main plants in a meadow mix.

While they serve a similar purpose, they are not exactly the same concept. Often, landscape developers will want to make use of one or the other, or both, during meadow development.

In today’s guide, we’ll explain each type of crop so that you have a solid grasp on when and where to use them.

What are Cover Crops?

A cover crop is a plant or mixture of plants grown primarily for the benefit of the soil rather than for direct harvest. They’re frequently used during off-seasons to cover the soil, hence the name.

The Benefits of Cover Crops

Cover crops provide numerous benefits. They can positively impact everything from soil erosion to water pollution.

Cover crops: 

  • Reduce Water Pollution Risks: Cover crops protect soil from erosion, reducing the amount of water and nutrients that will drain from a field or meadow, protecting downstream waterways and ecosystems.
  • Suppress Weeds: A thick cover crop will compete with weeds during their growth period, preventing them from completing their lifecycle. For example, buckwheat is sometimes used as a cover crop because it forms a thick “biological tarp” over the soil, smothering weeds. When used for this purpose, buckwheat needs to be mowed off or crimped into the soil at the first sight of bloom, lest it become a weed itself.
  • Reduce Soil Erosion: Cover crops protect the soil from erosion by dispersing raindrop energy, reducing the velocity of water movement over the soil, and improving the structure and infiltration of the soil.
  • Increase Soil Fertility: Cover crops can be used to manage micro and macronutrients within the soil. For example, cover crops uptake residual nitrogen from crop production. By doing so this nitrogen will not contaminate ground or surface water. When the cover crop is terminated in the spring, its nitrogen is released for the subsequent crop to uptake.

Common Examples of Cover Crops for Meadows

An appropriate cover crop is one that can be easily controlled prior to planting the following meadow or commercial crop.

Examples of good cover crops include:

Grain Oats (Avena sativa)

Oats are established quickly and provide a reliable weed-suppressing biomass. They’re also known to winterkill (die at the first frost, leaving a protective layer of mulch over the soil).

Grain Rye (Secale cereale)

An excellent weed suppressor thanks to its dense growth and allelopathic properties. Grain rye is also capable of thriving in cold temperatures, making it ideal for late-fall planting when other crops might fail to establish.

Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum)

Depending on the region, a versatile cover crop is usable in both cool and warm seasons. Its rapid germination and growth provide quick ground cover that protects the soil from erosion.

Brown Top Millet (Urochloa ramosa) 

It thrives in hot and dry conditions, making it an ideal summer cover crop. This crop grows quickly and provides fast ground cover to suppress weeds.

Japanese Millet (Echinochloa esculenta)

Particularly suited to wet soils or anywhere, standing water might be an issue

Japanese Millet is established quickly and produces significant biomass, which provides effective ground cover and can suppress weeds quickly.

What are Companion Crops?

Companion crops, or nurse crops, are planted alongside a seed mix to stabilize the soil and provide a good growth environment for the meadow. 

The Benefits of Companion Crops for Meadows

Companion crops provide many benefits that support the growth and development of meadow plants.

Companion crops:

  • Cover Soil: Nurse crops like oats, grain rye, brown top millet, Japanese millet, and annual ryegrass grow quickly and provide immediate ground cover. This protects the soil from erosion caused by wind and rain and from too much sunlight.
  • Buffer Against Harsh Weather: Nurse crops can provide a physical barrier for young plants against harsh weather, including intense sun, heavy rain, or strong winds.

Common Examples of Nurse Crops for Meadows

Nurse crops must balance being competitive enough to suppress weeds without being too difficult to control. Therefore, we recommend that you avoid using bahiagrass, bermudagrass, or tall fescue as companion crops in our native mead­ow mixes. They are too likely to smother native species when used as a nurse crop.

Good choices for a nurse crop include:

Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum)

Ryegrass germinates and grows rapidly, providing immediate ground cover that protects soil from erosion and helps stabilize the site. The dense growth also helps suppress weeds. As an annual, ryegrass dies out after one growing season, leaving behind organic matter that further enriches the soil. Note: When planting with native species, do not exceed an application rate of 12 lbs/acre. At higher rates, it can smother native species.

Oats (Avena sativa)

Oats establish quickly, providing soil stabilization and weed suppression during the early growth phase of a meadow. Their deep roots help improve soil structure, making it easier for native plants to thrive.

Brown Top Millet (Urochloa ramosa)

Brown Top Millet grows rapidly and adds organic matter to the soil, improving fertility for long-term meadow health. It’s also drought-tolerant, offering reliable cover in dry conditions while suppressing weed growth.

Japanese Millet (Echinochloa esculenta)

Japanese Millet is ideal for wet or poorly drained soils, offering quick ground cover that protects against erosion. Its fast growth competes with weeds and allows native plants time to establish themselves without competition.

Choose Ernst Seeds for Your Cover and Companion Crop Seeds

Establishing a meadow for the first time is challenging, but with the tips we’ve provided in today’s guide, you can lay a foundation for a vibrant and healthy project. You can use cover crops for soil and nutrient conservation, to enhance soil fertility, and for smothering of weeds, and companion crops to stabilize soils and protect emerging seedlings.

If you are looking for additional answers that this guide didn’t provide, we’ll be happy to help. For more than 50 years, Ernst has been designing seed mixes to restore and reclamation eastern North America’s most beautiful and important natural habitats.

Contact our experts today and let us know about your next project.

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