Clover - inoculated vs Non-inoculated

[Prof.Kent]

Last year (2017) seeded a new 1.5 acre orchard (cut from the forest!) with white clover as a cover crop. I noticed that some clover seed came "inoculated" and some not. Inoculated with what, I didn't know. Both were the same price, so I went with inoculated. Good thing I did. Here's what I found out:

Clover Seed Inoculation
Clovers are only able to use nitrogen from the air if specific strains of Rhizobium bacteria are present in nodules on their roots. To ensure that the best strain of Rhizobium bacteria is present for each clover species, inoculant is applied to the clover seed before planting (inoculation process). Inoculant is finely ground peat moss which acts as a carrier for the Rhizobium bacteria. Inoculants which also include an adhesive to hold the inoculant to the seed and aid in keeping the bacteria alive in dry soil are superior to inoculants without an adhesive. Good clover seed inoculation is especially important the first time a clover species is planted in a new area. Preinoculated seed of most clover species can be purchased.

 

[Bill]

Paul Knox always recommended adding inoculate to clover seed. Even pre inoculated seed. I believe he recommended it on all legumes including beans. I'll be honest I haven't always done it and been lucky so far. In the past I have order inoculate from Welters seed. Not something I've ever seen at the local co-op but I've never asked either.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Thanks for the info Kent.. I frost seeded some inoculated synergy ladino last month. Anxious to see how it does.
Do you have some apple youtube videos uploaded by chance?? You look like a guy I have watched while surfing for apple info!

 

[Wild Thing]

All legumes should be inoculated prior to planting. Innoculant is fairly inexpensive insurance and it is readily available at most any coop that sells seed. The inoculant varies by type for different legumes so make sure you inoculate clovers with clover inoculant and soybeans with soybean inoculant. If you have already planted say - soybeans in the same field the rhizobia bacteria should be in the soil but I still go ahead and inoculate anyway just to be sure.

Don't have any pics of clover inoculant but here is some I used on my beans last year. It does have an expiration date so you generally can't save it from one year to the next.

 

[Mortenson]

^^^ What Wildthing said. It's cheap insurance, if in doubt. First time into that specific crop and it could make a real difference. After rotations begin, probably not needed. Remember it's a living thing, and it's recommended to keep it away from heat and direct sunlight.

 

[Wild Thing]

^^^ What Wildthing said. It's cheap insurance, if in doubt. First time into that specific crop and it could make a real difference. After rotations begin, probably not needed. Remember it's a living thing, and it's recommended to keep it away from heat and direct sunlight.[/QUOTE]

Very good point Mortenson. I keep it in the barn fridge until I'm ready to use it.

 

[Northbound]

I've heard from 2 different guys who don't know each other.. to use a can of mountain dew for clover. They both say they dump the can in clover seed and let it dry.
Any fact to this actually being helpful that you guys know of? My cup holders only hold old fashions not mountain dew so I've never tried it

 

[yoderjac]

Keep in mind that there is another side to this that is sometimes forgotten. Most pre-inoculated seed is also coated. Producers claim different benefits from the coatings and I'm sure some of them are true to some degree. Unlike some row crops like soybeans and corn, clover is generally sold by the pound, not seed count. Most uncoated clover seed is quite tiny (depending on the type of clover). When you add the coating, you change the seed size and reduce the number of seed in a pound. So, a 50 lb bag of uncoated clover has considerably more seed than a 50 lb bag of coated seed. If two bags of clover cost the same but one is coated and inoculated and the other is not, the question becomes whether the value of the coating (if any) is worth more than having more seed.

Another place where this comes into play is frost seeding. True frost seeding takes advantage of the freeze thaw cycle that causes soil fracturing and heaving and literally sucks the tiny clover seed into the germination layer. Keep in mind that most clover does pretty well when simply surface broadcast without the advantages of frost seeding. However, uncoated seed being smaller has and advantage when frost seeding.

Inoculant has nothing to do with germination rates. As the OP states, the symbiotic relationship increases the ability of the clover to fix N into the soil. This can be an important factor to farmers who often plant clover to bank N for a subsequent crop. How important is this to deer managers? I'm not sure. Clover certainly does need N like any other plant. However, as clover fields age and it fixes more and more N into the soil, it makes the field more and more attractive to N seeking plants like grass. Eventually we need to rotate out of clover an into something else. Does clover fix enough N without the symbiotic relationship for its own needs? I'm sure it does since it grows in many places naturally without the Rhizobium present.

Much of what we do, has it's origins in farming and we don't always think through how our objectives are different from farmers. I'm not saying not to use inoculant in new fields. I'm just providing some thoughts for consideration.

