Clover understorey trial

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
I am trying something similar with a mix of w clover, birdsfoot trefoil, black medic and plantain, plus a smaller amount of yarrow, sheeps parsley and burnet. (Don't know anything about some of these plants except that they are supposed to be low growing.) The clover is a small leafed variety, I have undersown it with spring oats early this month with the aim of drastically cutting inputs (the aim). I have inadvertantly had a white clover understorey which survived from a grass ley. It got a bit toppy but you can control without killing it using Allymax at a very reduced rate I am told but never got round to trying that because we killed it with Broadway star while I wasn't paying attention properly.
 

Wigeon

Member
Arable Farmer
Ended up spinning 50ha on on Thursday, before last night's rain. No time to roll and spring oats only at 1 leaf so too tender anyway. Might give it a go next week if conditions allow.
 

Jimbo26

Member
How has everyone got on with their trials?

I broadcast white clover and yellow Trefoil after drilling my osr (Sept 2019). Unfortunately the osr failed, but the clover pulled through. This year I am hoping to drill wheat straight in to the ley with my mzuri.
 

jack6480

Member
Location
Staffs

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Fish

Member
Location
North yorkshire
On the subject of white clover and glypho,
How much glypho will white clover stand ?

I have 10 ha of well established white clover after failed rape, plan is to dd wheat, after first running the frail through (sheep simulation) and then a 1-2ltr application of glypho to hold the clover back, not kill it, and kill the b weeds.
No pre em or other Autumn herbicide planed.
 

cquick

Member
BASE UK Member
4L + Addit killed about 50% of my autumn established AberAce this spring.
2L Kyleo doesn't seem to have quite killed any year old understorey. Was sprayed last week so I will update if it eventually dies.
 

Goldilocks

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Oxfordshire
How has everyone got on with their trials?

I broadcast white clover and yellow Trefoil after drilling my osr (Sept 2019). Unfortunately the osr failed, but the clover pulled through. This year I am hoping to drill wheat straight in to the ley with my mzuri.
My trial is terminated, Big time! Complete disaster trying to manage the understorey. Got way too competitive and outcompeted the cash crop. In my opinion this technique is a complete no go for mainstream agriculture. Really needs a system where the clover can be sprayed out in strips ( and killed completely, not half killed! ) and the cash crop drilled on wide rows in the clover free strips.
 

cquick

Member
BASE UK Member
My linseed was utter gash with or without the clover, so I would consider the understorey to have a neutral effect. Cut just fine even with a relatively blunt knife. Will try again next year if we grow linseed again.
Some nice plants in the stubble though which I hope to give a headache with pre-em in the wheat and go on from there.
 

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My linseed was utter gash with or without the clover, so I would consider the understorey to have a neutral effect. Cut just fine even with a relatively blunt knife. Will try again next year if we grow linseed again.
Some nice plants in the stubble though which I hope to give a headache with pre-em in the wheat and go on from there.

I doubt your pre-em will worry established plants too much.

You guys playing with clover as a companion crop, choose the size of the clover carefully. The bigger the leaf the more aggressive they can become. Also, if you have just had a very dry year (like this one- for many at least) the clover will probably have stuck the drought a lot better than it would have normally. In a more normal year with denser and happier crops, the clover should behave itself a bit better. A bit of CMPP in the tank as you go through with T1 will make it pretty unhappy but it will probably survive if it's already a reasonable size.
 

cquick

Member
BASE UK Member
I doubt your pre-em will worry established plants too much.

You guys playing with clover as a companion crop, choose the size of the clover carefully. The bigger the leaf the more aggressive they can become. Also, if you have just had a very dry year (like this one- for many at least) the clover will probably have stuck the drought a lot better than it would have normally. In a more normal year with denser and happier crops, the clover should behave itself a bit better. A bit of CMPP in the tank as you go through with T1 will make it pretty unhappy but it will probably survive if it's already a reasonable size.
Glyphosate + Liberator gave the plants a good kicking last year! Left a small area untreated and the clover was twice as numerous.
Quite happy with AberAce as a small leaved clover, it seems to keep itself below 4-6 inches even with no competition.
 
Oats not combined yet, so have to wait and see. Under winter barley was a dismal failure unfortunately.

Crop too dense or not enough moisture to sustain it?

How were the oats?

If people are finding clover too aggressive, would trefoil be a bit tamer? Lucerne, even?

With the extreme seasons we are having clover could be very hit and miss. It's not very robust in the establishment phase at all. Once it has roots and is away it will fend for itself well.

The clover under the linseed was impressive. I wouldn't give up on it as the linseed was going to struggle this year given the peculiar weather we have had.

If you can reach a stage where you have a living crop protecting the soil all year round and still get a crop in and cut off as usual that will be near nirvana, just from a soil protection angle alone. Throw in the N reduction and you really are cooking on gas. Logically, weed ingress should be much reduced as well.
 

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