Irg red clover reseed. Nitrogen?

[robin banks]

Right have sowed a reseed with 5kg an acre of red clover and 6kg of irg it struck first week of June. Field is heavy clay but low in p and k index 1. Got 5k gals/acre of slurry and 10t of fym ploughed in. It got 3 ton of lime before sowing and 4 bags of 10/10/20. It's growing nicely but a little yellow tinge. Would think it needs a bit of nitrogen but would it affect the clover.
Also when to cut. Read in some articles to let red clover flower first time to aid tap root development then subsequent cuts to cut before flowering
Any ideas @greatingrass

 

[jondear]

Think its probably had enough .It won't like artificial nitrogen !

 

[jondear]

5kg acre red clover if that all grows that's a lot Normally 3 enough.

 

[Great In Grass]

50kg N/ha which will bring on some grass for the autumn as yours was planted in June I'd wait until mid/late in August to apply, early application to a new ley will encourage grass growth therefore shading out the clover and reducing the amount of clover in the sward.

 

[Valtra Man]

What about the cutting times? Done almost the same thing here. Drilled in after cutting silage but at a lower clover rate and higher rye grass rate.
Grass is flying and clover is there nicely but now starting to get out grown by the grass so I'm wondering whether it's going to smother so better off chopping high and taking a light crop but is that going to damage the clover as it's still so early and better off leaving it another couple of weeks?

 

[Great In Grass]

What about the cutting times? Done almost the same thing here. Drilled in after cutting silage but at a lower clover rate and higher rye grass rate.
Grass is flying and clover is there nicely but now starting to get out grown by the grass so I'm wondering whether it's going to smother so better off chopping high and taking a light crop but is that going to damage the clover as it's still so early and better off leaving it another couple of weeks?

Can you graze it(?) as it is preferable to graze in it's first year like all grass swards. You could top if push comes to shove, keep the mower blades at least 8cm above ground height as Red Clover gets it's growth/energy from the crown which is above ground level so you want to avoid any damage. Next year you'll probably find you will cutting every 6-8 weeks.

 

[Great In Grass]

Cut after 50% flowering.

 

[Valtra Man]

That's great, Thank you. Pulled out too many lambs for what acerage they're on but was worried they might flatten the ley doing more damage so was going to chop it. Think I'll cut one and graze the other. Cheers.

 

[Great In Grass]

That's great, Thank you. Pulled out too many lambs for what acerage they're on but was worried they might flatten the ley doing more damage so was going to chop it. Think I'll cut one and graze the other. Cheers.

You seem to have the grazing sussed but remember not to put them into a red clover ley on empty stomachs.

 

[Valtra Man]

Good point to know, Thanks. There shouldn't be a problem as they are already on silage aftermath (no clover, dock problem in recent years so will be drilled next year if this is a success) so the lambs can gradually draw back on to the new seeds once I open the gates to the adjoining fields. Perfect, many Thanks again.

 

[beefandsleep]

A related question. On an autumn reseed with a red clover ryegrass 3 yr cutting key should I apply any spring N at all? And what about the 2nd and 3rd years?

 

[Great In Grass]

A related question. On an autumn reseed with a red clover ryegrass 3 yr cutting key should I apply any spring N at all? And what about the 2nd and 3rd years?

You can apply N in it's first year but you could wait until the spring and apply some if the grass looks deficient, only apply N init's first year, mineral nitrogen inhibits nitrogen fixation by rhizobia in the clover nodules so tread carefully. Remember for every tonne DM removed about 8kg of P & 27kg of K is removed and needs replacing.