The role of white clover is often misunderstood. Clover is a highly desirable pasture ingredient but must be in proper balance with the grass component, with 25-30% clover and 70-75% grass ideal. Clover adds greatly to the overall value of the pasture serving both as a highly nutritious feed for our animals and, being a legume, supplying nitrogen to the soil. White clover can capture and release up to 150 lbs./acre/year of nitrogen just from the atmosphere alone through a symbiotic relationship with rhizobium bacteria that colonize the roots of the clover. Regarding this, there is some misunderstanding. Clover doesn’t fix nitrogen for the grass. The bacteria fix nitrogen for themselves but the clover has access to much of it. Much of the nitrogen released from the clover into the soil results from the death of clover roots, decayed leaves, and whole plants as well, and the recycling of N when cattle urinate after eating nitrogen rich clovers. Clovers love phosphate, so be sure to keep the levels up.
Clovers are opportunistic. If there is a vacant space, they will fill it. If the grass in the stand declines for any reason, be it winter kill, summer drought, variety weakness, or whatever, the clover will usually compensate. We do not really want this as whenever the clover density increases beyond the manageable 25 - 30% we are asking for bloat problems as well as possible metabolic problems associated with high nitrogen feed. In New Zealand this may not be a problem as they have the products to minimize bloat. We don’t. Losing three or four cows is no laughing matter.
White clover seed is extremely small, numbering 1,400,000 seeds per kilogram or about 635,000 seeds per pound. The seed is also very tough. It will sit in the soil for long periods of time just waiting for the opportune time to sprout. An example, some farmers plant clover by the cow-pie method. They mix clover in the feed. It is so tough that it passes right through the animal. Also, because of its tiny size, most farmers can’t choke their seed drills down small enough to plant clover at 2-3 lb./acre maximum seeding rate. Consequently clover often goes on the field at a rate way above safe levels.
There are two reasonably accurate ways to plant clover. One is to use the Aitchison SeedMatic™ drill which can seed at these low rates with its famous sponge feed mechanism. Most people won’t buy a new drill and there is a much quicker way to seed white clover. An electric seeder can be attached to an ATV or pickup tailgate. There are several models available but I prefer the Herd ATV seeder which holds up to 75 lbs. of clover seed.( www.herdseeder.com) Broadcasting seed with the electric seeder allows you to go into an existing stand or a recently seeded stand. It is not advisable to mix clover in with other seed as it will settle to the bottom of the seed hopper and seed heavy in the first areas that are planted and too light on the last. In northern areas the seed can be frost seeded. Late winter is also a good time in southern areas although frost action may not be as helpful. To increase the percentage of seed establishing, more southern farmers may wish to consider dragging their fields before and after broadcasting with a chain harrow. This gets some of the seed covered by soil. It is best to inoculate white clover. Use type B or type AB, the correct types for white clover. Most Barenbrug clovers are pre-innoculated. Ask for them.
Barenbrug has several varieties which are market leaders. Alice is a large leaf, long living perenial far superior to the shorter lived ladino types. Alice is perfect for the north and the west, whereas the new heat tolerant Barblanca is the ideal choice for the transition zone and southern USA.
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