One more note: This relationship with a Rhizobium is not unique to clover. It applies to all legumes like soybeans, bicolor lespedeza, sunn hemp...

I've heard from 2 different guys who don't know each other.. to use a can of mountain dew for clover. They both say they dump the can in clover seed and let it dry.
Any fact to this actually being helpful that you guys know of? My cup holders only hold old fashions not mountain dew so I've never tried it

The sugar in the Mountain Dew is acting as a sticking agent helping the Rhizobium stick to the clover seed. You pour the mountain dew in your bin of clover stirring it with a stick and dump in the inoculant while you stir. Let the seed dry a bit so it doesn't stick together too much then broadcast it. Sometimes if you simply dump the inoculant powder into your broadcast spreader on top of your seed, it will settle out and most will get dumped in a small part of the field. Since a little of the powder is stuck to each seed, when the seed is broadcast evenly across the field, so is the inoculant.

I've inoculated clover this way (Coke works too but don't use diet anything as you need the sugar). I've also planted pre-inoculated coated clover as well as uninoculated clover. I've noticed no real difference in how the clover performs or how deer relate to it.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Wild Thing]

I've heard from 2 different guys who don't know each other.. to use a can of mountain dew for clover. They both say they dump the can in clover seed and let it dry.
Any fact to this actually being helpful that you guys know of? My cup holders only hold old fashions not mountain dew so I've never tried it

Yes - As Jack says, the Mtn Dew or Coke acts as a "sticker" so the inoculant coats the seed better. I have used just sugar water as well. I generally inoculate clover seed in a plastic pail and then just spread it out on the concrete floor of the pole barn to dry so I don't get clumps in the seed. I inoculate soybean seed right in the hopper of the drill.

 

[yoderjac]

Yes - As Jack says, the Mtn Dew or Coke acts as a "sticker" so the inoculant coats the seed better. I have used just sugar water as well. I generally inoculate clover seed in a plastic pail and then just spread it out on the concrete floor of the pole barn to dry so I don't get clumps in the seed. I inoculate soybean seed right in the hopper of the drill.

Kayro syrup is also used.

 

[JFK52]

I used well water to add the inoculant to RR Eagle northern managers mix forage soy beans. Worked just fine for me.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Its a N fixing issue not as mentioned cheep insurance for germination. It WILL fix more nitrogen with the inoculate and more N equals higher protein and less fertilizer needed for future crops.

 

[Fall's Legend]

Jack is spot on about coated seed having much lower seed quantity for the same weight, hence why they sell it for roughly the same price. I have always purchased the coated variety, in both red and white, and never had any germination problems, even on soil that never had any legumes planted there. Good luck!

 

[Bill]

I used well water to add the inoculant to RR Eagle northern managers mix forage soy beans. Worked just fine for me.

Me too with clover. Just water, but I suppose soda would get stickier.

 

[yoderjac]

Its a N fixing issue not as mentioned cheep insurance for germination. It WILL fix more nitrogen with the inoculate and more N equals higher protein and less fertilizer needed for future crops.

Yep, germination rates are not affected at all. It is only after the seed has germinated and roots begin to develop that the symbiosis begins. Inoculation is simply ensuring there is sufficient bacteria available after germination. Once a field has grown the same legume (or another legume that bonds with the same rhizobium), populations of the bacteria will be present in the soil.

Keep in mind that this symbiosis is only one tiny fraction of the interaction between the soil microbiome and plants. Disruption of the soil through deep and frequent tillage not only negatively affects soil tilth and water infiltration, it also affects the microbiology of the soil. Yes, high inputs of fertilizer can temporarily compensate for some amount of time, but maintaining good soil health is much more important for long-term sustainability.

Inoculant is very cheap and inoculating legumes is easy. I would certainly not criticize anyone who inoculates legumes. It can't hurt a thing. It is not as necessary as most folk think but given the tiny cost and effort why not. However, if I have the option of buying uncoated/uninoculated seed and saving significant money, I'll take that option every time whether or not I bother to inoculate it.

If you want to improve total germination (not rate) broadcast more seed. Most folks are probably broadcast less clover seed per acre than they think since most of the recommended seeding rates were determined before coated seed was available.

I think of inoculant like vitamins. If you are deficient in the vitamin you are taking, it can really make a difference. If you are not deficient you're just pissin' it away. More is not better. With a normal healthy American diet, unless a person has some disease or genetic condition, it is rare to be vitamin deficient. Most folks take vitamins anyway.

Thanks,

Jack