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Texas Agriculture Archive

May 7, 2004

Clover: Don't have it?
You need it!

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor

Forage producers gathered at the Spring Beef and Forage Field Day hosted by Chamness Land & Cattle Company in Henderson County last month learned how clovers can increase the length of a grazing season, increase a pasture's nutritive value and increase soil organic matter.

"If you don't have it, you need to be planting some type of clover," said Dr. Larry Redmon, an Extension forage specialist, who talked to producers about clover utilization and weed control. "Clover will eliminate having to use nitrogen on your land. You will still have to watch your phosphorus and potassium, but clover will take care of the nitrogen."

Legumes need a higher pH (6 to 8) than grasses do, in part so that the bacteria that fix the nitrogen can function effectively. If the pH is below 6.0, you can add lime to raise it. It's not prudent to attempt legume establishment until the soil pH is within the prescribed range for a specific variety. The clover sites on the Chamness ranch have a pH of 6.5. Since legumes produce their own nitrogen, growers should shift fertilizer emphasis to phosphorus and potassium.

According to Redmon, Apache arrowleaf clover is a good reseeding annual and is virus tolerant. Crimson clover is the earliest to come on and play out. However, each year crimson clover should be reseeded because it doesn't reseed well, he noted. Crimson clover is still the favorite of Quintan Chamness, owner of Chamness Land & Cattle Co. at Poyner.

"Double inoculate when you plant it. That's the cheapest thing you can do," said Chamness, standing in a spectacular field of clover sporting red, feathery tops. "We get more return and more grazing on crimson clover than anything else, including coastal, for what we spend. Cows weigh 100 pounds more on crimson than other forage. We keep the records. Crimson clover is good for the cows and calves and good for the pasture."

Clovers do best east of I-35

Legumes tend to be more successful east of I-35 because of higher average rainfall. Adequate moisture is especially important at planting. September or early October is the ideal planting time, once average daily high temperatures have fallen below 90 degrees.

Assuming you've selected a suitable variety and properly inoculated it, you need to consider seeding rate and depth. A good rule of thumb is that the seeding depth should never be more than four times the diameter of the seed, which means most legumes are planted at or near the soil surface.

Seeding methods for pastures may vary from broadcast planting to drilling by using a small seed box. If you broadcast plant, pulling a drag or harrow over the seeded area will enhance seed-soil contact. Pack prepared seedbeds before planting.

"We put about 100 pounds of seed in a No. 3 washtub. We take a quart fruit jar of inoculant in water. When that turns black, it's ready to put out. We use a 3-port spinner to broadcast plenty. Grazing is what we're after," said Chamness.

Chamness said he ran cattle on this particular meadow from November 15 to April 15.

Weed control minimal

"Clovers work well in a hay field. We don't miss a cutting on coastal. We bale four times a year. That helps spread the seed. It just keeps on giving," he said. "We have no weed problems. The best control for weeds is fertilizer. We apply 20 pounds to the acre."

Dr. Redmon added, "If you have clover, stay away from spraying Grazon P+D, Ally (Cimarron), and straight Amber. Instead, use Weedmaster or 2-4D."

Redmon also said grazing on planted sites should be kept to a minimum until the stand is established. After establishment, moderate grazing during the fall and winter is acceptable. He also said legumes work well under rotational grazing management, since pastures can be managed for grass residue height, fall establishment of legumes, grazing intensity, rest and recovery, and reseeding, all of which are important controllable factors in legume management.

"When grasses get more than 8 inches above the clover, they need to be removed by grazing or haying so the clover can get sunlight," he advised.

Forage specialists agree that the more legume species you have, the better, because you never know which species will do well in a given year. Arrowleaf clover, crimson clover, and hairy vetch would be a good mixture for sandy soils, especially in north central Texas. White clover, ball clover, berseem clover, and subterranean clover would be a good mixture for clay soils that are fairly or poorly drained. In northeast Texas on loamy soils, a suggested mixture is crimson clover, arrowleaf clover, hop clover, and rose clover.

Arrowleaf clovers can be interseeded in bermudagrass pastures either by broadcasting alone, lightly disking and then broadcasting or by drilling. Redmon recommends using about 10 pounds of Apache seed per acre. At $2 per pound, this means the total cost of establishment could be as little as $20 per acre. The seed can be mixed with a light fertilizer application if immediately broadcast or planted.

Advantages of disking cited

A light disking at establishment has two advantages. It sets the warm season grass back a little and exposes bare soil.

"They'll get a little more forage if they disk and perhaps a little earlier forage. The cost for disking will add another $7 to $8 per acre in establishment cost," he said.

In most cases, Redmon recommends the simple broadcast method.

"Producers can realize a savings of $70 to $80 per animal with Apache over feeding hay," Redmon said.

In summary, pasture and soil management are necessary to introduce and sustain legumes in a pasture. Necessary conditions include: (1) soil phosphorus and potassium above threshold levels, (2) pH within optimum ranges, (3) pastures grazed or mowed short before planting, (4) adequate soil moisture, (5) moderate temperatures, and (6) a variety of legumes that will do well in the local soil type and climate. Don't forget to apply proper inoculants to seed just before planting and remember—different species of legumes require different inoculants.

•Lower nitrogen fertilizer cost. Legumes fix nitrogen, reducing the amount of commercial fertilizer nitrogen that is needed.

•Better forage quality. Legumes generally have higher crude protein and nutrient content than most grasses.

•Better distribution of growth. Legumes produce forage earlier or later than grasses, extending a pasture's growing season.

•Increased forage yield. Legumes increase total forage when added to a grass pasture and increase grass production because of the nitrogen they fix.

•Reduced risk. If you lose a species in a monoculture, you have lost the entire pasture. If you lose a species in a mixed pasture, you still have the other species.

•Benefits in crop rotation systems. Legumes improve soil structure and tilth.

•Reduced animal toxicities. Legumes mixed with fescue can dilute the effect of the endophyte, a fungus that lives in the grass.

•Environmental acceptability. Legumes provide nitrogen without depleting the earth's natural resources. They also provide food and shelter for insects such as bees and wildlife such as birds and rabbits.

•More interesting and attractive pastures. Flowers on most legumes are colorful.

•Increased profit. Legumes can decrease feed and fertilizer cost and increase production and animal performance.

From 10 Great Reasons for Growing Clover by Don Ball and Garry Lacefield (Salem, Ore.: Oregon Clover Commission, 1997).