WOOLLYPOD VETCH 185WOOLLYPOD VETCHVicia villosa ssp. dasycarpaAlso called: LANA vetch; alsospelled woolypod vetchCycle: cool-season annualType: legumeRoles: N source, weed suppressor,erosion preventer, add organicmatter, attract beesMix with: other legumes, grassesSee charts, p. 66 to 72, for rankingand management summary.area of primary utilityviable during mild, moist seasonsSpecialty vetc hes such as woollypod and pur-ple vetc h (Vicia benghalensis) are f aster-gro wing alternatives to hairy vetch (Viciavillosa) in Hardiness Zone 7 and warmer.Requiring little or no irrigation as a winter coverin these areas,they provide dependable,abundantN and organic matter, as well as e xcellent weedsuppression.Many gro w ers of high-value crops in Calif orniarel y on one or more vetc h species as a self-r eseed-ing cov er crop, beneficial insect habitat andmulch. They can mow the vetch during winterand in late spring after it reseeds.Some vineyard managers seed LANA woollypodvetc h each year with oats or as part of a legumemix—common vetch, subterranean clover, amedic and LANA, f or example.They plant the mixin alternate alleyways to save on seeding costsand reduce moisture competition, while ensuringsufficient cov er that they can mow or disk. LANA’sclimbing tendency (even more so than purple orcommon vetch) and a bundant biomass canbecome problems in vine yards and youngorc har ds,but can be readil y manag ed with r egularmonitoring and timely mowing.In Zone 5 and colder and parts of Zone 6, wool-lypod vetch can serve as a winterkilled mulch—or as a quick, easy-to-mow spring cover—f orweed control and N addition to veg etable trans-plants. It’s a good choice as an ov erwinteringcover before or after tomato crops in Zone 6 andwarmer. In Calif ornia, LANA provided the most Nand suppressed the most weeds during two con-secutive but distinctly differ ent growing seasons,compared with purple vetch and other legumemixtures (413, 414).BENEFITSNSource.A first-year, overwintering stand ofwooll ypod vetc h easily will provide more than100 pounds of N per acre in any system whenallowed to put on spring growth. The popularLANA cultivar starts fixing N in as little as oneweek after emerg ence.LANA can contribute as much as 300 pounds ofN its first year or two, giv en adequate moistureand warm spring growing conditions (273, 396).Fall-planted LANA incorpor ated before a corn cropcan pr ovide a yield response equiv alent to 200 lb.Clark, Andy (ed.). 2007. Managing Cover Crops Profitably, 3rd ed. Sustainable Agriculture Network, Beltsville, MD.186 MANAGING COVER CROPS PROFITABLYN/A, a California study showed (273). Similarresults have been seen in tomato research inCalifornia (396). In western Oregon, a yieldresponse equivalent to 70 lb. N/A for s w eet cornhas been observed (364).Plenty of soil-building organic matter.Woollypod typically produces more dry matterthan any other vetch. LANA shows better earlygro wth than other vetches, even during cool latefall and winter weather in Zone 7 and warmer.LANA shows explosiv e growth in early spring inthe Pacific Northwest (364) and in late winter andearly spring in Californiawhen moisture is ade-quate. It can provide upto 8,000 lb. DM/A, whichbreaks down quickly andimproves soil str ucture(63, 273, 396).Frost protectant. Someorchard growers havef ound that keeping a thickfloor cover before theblossom stage can help prolong a perennial crop’sdormant period by up to 10 days in spring.“Thisreduces the risk of early frost damage (to the blos-soms, by delaying blossoming) and lengthens theblossoming period of my almond trees,” notesalmond gr ow er Glenn Anderson, Hilmar, Calif.Smother crop. Woollypod’s dense spring g r o wthsmothers weeds and also provides some allelo-pathic benefits. Of 32 cover crops in a replicatedstudy at a California vineyard, only LANA com-pletely suppressed biomass production of thedominant winter annual weeds such as chick-weed, shepherd’s purse, rattail f escue and annualryegr ass (422).Beneficial habitat. Woollypod vetch attractsmany pollinators and beneficial insects. In someorc har ds, these beneficials move up into the treecanopy by late spring, so you can mow the floorcover after it r eseeds and not worry about loss ofbeneficial habitat (184).MANAGEMENTEstablishment & FieldworkWoollypod does well on many soil types—evenpoor, sandy soil—and tolerates moderatel y acidic tomoderatel y alkaline conditions. It’s well-adapted tomost or chard and vineyard soils in Calif ornia (422).It establishes best in recently tilled, nutrient-deficient fields.T illag e helps enhance the reseed-ing capability of vetches (63). LANA wooll ypodvetc h hasn’t done as well in some no-till systemsas it was expected to.Given adequate moisture, howev er, broadcastingLANA even at low to moderate rates—and with lightincorporation—can give satisfactory results fr om fallseedings, especiall y if the stand is allowed to growthrough mid-spring. If your goal is to shade out com-petition quickly, how ever, broadcast at medium tohigh r ates and incorpor ate lightl y.You might not recognize the emerging plantwithout its characteristic multiple leaflets, saysGlenn Anderson. “You should spot it within twoweeks of planting, three at the latest, dependingon temperatur e and soil conditions. Even at 6inches,it’ll still look spindl y.It won’t really leaf outuntil late winter and early spring, when moreaggressiv e gr o wth kicks in.” That ma y continueuntil maturity in mid- to late May.Fall planting. Most growers seed at low to medi-um rates, regardless of seeding method. If drilling,1/2 to 1 inch deep is best, although up to 2 incheswill wor k for early seedings. If broadcasting, fol-low with a cultipacker or a shallow pass of aspike-toothed harrow.Seedbed preparation is crucial for establishinga healthy cover crop stand in vineyards. Californiaviticulturist and consultant Ron Bartolucci rec-ommends making two passes with a disk to kille xisting vegetation and provide some soil distur-bance. He cautions against using a rotary tiller,which can pulverize the soil and reduce its water-holding capacity (211).Bartolucci pref ers to drill rather than broadcastcover crops, saving on seed costs and ensuringseed-to-soil contact. He r ecommends the eco-nomical, alternate row planting that also ensureseasy access for pruning grape vines.Woollypod vetchis often usedin mixes inCaliforniaorchards andvineyards.Clark, Andy (ed.). 2007. Managing Cover