Clover- yes or no?

Farney Farmer

Hoping to reseed 20 acres soon(if it ever stops raining). What are people's opinions on sowing clover. Will take 1 or 2 cuts of silage then grazed in autumn. Any thoughts appreciated.

Mooooo

Farney Farmer wrote: »

Hoping to reseed 20 acres soon(if it ever stops raining). What are people's opinions on sowing clover. Will take 1 or 2 cuts of silage then grazed in autumn. Any thoughts appreciated.

Dunno about newer varieties but clover can take over a silage field I find, and left with bare patches then in the field in the shoulders esp the spring. May help with p in silage i guess

Farney Farmer

Yea I was kind of thinking that. Sometimes I think you'd get a better thicker sward without clover but then the experts seem to be promoting clover all the time.

Timmaay

Clover is a tricky enough crop to grow, weed control is alot harder with it, clover safe sprays are more expensive and less effective, in particular with mature weeds, and there isn't as big a range of sprays (I don't know of any ragwort clover friendly spray?). Your 1st hurdle after sowing will be the post emergence spray, it often works out cheaper and better just to go with a non clover safe post emergence spray and then oversow back in clover afterwards.

That's not to say don't bother with it, I'm talking clover more seriously here now, and am trying to protect the few paddocks with a decent amount of clover in them, however there are times that I just call it quits and go in with a non clover safe spray because weeds are taking over.

Reggie.

Timmaay wrote: »

Clover is a tricky enough crop to grow, weed control is alot harder with it, clover safe sprays are more expensive and less effective, in particular with mature weeds, and there isn't as big a range of sprays (I don't know of any ragwort clover friendly spray?). Your 1st hurdle after sowing will be the post emergence spray, it often works out cheaper and better just to go with a non clover safe post emergence spray and then oversow back in clover afterwards.

That's not to say don't bother with it, I'm talking clover more seriously here now, and am trying to protect the few paddocks with a decent amount of clover in them, however there are times that I just call it quits and go in with a non clover safe spray because weeds are taking over.

+1 you can reseed and then stitch in clover at a later date once you have the weeds under control. Contact stanfit as he is doing exactly that atm

blue5000

A lot depends on your stocking rate, at low SR have clover, if you're in derrogation territory and need to get cattle out early it's not as big a benefit.

If you are re-seeding it might be better not to put in clover until after you have sprayed the weeds in the new grass. Clover friendly sprays are too expensive. Broadcast the clover after you cut silage next summer, I think it might be better to cut new grass only once the first year, it helps it to tiller.