Winter Rye Seed
Item Details
Winter rye (Secale cereale), also known as cereal rye, is a very hardy, cool-season annual grass widely planted in the fall for cover cropping, soil health, forage, and wildlife food plots.
Key Benefits & Uses
Erosion Control: Features a dense, fibrous root system that holds soil, captures rainfall and snow, and prevents winter runoff.
Nutrient Scavenging: Can pull up to 100 lbs of excess nitrogen per acre from the soil and retrieve potassium from deeper layers.
Weed Suppression: Grows rapidly in early spring and acts as a natural green mulch or barrier when crimped, rolled, or mowed.
Soil Building: Adds significant organic matter when tilled or incorporated into the ground. [1]
Forage & Wildlife: Serves as a lush green winter pasture or an attractive late-season forage/deer food plot (with protein levels up to 18%).
Planting & Cultivation Guidelines
Seeding Rate: Typically 2.5 to 4 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft. (or roughly 100 lbs per acre).
Planting Depth: About 3/4 inch deep.
Timing: Can be seeded later in the autumn than almost any other cover crop—surviving subzero temperatures and germinating in soil temperatures down to 35°F.
Termination: Must be mowed, rolled, crimped, or tarped in the spring before it goes to seed to prevent it from becoming a weed. Allow 7 to 10 days to decompose before planting your next crop
