To frost seed? or drill in clover?

picassomcp · Feb 8, 2014

I am located in Central MN, and am dealing with 2 hay fields that need some help. They are getting pretty grassy, and many dandelions too. My intention is to frost seed a bunch of Medium Red Clover once the snow gets mostly melted. Clover is a great crop for me, I am hoping that the new clover will establish and then shade out the dandelions and other weeds. I do have a drill that I could use too. I am looking to prevent tillage, what kind of luck would I have if I just used my regular drill (not a no till unit) over the existing sod cover?? Or would I just be best off with frost seeding? About 10/lbs to the acre?

Also, can I fertilize the newly planted clover? or would I be best off waiting a year so that I don"t burn it?

tomNE · Feb 8, 2014

choice of type of clover will be a big issue. we had to quit planting red because it came slowly and allowed other plants to get ahead and shade the clover into extinction. white is one I use, there are others.

teddy52food · Feb 8, 2014

I think you will be wasting your time and seed.

Paul from MI · Feb 8, 2014

I never had much luck seeding into an existing sod, even using round-up to kill existing vegetation, but I was seeding alfalfa. If you can go back to grains for a couple of years I think you'll get a much better stand.

Wheat Farmer · Feb 8, 2014

Here in CO at 7200' elev we plant Grass, Alfalfa, oats and pea mixer in new fields. Alfalfa can't be planted before June 15th. A frost will kill a new plant. Some people plant early then plant the alfalfa later with a no-til. This field was planted about June and hayed in Sept.

Mike in Mn. · Feb 8, 2014

We make and sell horse hay, I and my customers don't like clover, I spray every two years, it's just a pest that is hard to dry and dusty, and sucks the live out of the grass. I don't mind some alfalfa though, and I have one account that wants alfalfa mix. I don't have a dandelion problem anymore, but back a few years I had one piece that had a lot of dandelion, I sprayed it in the fall with 2-4-D and fairly early in the spring drilled alfalfa in with a double disc drill very shallow while the ground was still soft, got a complete kill of the dandelion and cut the grass as usual, ended up with a nice stand of alfalfa and grass. Fertilized it the next year and its a top producer yet, only the clover is creeping back in, can't spray the clover cause it will kill the alfalfa also, this worked for me, just saying-sometimes over seeding can work.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 9, 2014

Dad always sowed red clover in the dark of the moon in Feb. in the mud, on frozen ground, and even on a few inches of snow. Usually walked on with a hand seeder, in his younger years. Mostly on wheat ground. He use to raise clover seed also, and one year had some small seed and sowed it on top of the ground into some timber pasture. Again sowed in the dark of the moon in Feb. It was unbelievable the stand of clover he got. We even cut some of the hay before turning in the cattle. This was in central ILL. so location might have some effect.

Bret4207 · Feb 10, 2014

Actual frost seeding never worked too good for me, I think the seed gets washed away. But I have had good luck seeding by spreading a can full of Med Red Clover on a load of manure and just being careful to spread evenly. I hit the field when it's still got a frost in the ground.

I hear there are some places they won't let you spread on frozen ground, so your location may determine this.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 10, 2014

Sow it like I said in the post below. Sow it in the dark of the moon and it will go into the ground, and not wash away. There are not a lot of believers in this, but I have watched it over the years and it is true. The moon has a lot of effect on things, a scientific fact.

randallinMo · Feb 10, 2014

The object of any seeding method is to get good seed to soil contact. In this case, using your drill would be the preferred method as it (surely) will give better seed to soil contact. Frost seeding works the same way as long as you get adequate freezing and thawing to incorporate it into the soil. Most frost seeding failures are due to inadequte soil incorporation. The use of your drill will help this. Now...if you have a LOT of residue/mulch you're trying to drill through, then you'll have a problem. Only you will be ble to tell when you start drilling.

To frost seed? or drill in clover?

picassomcp

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tomNE

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teddy52food

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Paul from MI

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Wheat Farmer

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Mike in Mn.

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Anonymous-0

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Bret4207

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Anonymous-0

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randallinMo

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