Sunn Hemp

Sunn Hemp bears yellow flowers and elongate, alternate leaves. It is an annual tropical legume whose claim to fame is that 60 days from planting it is typically over 6 feet (2m) tall. It adds 100 pounds of Nitrogen, it pumps from the subsoil to the topsoil 10 pounds of residual Phosphorus and 80 pounds of residual Potash, supplies 4 tons of organic matter, semi-ridged stalks, increases drought tolerance and yield and cash value of the next crop. The leaves of sunn hemp are 30% protein. Grown as a green manure, livestock feed for forage, hay and for non-wood fiber, excellent for deer and goats. Strawberries, beans, tomatoes and corn benefit following Sunn Hemp. A good rotation is corn, Sunn Hemp and then wheat. Also used in rotation with sugar cane, and as a green fertilizer in the production of perennial crops such citrus, orange, mango and passion fruit. Improve soil with Sunn Hemp grown in the summer and Sodbuster radish in the fall-winter. Not industrial hemp. Sun Hemp is from the Crotalaria Genus and will not cross with the Cannabis Genus.

Weed control: Sunn Hemp does have allelopathic activity on some weeds including palmer amaranth and its very rapid growth almost totally chokes out other weeds. It can smother most if not all other weeds including pig weed, palmer amaranth, and nutsedge. Sunn Hemp is resistant to root-knot and reniform nematodes. This is another major factor for growing this crop. Root-knot and reniform nematodes are a major pest in southern agriculture. Caution: Sunn Hemp is allopathic to small seeded crops such as carrots and lettuce.