[SuzyJ]

Hi all, looking for a spot of advice please.

On our land and the fields around us there is a huge amount of clover growing - it gets huge and bushy stopping the grass from getting sunlight and has virtually taken over parts of our smallholding.

Now that I'm hoping to use more of the land for various things can anyone tell me how to get rid of the clover but leave the grass intact or is there a use for clover - either green or dried? I'm sure it can't be fed to the horses dried and am wary of feeding it to anything else until I know more.

At present I try to keep it in check by scything it down regularly as I'm not keen on using chemicals.

Over to you knowledgable lot 

[joyofchicks]

Clover can be used as a fallow crop.  As it belongs to the family of legumes, it has nodules on its roots which allow it to 'fix' atmospheric nitrogen into the soil so it can be very beneficial.  When it is planted deliberately for this purpose, it is ploughed into the ground after a year as green manure.  Hope this journey back to my 'O' grade biology helps!

[Rosemary]

I don't think you want to get rid of your clover - it fixes nitrogen so feeds the soil without recourse to bagged fertiliser. Great for feeding livestock as it's often higher in protein and mineral content, partcularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copperand cobalt, than grass. Also the nutritive value falls less with age than in grass. Too much can cause bloat though. You also shouldn't feed breeding stock on red clover as it can have high levels of oestrogen-like substances that can affect the breeding cycle.

It's frequently sown with ryegrass and others in a mix. Application sof nitrogenous fertilizer suppresses clover and encourages ryegrass to grow.

[SuzyJ]

Thanks for the advice, maybe we'll just have it plowed in as a green manure on the part of the land that we're hoping to grow lucerne on.

[valr]

Does anyone know how to get rids of clover from your grass? My chickens have the run of my back garden and the clover is taking over! I treated other parts of the garden where the chooks dont have access with weed feed and mosskiller and that has done the trick but I doubt it would be safe to use that in an area used by chickens? Cheers

[doganjo]

But it's very pretty!

[Rosemary]

And the bees love it!

[valr]

Oh no Anne it is an abomination! It is ok in fields but not in my back yard!
I have always been careful to scarify twice yearly, apply fertiliser and weedkiller etc and had beautiful lush green pure grass! However I would rather have happy chickens... so the nice grass will just have to be confined to the huge useless front bit of my garden which I am not allowed to fence. Found another dog poo on it!! Imagine letting your dog poo in someones front garden! 

[Wizard]

Hey up you greenies Clover is the best green crop natural fertiliser to dig in there is loads of nitrogen : am off  farmer:

[doganjo]

We have the same problem on our lane - grass is not claimed by anyone - not in my deeds nor next doors, Network Rail say it isn't theirs, the farmer says he sold everything to the chap who built my house - so my neighbour and I try to keep it short because when we complained about dog mess the animal welfare officer said keep it short and people won't let their dogs do doo-doos on it - what rubbish!  Don't make a blind bit of difference and I'm not going to muck up my ride on mower anymore - or get showered when I strim/or rather my son and neighbours son does.  It can stay wild all summer!

[Wizard]

With luck Anne love Lots of nice things will visit the shared lane hopefully some Goldfinche's and like if you let it grow wild.

[lazybee]

Keep horses off your "cloverfield" it's one of the main causes of laminitis due to the starch it contains. Its best to plough it in and reseed. Some clover will return in time, which is good for a balanced diet. Too much of a good thing is always bad. You didn't mention what you are going to do with the land?

[Sharondp]

Val - my chooks love the clover! Scoff the lot!

[Wizard]

Should you turn into a "Greenie" clover is an approved natural fertilizer by them at the SA

[lazybee]

Thanks for the advice, maybe we'll just have it plowed in as a green manure on the part of the land that we're hoping to grow lucerne on.

That sound like the best thing to do. Lucerne is really good stuff. Here in France they get 3 cuts a year off it. If you bale it in small bales, it's easy to sell. I keep toying with the idea of planting some myself. But I can get it quite cheap from a large scale goat farmer I know.