Natural Grassland With High Clover Content

[Frank-the-Wool]

Much of our grassland has a very high Clover content and is completely unfertilised and I was wondering if there are other areas of the country where similar systems operate.

It does require a high level of grazing management to maintain these types of swards and two factors that help are that we have an indigenous species of Clover and Ryegrass that withstand very high summer stocking density.
While we are mostly on good land, a similar system can be maintained on poorer ground if the Ph is kept on the alkaline side.

The grass and clover in this area has adapted to these systems over the centuries but are very rarely harvested these days for seed. The grass is Kent Perennial Ryegrass and the Clover is Kent Wild White, both used to be kept by the local seed firm but are no longer on any lists. The Clover was sent to New Zealand and I believe was the basis for many of the small leaved white clovers that are grown there. Pollination was an issue as there was only one Bumble bee that was the pollinator, unfortunately the Badgers did for the species here, but it still survives in NZ.

Are there any other areas where a similar system occurs?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I remember dad always included half a pound of Kent Wild White in the mixes in the 70ts, Aberystwyth 184 Still on the Recomended List is very simular, both very persistent under close grazing
Aberace is the modern version
Rivendel a Small Leaf variety is the most popular and widely used of today's Small Leaf varieties I would think

 

[Northern territory]

Much of our grassland has a very high Clover content and is completely unfertilised and I was wondering if there are other areas of the country where similar systems operate.

It does require a high level of grazing management to maintain these types of swards and two factors that help are that we have an indigenous species of Clover and Ryegrass that withstand very high summer stocking density.
While we are mostly on good land, a similar system can be maintained on poorer ground if the Ph is kept on the alkaline side.

The grass and clover in this area has adapted to these systems over the centuries but are very rarely harvested these days for seed. The grass is Kent Perennial Ryegrass and the Clover is Kent Wild White, both used to be kept by the local seed firm but are no longer on any lists. The Clover was sent to New Zealand and I believe was the basis for many of the small leaved white clovers that are grown there. Pollination was an issue as there was only one Bumble bee that was the pollinator, unfortunately the Badgers did for the species here, but it still survives in NZ.

Are there any other areas where a similar system occurs?

We have some riverside grazing the same, no fert in 20 years and highly stocked in summer.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

We have some riverside grazing the same, no fert in 20 years and highly stocked in summer.

So it looks as if the great majority of people use artificial fertilizer rather than clover to grow fodder.

 

[Kevtherev]

So it looks as if the great majority of people use artificial fertilizer rather than clover to grow fodder.

Clover in every sward here very low fertiliser and chem usage plenty of muck and good grazing management.
Keeping P&K levels up is beneficial to clover.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

So it looks as if the great majority of people use artificial fertilizer rather than clover to grow fodder.

Even in the 70ts we added clover to mixes when Nitrogen was cheap . It's not just a suplier of Nitrogen it's a lot higher in protien than grass and more digestable so a very valiable feed , that was the main reason it was included back then

 

[czechmate]

We have the same, the dandelion population is getting out of hand… but we need the clover

 

[neilo]

So it looks as if the great majority of people use artificial fertilizer rather than clover to grow fodder.

Not at all. Our old parkland grass has loads of wild white (Kent?) clover in the bottom. It stands abuse better, but it’s nowhere near as productive as reseeds with better clovers in (which still don’t receive N).

 

[Kevtherev]

Not at all. Our old parkland grass has loads of wild white (Kent?) clover in the bottom. It stands abuse better, but it’s nowhere near as productive as reseeds with better clovers in (which still don’t receive N).

It wouldn’t fix as much N as more modern varieties plus those old pastures are mostly meadow fescue crested dogs tail etc

 

[Kevtherev]

Those type of grasses are probably suppressing the clover whatever it may be.
Lot of older pastures here with S184 still prevalent.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

To keep high populations of Clover the grazing management is key. The old grasses tend to be unpalatable so don't get grazed short enough to let the light in for the Clover to spread.
I am not sure about Kent WW not fixing as much N as modern clovers. I am not sure any work has ever been done on this.
If you look at our Marsh grazing which carries very high stocking densities for long periods then it is doubtful any other Clover would return as much N,
We would have fields with over 50% clover.
It is critical that the grass cover is removed during the winter so light can get in for the Clover in the Spring. The policy of always grazing very tight in May (which can be difficult) always boosts the Clover and reduces the Crested Dogs Tail, what we call "Strand" on the Marsh.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

With that amount of clover I'm surprised you have any grass growing at all and the ones you have will be very unproductive and of very low feed value

That amount of clover will choke out any productive grasses in the summer and when it goes dormant in the winter allow weed grasses to take over
To reduce it to a manageable level and increase production then a few hay crops would bring it under control

 

[Sid]

Even in the 70ts we added clover to mixes when Nitrogen was cheap . It's not just a suplier of Nitrogen it's a lot higher in protien than grass and more digestable so a very valiable feed , that was the main reason it was included back then

Depends on the time of year.

Spring the grass will make up the bulk of the protein, mid summer onwards it will be the clover.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

With that amount of clover I'm surprised you have any grass growing at all and the ones you have will be very unproductive and of very low feed value

That amount of clover will choke out any productive grasses in the summer and when it goes dormant in the winter allow weed grasses to take over
To reduce it to a manageable level and increase production then a few hay crops would bring it under control

Been like it for Centuries and still seems to work well.

 

[Gulli]

All clover needs is a rest, nitrogen use will knock it back because the soil doesn't need to fix as much from the atmosphere. We don't do anything particularly special here and clover has increased dramatically in the last few years after a change in grazing habits

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Been like it for Centuries and still seems to work well.

Can you fatten lambs over the winter on it ?

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Can you fatten lambs over the winter on it ?

Yes you can at a low stocking density. However it is all SSSI and is left for wintering birds from November to March.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Yes you can at a low stocking density. However it is all SSSI and is left for wintering birds from November to March.

Your lucky you have the clover there, some of this SSS1 is more than useless