Clover reintroduction

[M-J-G]

Scratch it in, clover takes best on the surface.

Graze short, keep sheep on until new plants are almost in danger of being grazed and then rest.
Graze with cattle next time if possible as they will clear the grass cover without grazing the clover plant.

 

[Ysgythan]

Got a field of young grass that was sown out first week of May.

Grass and clover have established extremely well.

Unfortunately, a carpet of creeping thistles have now appeared too. Can't top them so looks like spray is the only answer.

What's the best way of reintroducing the clover? Scratch tine harrows with a seed box?

Can it be sown in the autumn (in the Scottish hills), or wait until next spring?

Live with the thistles.

 

[DrDunc]

Live with the thistles.

Honestly, live with them this dense?

Field was thistle clean before I ploughed it

 

[chris elk]

I've never seen thistles so bad!!! Incredible!

 

[Great In Grass]

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Honestly, live with them this dense?

Field was thistle clean before I ploughed it

Yikes!

 

[Kevtherev]

I can see why you want to spray it @DrDunc[emoji40]

 

[Kevtherev]

After they have been sprayed a disc type drill like @hally will be an ideal tool to put some new clover in at around 1kg
Per acre
Trouble with a Duncan drill like mine is they leave a rougher finish which wouldn't be ideal on a newish ley.

 

[Ysgythan]

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Honestly, live with them this dense?

Field was thistle clean before I ploughed it

I see, it really is a carpet

 

[M-J-G]

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Honestly, live with them this dense?

Field was thistle clean before I ploughed it

Exactly, it's easy for everyone else to say you should live with them.

Personally, I have for a long time kept the clover out of the mix and spray every re-seed when the weeds are easily wiped out a seedlings.
That way the ley is clean of weeds for most of its lifetime (provided seeds aren't imported) and the clover can be added after a cutting/grazing.

 

[Ysgythan]

Exactly, it's easy for everyone else to say you should live with them.

Personally, I have for a long time kept the clover out of the mix and spray every re-seed when the weeds are easily wiped out a seedlings.
That way the ley is clean of weeds for most of its lifetime (provided seeds aren't imported) and the clover can be added after a cutting/grazing.

Very easy, I just typed it...

 

[hillman]

Great strike on the thistles @DrDunc , got a weedwiper will it go that low , graze out hard then wipe, you might have to do a couple of times still not possibly a cheaper option that spraying and resowing clover esp as mixed results from establishment??

Only another angle

 

[M-J-G]

Very easy, I just typed it...

That's the problem with advice on here, it's too easy to type it.

 

[Ysgythan]

That's the problem with advice on here, it's too easy to type it.

It's an Internet forum.

 

[Ysgythan]

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Honestly, live with them this dense?

Field was thistle clean before I ploughed it

Spray off and start again, before they go to seed.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

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Honestly, live with them this dense?

Field was thistle clean before I ploughed it

sweet mother of mercy
bit of grubbing in therr

 

[neilo]

How would our organic comrades deal with a thistle infestation like that? Is there a way without Chems?

 

[Kevtherev]

Rip them to death with an einbock?

 

[DrDunc]

Anyone know what variety of thistles these are?

Unless these grow into the great big tall ones with a centre stem and very little bushy leaf, I haven't seen the like on the farm before. They're not the little spear, creeping, or bull thistles that grow in places here.

With the field being thistle free before ploughing, I'm getting suspicious that I bought them with the grass seed

 

[Kevtherev]

They look like scotch thistles

 

[Kevtherev]

Scotch thistle