Thanks again Dawn. That article was encouraging. I will be dribbling the water inoculant mixture directly on the row. The cowpeas are only planted at 1/2" depth. I will apply it right at sunset.

You're welcome. Keep us posted about whether it worked. If you don't see nodules at whatever time you incorporate the plants into the ground, we'll know not to try it.

OK

Johnny Coleman,

You are in luck because Cowpeas are very forgiving and under most conditions will go a head and make a pretty good crop whither inoculated or not. Cowpeas are champions at survival. Good luck!

authereray,

Thanks. I want them to nodulate for soil improvement. We planted them in the poorest dirt I have ever seen this side of the Pacific Ocean.

Johnny Coleman,

Whither you know it or not you planted your cowpeas right where they do the best in poor soil. Cowpeas will improve the soil. You can also turn them under after they are grown and it will help the soil. Cowpeas are just a real good soil builder plant how ever you choose to use them. The 'Old Timers' used to say that cowpeas grow better on poor soil than on good soil.

Cow peas will grow anywhere, any how, any time it is warm, etc. so I expect that you'll still get great yields Johnny. I have grown Iron and Clay cowpeas in very dense red clay and, while they didn't do as well there as they did in sandier soil, they did grow and produce. I've never had any southern pea crop fail no matter how hot and dry it was and no matter how poor the soil is. The only thing that has bothered my cowpeas is the PITA voles eating the roots of the plants. The voles prefer the variety Mackie (maybe it has tastier roots?) so I stopped growing it because they were going to eat every plant before it could produce a harvest. I just grow other southern pea varieties that they don't seem to like as much, though they will eat some of the roots of some of the plants of every variety.