Should I wait till the leaves fall off my Eagle Seed forage soybeans before broadcasting a cool season blend into the beans?

By Grant Woods,

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Question
Love watching the beans get some water while the pods are in the last stages of maturing! It’s about 2 weeks out from planting my fall plots. Would it be better to wait till the leaves fall off the beans to broadcast over the top or go ahead and broadcast the seed? I know it’d be ok if the beans weren’t canopied but they are full canopy where the ground doesn’t get any sunlight.

Enjoy creation,
Corey

Corey,

Most cool season forages should be planted 45-60 days before the first expected frost.  The average first frost date at my place is October 10th.  This means I need to plant the cool season forages by mid August or so.  The Eagle Seed forage soybeans at my place never shed leaves by mid August.  I have already (August 29th) broadcast Broadside into the standing forage soybeans at my place. They have a full canopy but the Broadside has germinated already.  These seedlings will grow slow till the forage soybeans allow more light to penetrate. However if I had waited till later the Broadside would have had limited time to grow before it frost. 

I strongly prefer  to broadcast just before or during a rain to insure better seed to soil contact and plenty of soil moisture.

Enjoy creation,

grant