Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-1153
Sunn Hemp
Crotalaria juncea
Sunn Hemp is a fast-growing tropical annual grown for three things from one planting: nitrogen, biomass, and a strong bast fibre stripped from the stems for twine, cord and canvas. It shoots up several feet in weeks, shading out weeds and breaking root-knot nematode cycles ahead of a following crop. The foliage makes solid protein forage, but the seeds carry a liver toxin that can poison horses and pigs, so most animals get only the boiled seed or dried, sun-cured leaf. Killed by the first light frost, it is grown as a warm-season cover crop and turned into the soil before it flowers, while the nitrogen is still fresh.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 6–10
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Moist · Well-Drained
Vertical layer
Shrub- Soil pH
- 5–8
- Plant type
- Annual
- Mature height
- 3–9 ft
- Mature spread
- 6–12 in
- Plant spacing
- 0.5–3.5 ft
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
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The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
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