Announcement!
As Autumn is approaching it is now probably too late to get good results from applying clover seed. |
Clover Stitching Technique
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Why overseed with white clover? |
White clovers have a significant role to play in helping Irish livestock farmers in their quest to produce high quality home grown forage while saving on expensive inputs! The benefits of white clover in grassland in terms of savings in nitrogen fertilizer is up to 80€ per acre per year. The feed content of white clover is an additional source of protein and minerals. Animals find white clover highly palatable.
Research has shown that adding white clover will reduce the rate at which the digestibility of the sward declines with white clover and grass swards only dropping two digestibility units per week. This means the animals can graze for longer periods on each sward with a greater herbage intake resulting in:
• Up to 10 per cent higher live weight gain in cattle
• 20 per cent more milk yield from dairy cows
• 25 per cent higher live weight in lambs
• Improved lean meat gain and milk protein content
Grass/clover swards without applications of Nitrogen fertilizer can produce similar yields to those of pure grass swards receiving around 200kgN/ha/year - that means a big saving on fertilizer! That’s because the white clover portion of the sward can fix up to 280 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year from the atmosphere. In addition white clover continues to perform even when Nitrogen application levels are in excess of 400kg per hectare, per year. White clover is more drought tolerant than grasses and will give extra production during dry spells. Because white clover spreads by stolons it is mobile and helps fill any gaps in the sward and visibly reduces the incursion of noxious weeds it also helps minimize the risk of fungal infections particularly crown rust attacking the grasses in the sward.
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Reasons to spread clover seed! |
The feed content of white clover is an additional source of protein and minerals. White clover has a protein content of 27.5 percent compared to grass at 17.5 percent. It can also be a valuable source of magnesium and calcium to the grazing animal. Animals find white clover highly palatable, they will eat forage containing white clover more quickly with less expenditure of energy due to the structure of clover allowing speeding up of the digestive process.
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How to establish white clover |
Establishing white clover is easy unlike grasses it does not need to be placed into the soil but will germinate on the surface, spreading to fill any available gaps. Overseeding methods can be used to place seed into an existing sward
1. Broadcast the clover seed mixed with chemical fertilizer
2. Mixing clover in a slurry tanker and spreading
3. Mixing with animal feed and allowing the animal to spread the seed or broadcasting with a slug pellet applicator
These methods have all worked successfully according to European market leaders BARENBRUG seed suppliers. The management of the sward at and after sowing is the most important factor for good establishment.
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How to broadcast clover and fertilizer mixture successfully |
1. Minimize competition by sheep grazing or cutting for silage prior to showing
2. Do not fertilize the field before over seeding
3. Control perennial weeds before seeding by spraying with a selective weed killer
4. Sow when the soil conditions are neither excessively dry nor wet. In dry weather follow sowing with a heavy roll to conserve moisture. Best broadcast time July/August just after grass cutting
5. To avoid risk of clover/fertilizer separation during transport wait to mix the clover seed with the fertilizer until you are in the target field
6. As each fertilizer bag is filled into the spreader, mix in the clover seed simultaneously (mix around with your hand during pouring)
7. Half of the fertilizer plus seed is applied in one run i.e. up and down field and. The other half of the fertilizer plus seed is applied in the second run back and forth across the field. A more even spread of clover seed will be achieved with this technique
8. An application rate of 5 kg/ha of clover seed is recommended plus 2.5 bags of 0-7-30 per ha is also recommended
9. It is best of complete one hectare at a time to avoid risk of clover /fertilizer separation
10. Under reps 4 purposes category 2C Farmers need to cover 5ha with 25 kgs not 25 lbs of clover seed
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Ongoing management |
Remember clover seedlings may be smothered by the grass you must give the clover a chance!
• Encourage white clover growth following establishment by grazing hard (3 to 5 inches) with sheep or light cattle during late Autumn
• Avoid under grazing during Spring/early Summer
• Avoid poaching
• Resting for three to four weeks during July or closing off for silage
• Avoid smothering with slurry
• Avoid spreading any nitrogen fertilizer
• Control broad leaved weeds
• As white clover is slow to start growth in the spring, it is necessary to feed the early season growth of the grasses in the sward using chemical fertilizer or slurry
