Drilling Clover

[sstterry]

Given the high cost of Fertilizer and particularly Urea, is anyone drilling clover (or another legume) into their hay fields to help increase nitrogen?

 

[Banjo]

No drilling, but i frost seed red clover and ladino in feb. or even now.

 

[sstterry]

No drilling, but i frost seed red clover and ladino in feb. or even now.

I don't have much experience with ladino in hay does it help with nitrogen fixation more than just using red clover?

 

[Stocker Steve]

All legumes fix nitrogen from the air. They vary in how much and when they release it. A plus for ladino is it's N release is more gradual than some. A con is it is very hard to dry, so not a great hay choice.

Frost seeding is very hit and miss. You need open areas in the stand and the right weather to get a good catch. I prefer to use a drill and then have cattle walk clover in during the early spring, but this limits the size of area you can do each year.

Once I get a decent clover stand - - I let it go to seed once or twice. This seedbank will then replenish the stand when the conditions are right.

 

[kenny thomas]

Crimson was 86 per bag and berseem was 107 per bag.
That was the price for 50lb bags a couple weeks ago. Very good price compared to past years I thought.

 

[tsellars]

Crimson was 86 per bag and berseem was 107 per bag.
That was the price for 50lb bags a couple weeks ago. Very good price compared to past years I thought.

@kenny thomas you frosting or drilling?

 

[kenny thomas]

Much of my pastures are pretty steep so I frost seed.

 

[CalumetFarms]

I drilled crimson into pasture in the fall, in part for nitrogen fixation. But I've never planted any clover into my hay, despite that I have too much volunteer red clover in my hay as it is. It's sure hard on a moco.