Will the Fast and Vast grow with no nitrogen?
On ground that's in good condition
On ground that's in good condition
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The idea of putting Vetch in is that it produces a lot of Bulk without Nitrogen , the Nitrogen it supplies being available later on when the Vetch is failing and the Red Clover is becoming more dominant , I never use Nitrogen on legume crops but P K and PH need to be well looked after , I also put rotted muck on if I'm ploughing firstWill the Fast and Vast grow with no nitrogen?
On ground that's in good condition
Why is common vetch no good?One thing I would definitely do again, if sowing in the autumn, is put 5 to 7kg per ha of hairy vetch in with your other species. It has a dramatic spring growth and will grow tonnes of forage. My only concern would be the ability of other legumes to compete with it in the first spring. I wouldn't bother with common vetch although I have not specifically tried it in this situation.
You will only get one (big) cut though, before your red clover takes over for the rest of the life of the ley. For fun, and a bit of interest or a trial, I would substitute some of your red clover with a small amount of sainfoin, Lucerne sweet clover, and any other legume for around the £6 a kilo mark. (Sainfoin should be under £2).
Also white clover's a great plant but if it's a cutting mix, it might be less of a player than some of the taller species.
It's not as hardy as winter Vetch , if you cut it after it flowers its gone , but Crimson Clover won't either , the yield is lower as well , but seed is cheap and it supplies more nitrogen than most other legumesWhy is common vetch no good?
I see Cotswolds mix only has the common vetch in
I wouldn't say it is no good, just that hairy vetch is remarkably good. I should point out that I have only done it once but planning to do again.Why is common vetch no good?
I see Cotswolds mix only has the common vetch in
Grew this last year , not seen any nitrogen , had a good first cut and a lot of good grazing after , not seen the grass seed rate as an issue , although those grasses would tiller a bit moreSeems light on grass to me.
One thing I would definitely do again, if sowing in the autumn, is put 5 to 7kg per ha of hairy vetch in with your other species. It has a dramatic spring growth and will grow tonnes of forage. My only concern would be the ability of other legumes to compete with it in the first spring. I wouldn't bother with common vetch although I have not specifically tried it in this situation.
You will only get one (big) cut though, before your red clover takes over for the rest of the life of the ley. For fun, and a bit of interest or a trial, I would substitute some of your red clover with a small amount of sainfoin, Lucerne sweet clover, and any other legume for around the £6 a kilo mark. (Sainfoin should be under £2).
Also white clover's a great plant but if it's a cutting mix, it might be less of a player than some of the taller species.
Grew this last year , not seen any nitrogen , had a good first cut and a lot of good grazing after , not seen the grass seed rate as an issue , although those grasses would tiller a bit more
3.00kg ASTONCRUSADER Hybrid Ryegrass Tet
4.00 kg TETRAGRAZE Hybrid Ryegrass Tet
2.00 kg ROY Perennial Ryegrass Int Tet
1.50 kg MERULA Broad Red Clover
1.50 kg ATLANTIS Red Clover Tet
12.00 kg per acre
I didn't want to teach granny how to suck eggsThey’d have a hell of a lot more seed in a kilo as well, being smaller than IRG & Festuloliums.
Yes doesn’t like wet feet I’ve grown some here as an experimental mixDoesn’t sainfoin need to be on very free draining land, hence why it used to be grown on Cotswold brash years ago.
Probably does better on there but we're on silt and clay which can lie wet and it seems to do ok. It's a fairly chalky subsoil which must help.Doesn’t sainfoin need to be on very free draining land, hence why it used to be grown on Cotswold brash years ago.
Think you need to grow a field of ‘holy hay’ brother NeilDoesn’t sainfoin need to be on very free draining land, hence why it used to be grown on Cotswold brash years ago.
We have some tall ladino white clovers here that do very well in a hay cutting. It seems very happy on my heavy, wet acidic soils. One variety has basically taken over one of my smaller hay fields as the improved grasses have faded. Planted hairy vetch as a break crop on a small field that had been taken over by foxtail. Fallowed it for the summer and fall planted with oats. Produced an incredible amount of forage with no inputs other than some lime previous. If I do that again I will use ARG rather than oats for grazing with sheep but wonder what kind of hay it would have made?One thing I would definitely do again, if sowing in the autumn, is put 5 to 7kg per ha of hairy vetch in with your other species. It has a dramatic spring growth and will grow tonnes of forage. My only concern would be the ability of other legumes to compete with it in the first spring. I wouldn't bother with common vetch although I have not specifically tried it in this situation.
You will only get one (big) cut though, before your red clover takes over for the rest of the life of the ley. For fun, and a bit of interest or a trial, I would substitute some of your red clover with a small amount of sainfoin, Lucerne sweet clover, and any other legume for around the £6 a kilo mark. (Sainfoin should be under £2).
Also white clover's a great plant but if it's a cutting mix, it might be less of a player than some of the taller species.