Yes, buckwheat is one of the best smother crops you can grow. A buckwheat smother crop beats most other options because it grows fast and makes dense shade. Weeds cannot compete under its leafy canopy.
I tested this myself last summer in a weedy garden bed. Within two weeks the buckwheat formed a thick green carpet that blocked all light below. Weeds that had been growing strong stopped in their tracks. They turned yellow from lack of sun and died off without me pulling a single one.
The science behind smother crop weed control is simple. Plants need light to grow. Buckwheat races ahead so fast that it grabs all the sunlight before weed seeds can sprout. Research from Frontiers in Plant Science found buckwheat achieved 98% weed suppression in field tests. Cornell experts call it the best summer smother crop you can use.
What makes buckwheat such a fast growing cover crop is its explosive early growth. Your seeds will germinate in three to five days under good conditions. Seedlings then shoot up and spread their broad leaves wide to grab every ray of light. Most weed seeds need more time to sprout. By then buckwheat has already won the race for sunlight.
For maximum smothering power you should seed buckwheat thick. Use 50 to 60 pounds per acre for farm fields. In your garden aim for about 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet instead. Denser seeding creates a tighter canopy that leaves no gaps for weeds to sneak through. Broadcast your seed and rake it in lightly or drill it at about one inch deep for best results.
Timing your termination matters just as much as planting density. You should cut or mow buckwheat when about 75% of the flowers have opened but before seeds mature. This usually happens around 35 to 40 days after you plant. If you wait too long buckwheat drops viable seeds. Those seeds become volunteer weeds in your next crop and create more work for you.
You can also plant multiple rounds of buckwheat through the summer for season-long weed control. Each round takes just five to six weeks from seed to termination. This repeated smothering exhausts the weed seed bank in your soil over time. After a few cycles you will notice far fewer weeds popping up each year.
The beauty of buckwheat as your smother crop is that it does the hard work of weed control for you. No chemicals needed. No endless hoeing required. You plant it, watch it grow, and terminate before your next crop goes in. Those few weeks of buckwheat save you hours of weeding labor all season long.
Read the full article: Buckwheat Cover Crop: Complete Growing Guide
