Short guide for sowing cover crop mixtures to vineyard and orchard inter-rows [Practice Abstract]
The methodology of sowing a cover crop mixture is usually determined by the existing vegetation of the inter-rows, the availability of machinery and the species of the mixture.
For seed bed preparation, it is important to create a relatively clear soil surface to ensure good germination. Making the surface as flat as possible is also important since, after sowing, nothing can be done with the soil without damaging the seeds. If there is no permanent vegetation in the inter-rows, soil preparation is usually much simpler: 1-2 rounds of disking and harrowing or rotary cultivation may be enough to obtain a proper seedbed, especially on less compact soil types.
If the aim is to replace a perennial-based, usually grassy vegetation, the soil preparation requires several rounds carried out over time to suppress the existing vegetation as much as possible.
Besides disking and rotary cultivation, soil cultivators or even a subsoiler can be used. Levelling the surface can either be done with rolling or harrowing, depending on what equipment a farm has.
The appropriate time for sowing in a continental climate is usually from August to October or from March to April. Autumn sowing has tended to be more successful in recent years, since drought and heatwaves in summer threaten the survival of the seedlings. The soil should be moderately moist, and it is advisable to sow when rainfall is forecasted for the forthcoming days. Sowing is ideally performed using a seeder designed for small seeds, but after adding a filler material to the mixture, sowing can also be carried out using a properly calibrated fertilizer dispenser or, on smaller areas, even by hand.
Cover crop mixtures often contain small seeded species that cannot germinate when buried too deep, thus seeding depth should not exceed 0.5- cm! After sowing, it is beneficial to roll the surface to ensure good soil-seed contact.
Geographical location: North-eastern Hungary
A publication including our recent experiences (in Hungarian):Virágos sorközvetések az Egri és Tokaji Borvidékeken
(https://biokutatas.hu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Viragos-sorkozvetesek-a-Tokaji-es-Egri-borvidekeken.pdf)
Keywords: Biodiversity, Cover crops, Transdisciplinary research
Country: Hungary
