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With fertiliser reaching £300 per tonne
Have you thought of adding clover to your sward???? |
White clover is an important plant in pastures due to it’s ability to produce it’s own Nitrogen by organic fixation of Nitrogen in the soil. Up to 30% white clover can produce between 60 and 100kg of N fertiliser / acre / year.
We are also able to exclusively offer W.A.S.P (Water Absorbing Seed Process) coated clover, the benefit being that whereas naked seed would germinate, when there is enough water available, but could dry out and die after germination, because there is no possibility of keeping the water close to the seed.
The W.A.S.P. coated seed would germinate and would be able to keep the germinated seeds alive, because of the ability of holding water around the seed coat.
The absorber is added to every seed in the last coating process.
This system is well worth thinking about; the question is how do you incorporate the clover into the sward.
For more info contact your account manager or myself at the office
John Parton 01695 724331
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OPTIONS:
- Broadcast over the sward with one 15kg bag of moregrass seed plus 3kg of coated clover which will do two acres.
- Spread with granulated lime (1.5kg per acre)
- Spread with slurry
- Spread with low N fertiliser
- Re-seed with one of our quality B.S.H or Advanta grass and clover leys
TIMINGS
Overseeding can be done:
- Before the grass grows vigorously in the spring
- Straight after the first cut or heavy grazing (open sward)
- Throughout the season into an open sward.
All that you need to do is to chain harrow the ground (to open the sward) and then apply the seed with a fertiliser spreader.
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Grassland Review
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The use of Clover for
Fixing Nitrogen
The price of fertiliser at the moment is astonishing! Words that convey these sentiments but are not printable here demonstrate the meteoric rises in the fertiliser prices this season. We have come to rely on large amounts of cheap nitrogen since the late 1960's and consequently the dependence on red and white clover as a useful nitrogen source has diminished. In the current market situation, however, and considering clover's ability to fix around 150 units of N per hectare, it can certainly be cost effective to include this valuable legume in your grass seed mixes.
Red clover used in cutting leys will measurably lift crude protein levels in silage and can also promote higher dry matter intakes with obvious positive effects on milk yields and quality and higher live weight gains in cattle and sheep. Its long tap root can help to break up compacted soils with a consequent improvement in drainage. This type of root system also helps the plant to yield well in drier summers. The mix of these qualities also lends the plant to being an ideal break in a cereal rotation.
White clover is lower yielding than Red clover but is more persistent in swards. Its growth habit makes it more suitable to grazing by either sheep or cattle and an ideal interval between grazings is 5 weeks as most nitrogen is 'fixed' during later growth. White clover's root system is different to red clover, being stoloniferous which helps to break up heavy soil and promotes a crumb structure that the ryegrass growing alongside can benefit from.
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David Williamson (Account Manager)
White clover can be sown with ryegrass as a mixture or if preferred it can be sown into an established sward to allow time for a weed control programme to take place. If this is an attractive route for you then coated seed is available for easier sowing and more effective germination. The best time to do this is after first cut silage, broadcasting/drilling the seed while the sward is still open. As well as raising the protein levels in the grazed sward, white clover also has a higher mineral content, particularly calcium phosphorus, magnesium copper and selenium.
South West Lancashire Farmer's grass seed mixes are available with or without White or Red clover and available in the 3-4 year ley together with an excellent blend of tetraploid hybrid and high sugar grasses. The varieties we use are at the forefront of what is available in the market place, allowing you to invest in your grassland with confidence and save money "growing your own nitrogen" by establishing clover rich swards.
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RUMINANT FEED SPECIALIST |
I am pleased to announce the promotion of James Rigby our North West Account Manager, to the position of Ruminant Feed Specialist as of 1st Jan 2008. James has been with the company for approaching four years and following a period of ongoing training and experience, SWLF are now confidently looking forward to taking advantage of James’ enthusiasm to develop the Co-operatives range of diets along side offering independent, technical advice. James will continue to service and develop his and the North West region and is excited about the forthcoming opportunities and states: “Please do not hesitate to call me regarding the potential nutritional pitfalls at turnout and the latest research on diet formulation with regard to grass conservation this spring and summer”.
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