Clover and Notrogen

[Jerry]

Do you get the same or similar benefit of nitrogen from clover that is chemically terminated and left on top to decay vs discing it under to incorporate?

 

[Telemark]

Yes. Most of the nitrogen will be from the root nodules.

 

[Jerry]

Thank you.

 

[Wild Thing]

Agree - It is good to take your shovel out once in a while and see what your roots look like. These are clover roots and you can see the Nitrogen nodules that has been fixed in the roots.



Hairy Vetch also fixes lots of N in its root which is why many of us include HV in our cover crops.


It is also nice to see lots of worms in your soil...

 

[Wild Thing]

I might add that not only is the primary source of Nitrogen found in the roots, but the roots are where the vast majority of soil Organic Matter comes from....as well as routes for water infiltation, microbial activity, nutrient transfer, etc, etc, etc.

 

[Jerry]

So then that brings me to my next question which has probably been covered before but what chemical(s) is best to kill red clover being used for cover ctlrop and fixing nitrogen? My limited experience with it would suggest gly alone or maybe just one shot of gly won't cut it.

I appreciate the responses here.

 

[Wild Thing]

So then that brings me to my next question which has probably been covered before but what chemical(s) is best to kill red clover being used for cover ctlrop and fixing nitrogen? My limited experience with it would suggest gly alone or maybe just one shot of gly won't cut it.

I appreciate the responses here.

I have planted a lot of Medium Red Clover over the years and it is very difficult to terminate with Gly alone. 2-4,D works pretty well but there is residual in the soil so many things can't be planted for a while after application - 10-15 days if applied at 1 Pint per acre or 4 weeks if applied at 1 Quart/acre. Liberty, or one of its generics (24.5% Glufosinate) may also work well but I don't have enough experience with it yet to form a solid opinion.

 

[bigboreblr]

Gly and 2,4D combo will do it. Most 2,4D labels have a reciepe for using both.

If you're doing tillage, you could probably just till it and be good. A small bit may stay alive, but you'l have more come back from seed than tillage kill.

Nitrogen benefit is probably the same. Plants can grow better in loose soil. Nitrogen release will likely be a bit faster if left alone. More moisture down below, soil bacteria more active.

What are you planning to plant after that. Some goals can not be achieved without tillage. Some soil need tillage from time to time as well. Prductive no-till can be difficult infedinitely. 5-7 years compaction starts getting to certain soils. Imagine down south hard clay soils without frost heaving can be tough.

 

[Jerry]

The plan would be to follow with brassicas in a rotation. Just trying to park the disk more and more.