More growing fertilizer

sourgum · Jul 16, 2022

Speaking of growing fertilizer. Plant scientists have discovered a super clover that can produce 250 lbs per acre in a good growing season. It is called fixation balansa clover. It was tested in plots in southern Indiana with balansa seeded as a winter cover crop in the fall. It is very cold tolerant and makes it thru our winters. In test plots of corn planted into this clover , the corn produced 186 bu / acre with one third normal rate of synthetic nitrogen applied. These plots were run a year or so ago with less than ideal weather conditions. This clover coming on market looks like a no brainer to try as a nitrogen producer. What do you think about saving money on N fertilize by growing N.

paul · Jul 16, 2022

I remember some of my first farming, was plowing down the clover mix that dad had in the small grains. I was 8 when I started, with the IHC 300 and a 2 bottom Oliver plow.

I think dad and now I have had a few acres of cover crops every year on this farm. Unfortunately small grains dont make much money around here so it is relatively few acres, and our very cold long winters and wet springs are not kind to an attempt to overwinter a cover crop or get anything to grow after a normal bean or corn crop.

Currently I plant some oats on 10-20 acres with a legume mix and a few turnips inter seeded. After swathing, combining, baling straw, a neighbor puts on hog manure. The turnips suck up the hog manure nutrients, the legumes make N and biomass.

In spring I work it down and plant corn and add 50-80 lbs of nitrogen.

I cant say Im going broke and I cant say Im making a million, but its fun to do and seems to work on a small portion of the acres.

Paul

fastfarmall · Jul 17, 2022

My Dads farm had a lot of lighter soil,so he would seed yellow blossom sweet clover with the oats,then the next year if he was short on feed, he would put up the sweet clover, by the next June it was 4' feet tall,if he didn't need it, we would plow it under,so was that a Nitrogen source for the land? The sandy land would quickly eat up everything we plowed under,,to prevent soil erosion,we seeded it to rye in the fall,made for a nice Rye crop!

Geo-TH,In · Jul 17, 2022

The back corner of my lawn grows weeds better than grass. This year I noticed wild white clover growing. I let it get about 8 inches tall before mowing it..
My lawn is 2 acres. It's too big to irrigate, so what grows is what it is.. This part of my lawn can't be seen from the road so I really don't care what grows there.
Perhaps allowing white clover to grow may be a good thing..
I can never grow grass from seeds without watering it when needed. My lawn can grow Zoysia grass without irrigation or fertilizer.
If I were younger, I would plant zoysia starts in the white clover..

Richard G. · Jul 17, 2022

Sounds like a great idea to me.

Traditional Farmer · Jul 17, 2022

I usually plant Crimson Clover but might this clover this year.

coonie minnie · Jul 17, 2022

I use medium red clover underseeded under wheat. When the wheat comes off, the clover shoots up, and I get a cut of hay, and at least 60 lbs N for the following year's corn.

I've looked into balansa, but I'm told it doesn't handle the shade of the wheat as well?

coonie minnie · Jul 17, 2022

Here's a picture of last year's clover.

This was in early October, cut for heifer feed.

coonie minnie · Jul 17, 2022

Another picture. Hard to believe this was wheat a few months before... it had been a dry summer,
and we were surprised the clover survived under the wheat.

NY 986 · Jul 17, 2022

When do you seed your clover? Years ago dad would broadcast seed clover into wheat during March if possible but it seems like we do not get many fair Marches anymore. A lot of fields in a lot of years it will come voluntarily so there must be some seed waiting in the soil. Got a field that was not dry enough to plant this past spring but brought in a thick crop of red clover.

coonie minnie · Jul 17, 2022

I try to frost seed as early as I can... can be end of February through mid march. I have a little spreader I put on our gator.

560Dennis · Jul 17, 2022

How it does it do in poor soil like NEO ? Any test in NEO ?

Texasmark · Jul 17, 2022

I have had this farm for 43 years and never planted white clover. Additionally I haven't planted anything, nor crossed the area with a seeder near what I am about to say. About 3 years ago a patch of white clover, about a foot in diameter emerged in my lawn, self supporting and grows nice and thick. My mowing cycles are such that it's in full bloom when I mow it. This year it's probably 20' in diameter. I would welcome that in my hay patches.

sourgum · Jul 17, 2022

Balansa has been plot tested at Hickory Corners, Michigan which I believe is M S U. In southern Indiana the test plots were poorly drained soils with clay hard pan about 2.5 ft down. Of all the clovers Balansa is the most cold tolerant species. The picture is the root mass of a balansa clover. This clover has been plot tested at Univ of Illinois where the nitrogen production was measured at 269 lbs/acre. This is not all available at cover crop termination, N is released over a period of 6 months after the clover is terminated. The N production depends on the seeding rate.

T in NE · Jul 17, 2022

Worked for a guy who would drill sorghum sudangrass into wheat stubble and ran stripper headers on the combine.
Didn't have time to get a really heavy crop of cane, but the volunteer wheat in the bottom was really thick.

More growing fertilizer

sourgum

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paul

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fastfarmall

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Geo-TH,In

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Richard G.

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Traditional Farmer

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coonie minnie

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coonie minnie

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coonie minnie

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NY 986

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coonie minnie

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560Dennis

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Texasmark

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sourgum

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T in NE

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