Sunn Hemp – Food Plot Plant Profile

Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.)

Sunn Hemp is a warm season annual legume.  It is a palatable and nutritious deer forage.  It is adapted to a wide range of soils and will tolerate soil pH from 5.0 to 8.5.  It performs better on poor sandy soils than most other food plot plants.  It does best on well-drained soils with a soil pH from 5.5 to 7.0. 

Plant from April to Mid-July.  The seed should be inoculated with Rhizobium bacteria (Strain EL – Cowpea) before planting.  Broadcast seed at a rate of 20 to 40 lbs. per acre.  Cover seed to a depth of 1-inch.  In the absence of a soil test, fertilize with 100 lbs. per acre of 0-30-30 fertilizer at establishment.

Seedbed preparation is very important for successful establishment.  Disc and then smooth the seedbed by rolling with a cultipacker or dragging with a drag harrow.  Do not disc the seed in rather, drag the seed in with a drag harrow to provide consistent seed coverage.

Sunn Hemp matures in as little as 60 days.  It grows very rapidly and may reach a height of 4 to 6 feet.  Sunn Hemp’s fast growth strategy allows it to out-compete grass and weeds and makes it resistant to over-browsing by deer.  At maturity, the plants can develop a thick fibrous stem.  Mowing the stand to 1 to 2 foot in height will stimulate new tender growth.  Mowing the stand lower than 1 foot will result in plant mortality.  A sickle bar cutter or a bush-hog with sharp blades that provide a clean cut is needed for achieving the desired results.

Sunn Hemp can be planted in combination with lablab and vining soybeans to provide ladder structure for these climbing varieties. Reduce the planting rate to 10 lbs. per acre when planting in combination with other legumes.