Thoughts on Clover

[MikeC]

In my area the honeybees are about gone. I had 22 hives to die this past summer.

All I saw pollinating clover, vetch, and such last year were bumblebees.

Makes me wonder if clover is a thing of the past?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Mike,

Bees have no influence on my choice for clover.

I overseeded with Hubam and all of it was over 6 feet - some of it 8 feet tall, last year. With fertilizer prices going through the roof, $2 a pound for clover seed is really cheap. That clover puts a lot of N in the ground, plus it gives the cows plenty of nutrition too.

Since it has worked so well, it will be part of my cattle program henceforth.

 

[grannysoo]

We still have some honeybee hives in our area, but I saw the most bumblebees this spring/summer that I ever have in my life.

Have 1 tree down at our pond that they just love. Thousands of small bumblebees. Never seen it before...

 

[MikeC]

Mike,

Bees have no influence on my choice for clover.

I overseeded with Hubam and all of it was over 6 feet - some of it 8 feet tall, last year. With fertilizer prices going through the roof, $2 a pound for clover seed is really cheap. That clover puts a lot of N in the ground, plus it gives the cows plenty of nutrition too.

Since it has worked so well, it will be part of my cattle program henceforth.

I have no doubt you bought seed that had a good germination rate.

I'm wondering if the clover gets pollinated so that it comes back from seed every year.

Be kinda pricey to overseed it year in and year out.

 

[dun]

I'm wondering if the clover gets pollinated so that it comes back from seed every year.

Be kinda pricey to overseed it year in and year out.

Some years it does and some it doesn;t. I checked the seedheads on a lot of red clover the past 2 drought years and there was may 1 or 2 seeds in each head.
I over seed with red clover every other year. Somtimes it hasn;t been necesarry others it has. The bad part is that you don;t know till it's too late to plant of you should have planted.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I have no doubt you bought seed that had a good germination rate.

I'm wondering if the clover gets pollinated so that it comes back from seed every year.

Be kinda pricey to overseed it year in and year out.

Turner Seed out of Breckenridge, TX had Hubam for $2 a pound, Pure Live Seed (PLS). I have always had very good luck with their seed. For that price, the foilage is worth it for grazing IMO. They sold out. Now they appear to have more but it is $2.50.

Last spring I pulled the cows and let it grow to 6 to 8 feet and head out. It was cut and raked (not baled). Then the river came onto the flood plain and everything went.

The stuff I planted a short while back is sprouted and up through the coastal. Cows are on it now. I'll pull them in a few weeks and move them to let it get some growth. Probably bring them back on it at 3 to 4 feet.

 

[Wick]

6-8 foot tail clover now that I have to see!!!!!! Have any pics of this? Do you all sow the clovers or just broadcast in spring and let freezing take seeds in or let the cows moving around push in the seeds? Just curious!!

 

[backhoeboogie]

6-8 foot tail clover now that I have to see!!!!!! Have any pics of this? Do you all sow the clovers or just broadcast in spring and let freezing take seeds in or let the cows moving around push in the seeds? Just curious!!

Wick, I was looking at it and couldn't believe it myself. :shock: It was overseeded on a loamy flood plain with no tilling or drilling.

Hubam doesn't look like any standard clover that I have ever seen. The foilage looks more like mistletoe with the stalks looking similar to milkweed. It is pleasantly fragrant. Deer are all over it. Let the cows on it and that's all they chew.

This year, I will get pictures. There are a few members of this board who got a look at it as well.

 

[dun]

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/a ... g04639.htm

 

[George Monk]

seems I heard that only bumble bees can pollinate clover. Honey bees don't have a long enough proboscis???

 

[dun]

seems I heard that only bumble bees can pollinate clover. Honey bees don't have a long enough proboscis???

Clover honey doesn;t come from bumblebees

 

[phillse]

Currently convering winter grazing to clover, been using ball clover. It does not produce as much forage but can handle shorter grazing than many and still produce seed.

The statistics vary with types of clover but the rule of thumb I believe is clover puts 100 # N per acre/ year (can vary between 60 -200 #N/Acre/year) which equates to roughly 300 # Ammonia Nitrate.

So planting clover gives cows better forage and decreases fert. bill.

 

[hurleyjd]

seems I heard that only bumble bees can pollinate clover. Honey bees don't have a long enough proboscis???

I have heard that arrowleaf clover cannot be pollinated by the honey bee for the reasons you stated.

 

[alabama]

I have lost all three of my bee hives for the second time last year. I don't plan to restock untill we find out what is killing them.

 

[MikeC]

seems I heard that only bumble bees can pollinate clover. Honey bees don't have a long enough proboscis???

I have heard that arrowleaf clover cannot be pollinated by the honey bee for the reasons you stated.

Do either of you have a link?

If this is true, why have I seen honeybees crawling all over arrowleafs and other clovers?

 

[dun]

IT's the legs that actually do the pollinating.

 

[redfornow]

IT's the legs that actually do the pollinating.

Dun quit beeing so technical. ;-)

 

[birdog]

6-8 foot tail clover now that I have to see!!!!!! Have any pics of this? Do you all sow the clovers or just broadcast in spring and let freezing take seeds in or let the cows moving around push in the seeds? Just curious!!

Wick, I was looking at it and couldn't believe it myself. :shock: It was overseeded on a loamy flood plain with no tilling or drilling.

Hubam doesn't look like any standard clover that I have ever seen. The foilage looks more like mistletoe with the stalks looking similar to milkweed. It is pleasantly fragrant. Deer are all over it. Let the cows on it and that's all they chew.

This year, I will get pictures. There are a few members of this board who got a look at it as well.

Backhoe, when do you overseed your coastal and at what rate? I would be very interested in overseeding my coastal pastures next year. Thank you in advance for any information.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Backhoe, when do you overseed your coastal and at what rate? I would be very interested in overseeding my coastal pastures next year. Thank you in advance for any information.

Last year I went with a mix of Hubam and rye. It was about 6 lbs to an acre for the clover. This year I went with straight Hubam at about 10 lbs to an acre. It came up thick. Planted in late Oct and Early Nov.

Good luck. It will do your coastal good as far as adding N.

Texas field and farm seed planting guide says you can plant it Sept - Nov and Jan-Feb. Mine didn't really take off until about March last year. I grew fine up until then but when the rain and warm weather hit, it seriously took off. I was truly amazed - and pleased with the results.

 

[birdog]

Backhoe, when do you overseed your coastal and at what rate? I would be very interested in overseeding my coastal pastures next year. Thank you in advance for any information.

Last year I went with a mix of Hubam and rye. It was about 6 lbs to an acre for the clover. This year I went with straight Hubam at about 10 lbs to an acre. It came up thick. Planted in late Oct and Early Nov.

Good luck. It will do your coastal good as far as adding N.

Texas field and farm seed planting guide says you can plant it Sept - Nov and Jan-Feb. Mine didn't really take off until about March last year. I grew fine up until then but when the rain and warm weather hit, it seriously took off. I was truly amazed - and pleased with the results.

Where did you get your copy of "Texas field and farm seed planting guide"? I did a google search and found no matches.