The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: Buttermilk on July 24, 2017, 07:49:55 am
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Clover seems to be taking over my fields. This is not a problem for most of the year but I need fields without for the breeding ewes.
Any ideas how I can reduce the clover cover without resorting to sprays?
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Have you not got any lambs to put on the fields first? They'll eat the clover down in preference to the grass and fatten in the process. Then you can put your ewes onto the depleted field.
Why do you not want your breeding ewes on the clover? Is it because you want them to lose some condition, or are you worried about the hormonal effect?
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Why do you not want your breeding ewes on the clover? Is it because you want them to lose some condition, or are you worried about the hormonal effect?
Red clover can cause reduced fertility in ewes if grazed 6 weeks before and during tupping. White clover isn't such a problem.
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I only have four ewe lambs this year as I sold all the ones I did not want to keep as stores. There is a mix of red clover, white clover and alsike clover. The same fields caused haemorraghic folicles in my brood mare. It seems the harder the fields are grazed the more the clover takes over.
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Well high nitrogen usage depresses clover as it affects the nitrogen fixation nodules, and conversely phosphate greatly encourages clover growth. So in future I would just apply a nitrogen fertiliser, or N + K, but no P.
In the meantime, the only way for instant removal is to add a selective herbicide like 2-4,D which is not poisonous to livestock as it is a plant hormone, not toxic to animals, so you can carry on grazing it after application. (If they don't mind the taste.)
Or borrow someone else's stock to eat out the clover. (I can bring a tame cow and calf along!)