shortshift
Member
Looking to sow some red clover as a protein crop,any information on soil type,timing regards sowing and mowing would be helpful.Going to try direct drill to establish.
Red clover
- Thread starter shortshift
- Start date
- Location
- Welshpool Powys
Ok on most soil types but doesn’t like waterlogged heavy soils too much.
Intended use?
Intended use?
- Location
- East Sussex
Lime (aim for better than 6.5), really good indices and a bit of N to get it started maybe. No docks......... they love growing with RC and can't be controlled at all.
Not very experienced growing it but that's what I'd aim for.
Not very experienced growing it but that's what I'd aim for.
- Location
- Welshpool Powys
shortshift
Member
PH spot on so is P&K ex maize ground,little bit heavy maybe but will give it a go, Feeding to beef cattle as round bale silage,when is the best time to sow,dose it need a warm seed bed or will get going early?
pauld
Member
- Location
- Pershore Worcestershire
Expect to be disappointed with first cut but it will come back with a vengeance.
Was a real saviour last year when dry spring stopped the grass.
Was a real saviour last year when dry spring stopped the grass.
shortshift
Member
Is it wise to put a companion crop with it?
Cut when fairly leafy and you'll produce absolute rocket fuel. You would benefit from a bit of ryegrass in with it to aid fermentation when ensiled. If no grass in the mix then wilt it well, don't ted it unless necessary and Rake it with a dew on it to reduce leaf shatter.
We sowed it with a cereal for this first cut.
pauld
Member
- Location
- Pershore Worcestershire
Yes -probably hybrid ryegrass best. Will be competitive, improve fermentation and balance the high protein.
- Location
- Cornwall.
Yes.
Grass is the most commonly used, RC helps to improve the nutritional balance particularly with grasses of a high WSC content. Grass also helps to reduce poaching. Nitrogen losses can also be reduced by a fair amount due to the utilisation of the fixed N by the grass.
With seed costs a little over £44.00/acre what's not to like!
- Location
- Welshpool Powys
Sow when soils have warmed up in April.
Often sown with grass either hybrid ryegrass or Italian ryegrass.
Don’t cut too low or this damages the crown of the plant.
Careful raking needed after wilting to avoid leaf loss.
- Location
- Ceredigion
The reason for using a companion grass is that Red Clover can be difficult to conserve on its own, choose a higher Energy Tetraploid grass to aid fermentation, decide how long you want the grass to last before choosing Either an Italian or longer term grass and try and match the heading date so it matches the the maturity of the clover, dont take the first cut first year until flowering of the clover and choose an early variety
Red clover certainly lasting a lot longer than it used to, I have one dairy customer sows a lot of rc/ hybrid mix and we used to often go and direct drill more clover into his leys, last time I went was to drill in the hybrid as the clover had outlasted it
- Location
- Ceredigion
I know Hybrid and in some cases Italian Ryegass are very popular companions but Red Clover is slower getting away than grass in the spring , needs warmer soil. I would be looking into a Tertraploed Intermediate that has a later Heading Date Such as Explosion with a very high Sugar Score
- Location
- East Sussex
a festololium such as lofa would be perfect.
- Location
- Cornwall.
We have a mix of Lofa, Perseus, Perun and Red Clover which is the UK's first mixture to contain 100% Ryegrass Plus grasses!
In terms of yield Lofa for example will yield 21.69 T DM/HA (Perseus 22.68T) as opposed to 17.37 T DM/HA for a Perennial Ryegrass.
- Location
- East Sussex
Bet it's not cheap? Sounds like a proper job though.
- Location
- Ceredigion
Depends who you buy it off Lol
We have been doing that mix for a long time and trade in the UK lol
Abd just remember the point in hand . Hi index grass . High Sugars to aid fermentation. Why did we used to put molasses onto silage
No gimmicks just select two high index grasses and keep it simple
Last edited:
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