Broadcasting clover

[shakalakka]

Anyone have any experience with broadcasting white clover? As im unexperienced with cover crops i would like to delay putting seeds in the ground a little bit till the main crop have established, but seems like most people are using small-seed drills attached to some lighter tillage-implement. Clover seeds too light to be able to spread evenly with a spreader?

 

[Barleymow]

spread some in aus years ago think it was mixed on with chalk

 

[Bury the Trash]

Homemade job Was in pfi years ago, a plastic container suspended in a varispreader hopper, sorry i cant rember how it worked or what if looked like, ( hopefully someo e else will) the farmer/ inventor was called Mike from Soms. Iirc.
He was An inovative thoughtful of practical things chap I do remember that much.

 

[Ormond]

Broadcasted a wild flower mix last year mixed with some nitrogen prills....worked very well...used a vicon wagtail pulled with a quad.

 

[Ormond]

Still a useful tool the varispreader. I really like it for grass seeds....very even

 

[shakalakka]

So small seeds like the clover should be possible with a spreader? Is it better to mix it with larger prills like nitrogen and chalk?

 

[Bury the Trash]

The last thing you want is N with clover .
Clover doesnt do well with being smothered by competing plants around it,especially them being pushed on with extra N.

 

[CORK]

Try and go with coated clover seed if broadcasting as it’s extra weight will help it travel.

Up the rate though as you have less seeds/kg. Normally (in Ireland), 0.6kg of normal white clover contains the same amount of seed as 1kg of coated.

 

[shakalakka]

Thanks guys

 

[Rob Garrett]

Anyone have any experience with broadcasting white clover? As im unexperienced with cover crops i would like to delay putting seeds in the ground a little bit till the main crop have established, but seems like most people are using small-seed drills attached to some lighter tillage-implement. Clover seeds too light to be able to spread evenly with a spreader?

White clover/trefoil undersown spring oats a few days after harvest with straw removed. Combi drilled oats, cambridge rolled, span on clover with slug peleter/quad bike (calibrated spinner to half rate at 6m tramlines, avoids running out of seed!) and rolled again, all on same day with good soil moisture. Seed soil contact could be a problem if broadcasting into established crop. Left oat stubble a littler higher to avoid too much green going through combine, clover gave a quick bite for lambs in Oct/Nov and stubble protected soil over winter. Biggest problem I have with it is the hellish expensive cost of seed!

 

[ih1455xl]

@Great In Grass got any info on coated clover seed

 

[Bury the Trash]

Also when undersowing , use a lower seedrate of the main thing in our case it was usually barley.

Drill your corn first then broadcast on the the small seed, cambridge roll to finish. Same day if you like , or at least before the grain germinates of course.

 

[Great In Grass]

White clover/trefoil undersown spring oats a few days after harvest with straw removed. Combi drilled oats, cambridge rolled, span on clover with slug peleter/quad bike (calibrated spinner to half rate at 6m tramlines, avoids running out of seed!) and rolled again, all on same day with good soil moisture. Seed soil contact could be a problem if broadcasting into established crop. Left oat stubble a littler higher to avoid too much green going through combine, clover gave a quick bite for lambs in Oct/Nov and stubble protected soil over winter. Biggest problem I have with it is the hellish expensive cost of seed!

Not to put people off white clover I think you will find it was the Yellow Trefoil which was the most expensive part of the mix WC seed is relatively cheap for the number of seeds in a kilo. We sell your mix if you are interested

 

[Great In Grass]

@Great In Grass got any info on coated clover seed

No, never sold it.

 

[devonboy]

We spin clover onto grass leys with a logic atv speader at 6m centres. Do all our grass seeds at 6m as well, very quick ,accurate and so easy to use. sown a few lawns as well.