# Clover



## caribou0_0 (Aug 21, 2010)

Planted 8 pounds clover in 3 fields October last year. Ran harrows lightly over fields cut shallow grooves. Sowed the seed then drug with chain-link fence. Not one plant came up, any body know why?
Clover was (Georgia Bull Dog 5 lbs--Crimson Red 1 lb--Dutch 1 lb--New Zealand 1 lb)


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## Stephen (Mar 2, 2011)

A soil test would better answer that question than us folk.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

did you do a germination test? Do you know for sure the seed was good quality? How about your winter, colder than normal?
Don't forget clover is slower to germinate just like alfalfa is. It is why a cover crop is also used. 
Wait it out. 
Get a soil test as well.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Clover doesn't care for fertile soil. After testing, you may find that a coating of lime will produce a heavy crop next year. But I can't imagine Nothing coming up at all... may have been too deep. Did you broadcast across the top afterwards? That's always a good idea. Also sowing a mix of 5lbs rye per 1lb clover will help it out quite a bit.


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## caribou0_0 (Aug 21, 2010)

Didn't do germination test, doesn't matter seed was already paid for. Planted in 3 fields of grass pasture. Harrows were set at 1 inch broacast by hand, drug with chain link fence. Did not broadcast top after initial dragging. Will try mixing with the rye this Fall. Have 5 extra pounds of Red Bull Dog. By the way I am in North Florida, Union, County.--Thanks


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## ArkansasBK (Mar 5, 2011)

caribou0_0 said:


> Planted 8 pounds clover in 3 fields October last year. Ran harrows lightly over fields cut shallow grooves. Sowed the seed then drug with chain-link fence. Not one plant came up, any body know why?
> Clover was (Georgia Bull Dog 5 lbs--Crimson Red 1 lb--Dutch 1 lb--New Zealand 1 lb)


The same thing happened to me 2 falls ago. Drug with a drag harrow, sowed, then drug with the chain-link drag. Nothing. Last fall I used the tractor tiller then drug with drag harrow to firm it up again, then sowed, then drug with chainlink drag. Perfect stand.


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

It has been very dry since last winter. Maybe it just did not have enough moisture?


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## cforbes (Feb 6, 2011)

Did you coat the seeds with nitrogen fixing bacteria? They are essential for clover to absorb nutrients from the soil. Ask local garden store for the inoculant. Not so cheap. Should have either been pre-treated or recommended when you bought the seed.


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## jb63 (Jun 15, 2010)

What variety did you plant?We grow alot of cromson and red.The ph can not be acid.First we pack it then pull a culta-packer ,drill,harrow to plant.


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## cforbes (Feb 6, 2011)

Planted white and yellow clover. Still in the infant stages. The seller, Kelley Bees, said had to get the inoculant in the instructions. A lot of flower seed catalogs will mention whether they need nitrogen fixing bacteria or not. A number of plants need that extra help to really grow.


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## summer1052 (Oct 21, 2007)

Clover needs inoculant. I just assume they need it unless it's specifically listed otherwise. They also don't like to be planted too deeply. Be careful about crimson clovers. The bees like some varieties, and completely ignore others. Don't depend entirely on what your local feed and seed says. A good many of them are geared towards selling the latest and greatest from Your State's A & M. Most of those are useless to bees. The older the type, the better.

We have had better luck getting clover to grow when it's overseeded on rye grass rather than disked ground. But that experience is also contrary to anything we had experienced before, read about, heard about, etc. So go figure. 

Once clover is established, it's great. Getting it established can be a challenge.

Good luck.
Summer


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## caribou0_0 (Aug 21, 2010)

Didn't do anything but put it in the ground. Nobody said anything about doing anything to the seed. Clover was (Georgia Bulldog Red--Crimson Red--New Zealand White--Dutch White) Still have 5 lbs Georgia Red and haven't put it in the ground yet.


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

The inoculant is a bacteria, Rhizobium spp., that forms a symbiotic relationship with the clover plants in the roots. The bacteria get energy/nutrient from the clover and fix atmosperic nitrogen so the clover can use it. The inoculant improves clover growth, it is not required for germination or growth.

Tom


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## MCI (Mar 11, 2011)

Have you had luck with clover in the past? As far as why you saw no germination I can put forth a couple guesses.It could have been too deep. The seed could have been too old and lost its viability. Extremely acid soil will kill it quickly but I haven't found it to inhibit the germination just kills it by the first or second true leaves. If your soil is very sandy like along trail ridge or similar I would say it is a moisture issue. It doesn't take much water to get the seed to germinate but if it dries out before it has good roots it will die quickly, often before it breaks the surface. I have found crimson to do the best in the drier areas and white does better in moist areas.

The Rhizobium bacteria help the plants thrive but they will live without them. They form nodules on the roots. Even if you don't innoculate eventually you sould get bacteria on the roots it just may not be the proper and most efficient form for the clover. Once you grow a crop with the bacterium it persists in the soil so there is no need to treat each year.


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## sagittarius (Feb 17, 2004)

TWall said:


> The inoculant is a bacteria, Rhizobium spp., that forms a symbiotic relationship with the clover plants in the roots. The bacteria get energy/nutrient from the clover and fix atmosperic nitrogen so the clover can use it. The inoculant improves clover growth, *it is not required for germination or growth.* Tom


Exactly, clover will utilize nitrogen in the soil just like any other green plant. As a legume, clover may also store atmospheric nitrogen in root nodules if the correct Rhizobium bacteria is present. This stored, or banked, nitrogen can be later utilized in times of stress, or utilized by the next crop the following year. 



MCI said:


> It doesn't take much water to get the seed to germinate but if it dries out before it has good roots it will die quickly, often before it breaks the surface.


 Yes, had that happen one year with some crimson seed. A 0.1" rain caused seed to sprout, then 3 weeks of hot dry weather killed the new sprouts. The ladino and dutch clover seed planted at the same time survived, it waited for more rain to sprout.


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## johnblagg (May 15, 2011)

I bought 4 lbs of landio and 2 of dutch white threw it out by hand last month on the yard no prep at all its up....and most clover seed i have bought here is pre innoculated when you buy bulk seed


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## John V (Jun 7, 2010)

I had the same experience as john. I sewed 10 lbs. of white dutch right into the lawn with no prep, last year. It all came up very thick. I still had grass mixed in with it, though. I fixed that by sewing another 10 lbs. early this year. I did one mowing before bloom and the clover took everything over. No more grass. There are a few interesting wildflowers coming up however. You'd be suprised to see what a lawn that has been tame for 40 years+, looked like before it was a lawn!

Later, John


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