Legume/Nitrogen??

[Duffster]

The amount of N a legume will fix in the soil depends on how much N is available to the plant. If to little is a available then the plant uses everything that it would otherwise fix. Normally legumes will fix N while it is alive. When dead it return to the soil what it has in it no different then any other green crop.

 

[piller]

A legume like clover add the nitrogen to the soil when the legume it dies or is tilled under.

If I plant some clover in my pastures and let it grow and then kill it with say 24d will it add nitrogen to my soil?

I want to add some clover to my pastures.

Planting clovers in pastures is a good thing. In my area (East TN) it is recommended to have a pasture that consists of about 30% clovers.

When you have clovers you don't want to add nitrogen in the spring as it will cause too much grass growth which will shade the clovers and out compete them and reduce your clover stand that you worked to establish.

Clover is supposed to fix nitrogen in the soil but I'm not sure how much. You can add nitrogen in the fall if you wish. If you stockpile fescue in the fall it is recommended to add nitrogen. Rotational grazing and recovery periods help the pasture. I also like using poultry litter as a nitrogen source instead of commercial chemical fertilizers.

Here it is recommended to seed clovers on about 1/3 of your acreage each year. I graze down or mow the pasture and then frost seed in February using Ladino white clover and a red clover such as Cinnamon Plus. I use a hand cranked broadcast seeder and walk the pasture area that I'm seeding.

I would not use a herbicide to kill off the clover.

Deer love the clover also.

 

[dieselscout80]

Planting clovers in pastures is a good thing. In my area (East TN) it is recommended to have a pasture that consists of about 30% clovers.

When you have clovers you don't want to add nitrogen in the spring as it will cause too much grass growth which will shade the clovers and out compete them and reduce your clover stand that you worked to establish.

Clover is supposed to fix nitrogen in the soil but I'm not sure how much. You can add nitrogen in the fall if you wish. If you stockpile fescue in the fall it is recommended to add nitrogen. Rotational grazing and recovery periods help the pasture. I also like using poultry litter as a nitrogen source instead of commercial chemical fertilizers.

Here it is recommended to seed clovers on about 1/3 of your acreage each year. I graze down or mow the pasture and then frost seed in February using Ladino white clover and a red clover such as Cinnamon Plus. I use a hand cranked broadcast seeder and walk the pasture area that I'm seeding.

I would not use a herbicide to kill off the clover.

Deer love the clover also.

How may acres to you seed by hand?

I have about 12 acres of pasture and it is cross fenced into three pastures.

How much clover seed do you put down per acre?

 

[cowski]

3 lbs white clover,5 lbs red clover and 10 lbs or more crimson clover .

 

[dieselscout80]

3 lbs white clover,5 lbs red clover and 10 lbs or more crimson clover .

Are you saying do all of that on each acre or do one of those per acre?

 

[piller]

How may acres to you seed by hand?

I have about 12 acres of pasture and it is cross fenced into three pastures.

How much clover seed do you put down per acre?

I usually seed 10 - 20 acres per year using a hand cranked seeder, sometimes called a cyclone seeder. I generally pick a nice day in February without much wind and it's very enjoyable to be outside and walk the pasture (need a comfortable pair of shoes) and put out some seed. You don't have to do it all at once either.

Around here the recommendation is 2 lbs white clover and 4 lbs red clover per acre. You don't have to be exact, it's easy to vary the rate of seed output to your liking by cranking faster or slower, walking faster or slower, adjusting the opening on the seeder, and changing the spacing of your walking paths.

Suppose I wanted to put 2 lbs of white clover seed and 4 lbs of red clover seed per acre on a 2 acre pasture. I would then take 4 lbs of white clover seed and 8 lbs of red clover seed and mix them together in a 5 gallon bucket.

I would then make sure that the seed release opening on my seeder was closed, I would open the bag on the seeder, and I would fill the bag with my white/red clover seed mix. Very important step, make sure you properly close up the top of the seeder bag after filling!

The seeder kind of sits on the front of my left hip and the shoulder strap goes over my right shoulder. When I'm not applying seed I raise the front of the seeder to keep any seed from coming out of the seed release opening.

OK, ready to seed. I have the front of the seeder pointed up. I move the seed release lever to about the number "2" position (you will have to figure this out on your seeder) and lock it there. The opening is pretty small, clover seed is pretty small. OK, push the front of the seeder down so that the base of the seeder is almost level. Start cranking with the right hand, nice and easy. Seed should now start to flow through the release opening and hit the spinning plate which throws out the seed.

Start walking and keep cranking. If you want to stop seeding raise the front of the seeder so no seed falls out (or you can close the seed release opening). After a little bit you'll develop a rhythm and get good at it and find it enjoyable. Hope this helps.

By the way, what kind of pasture do you have? There are different legume recommendations for horses, cows, etc.

 

[dieselscout80]

By the way, what kind of pasture do you have? There are different legume recommendations for horses, cows, etc.

We currently have fescue and we have three horse, but in the future I want to get a steer or two to feed my steak habit. :thumbsup:

 

[jonyyuma]

Feed the steak habit? Just don't name them, they might just get to be big pets?

 

[cowski]

3 lbs white clover,5 lbs red clover and 10 lbs or more crimson clover .

the rate is for only one of above clovers at a time planted with or seeded over grass.i use white clover if grazing,red clover for haying and some grazing and crimson just for haying.i have planted more than 12 acres at a time with a hand spreader. you can mix clover with dry fertilizer and spread it with a pull type spreader .most coop's rent them.