Fixation Balansa clover in zone 4

[Wind Gypsy]

Anyone have experience fall planting fixation balansa in these colder zones and having it not winter kill? Wondering if it makes sense to mix it with the medium red as the clover component in most of my plots or if it would be better to frost seed in the spring instead.

 

[TenPoint]

I haven't tried fixation yet. I had crimson clover survive this past winter in 4b. Central WI. Was pleasantly surprised by that.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Anyone have experience fall planting fixation balansa in these colder zones and having it not winter kill? Wondering if it makes sense to mix it with the medium red as the clover component in most of my plots or if it would be better to frost seed in the spring instead.

I have not had luck frost seeding balansa


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[yoderjac]

Anyone have experience fall planting fixation balansa in these colder zones and having it not winter kill? Wondering if it makes sense to mix it with the medium red as the clover component in most of my plots or if it would be better to frost seed in the spring instead.

I can't speak to colder zones. Here in zone 7a, Crimson clover acts as a reseeding annual. I tried replacing it with Fixation on year. I was much less impressed with the ability to reseed here. No significant difference in how deer related to them in my area.

 

[SD51555]

Anyone have experience fall planting fixation balansa in these colder zones and having it not winter kill? Wondering if it makes sense to mix it with the medium red as the clover component in most of my plots or if it would be better to frost seed in the spring instead.

Add it. I have fall planted (August 1st northern MN) and gotten good amounts to come back. I wouldn’t do it alone though. I mixed it in with Dutch white clover and alfalfa. It’s something to see when it comes back in spring. Blooms the size of gold balls. They are the pink ones. And the biomass dwarfs the white clover.

I got the idea yesterday that I should be adding a pound per acre each year when I throw and mow. I don’t know if that will help it persist, but I’ll risk the few dollars worth of seed to try.

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[S.T.Fanatic]

Add it. I have fall planted (August 1st northern MN) and gotten good amounts to come back. I wouldn’t do it alone though. I mixed it in with Dutch white clover and alfalfa. It’s something to see when it comes back in spring. Blooms the size of gold balls. They are the pink ones. And the biomass dwarfs the white clover.

I got the idea yesterday that I should be adding a pound per acre each year when I throw and mow. I don’t know if that will help it persist, but I’ll risk the few dollars worth of seed to try.

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I am in the process of opening up a kill plot. My plan is to go with a perenial clover/chicory base but wanted to throw in a couple of annual clovers for fall forage. When planted in August how much forage did the annual clover put on for you?

 

[jsasker007]

Add it. I have fall planted (August 1st northern MN) and gotten good amounts to come back. I wouldn’t do it alone though. I mixed it in with Dutch white clover and alfalfa. It’s something to see when it comes back in spring. Blooms the size of gold balls. They are the pink ones. And the biomass dwarfs the white clover.

I got the idea yesterday that I should be adding a pound per acre each year when I throw and mow. I don’t know if that will help it persist, but I’ll risk the few dollars worth of seed to try.

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That's taking drilling seed to a whole new level there!

 

[SD51555]

I am in the process of opening up a kill plot. My plan is to go with a perenial clover/chicory base but wanted to throw in a couple of annual clovers for fall forage. When planted in August how much forage did the annual clover put on for you?

Hard to say. I was reclaiming 2-3’ of solid clay. All that came up was Japanese millet and flax. But it came on decent enough in spring. I’m not sure what it would do in normal soil.


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[SD51555]

That's taking drilling seed to a whole new level there!

Drill?


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[TenPoint]

Add it. I have fall planted (August 1st northern MN) and gotten good amounts to come back. I wouldn’t do it alone though. I mixed it in with Dutch white clover and alfalfa. It’s something to see when it comes back in spring. Blooms the size of gold balls. They are the pink ones. And the biomass dwarfs the white clover.

I got the idea yesterday that I should be adding a pound per acre each year when I throw and mow. I don’t know if that will help it persist, but I’ll risk the few dollars worth of seed to try.

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Where did you get the Makita seed?

 

[SD51555]

Where did you get the Makita seed?

China

 

[Wind Gypsy]

 

[SD51555]

That's taking drilling seed to a whole new level there!

Oh, now I’m caught up.

I had to do a major upgrade to my homemade ground blind while I was back there. It needed a door latch.

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[TenPoint]

Oh, now I’m caught up.

I had to do a major upgrade to my homemade ground blind while I was back there. It needed a door latch.

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Looks like my homemade door latch. My dad commented on mine, what if it shuts when I'm inside. I said kick out the door.

 

[SD51555]

Looks like my homemade door latch. My dad commented on mine, what if it shuts when I'm inside. I said kick out the door.

I could just take a knife and cut through the fabric and walk out the side.

 

[TenPoint]

I could just take a knife and cut through the fabric and walk out the side.

haha. I'd need a crowbar for mine. Or a saw.

 

[Wild Thing]

Oh, now I’m caught up.

I had to do a major upgrade to my homemade ground blind while I was back there. It needed a door latch.

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Looks an awful lot like my door latches SD...







You can always open a window and turn the latch from inside any of our blinds.

 

[Wild Thing]

I planted Fixation Balsana in my summer cover crop mix for the first time this year. I may also include some in my fall mix. Will know next spring how it survives here in Upper Michigan - Zone 4a - Latitude 45.5 N.

I never planted Crimson clover for many, many years because I didn't think it would over winter. Finally decided to try it anyway about 3 years ago and not only did it over winter, it reseeded itself. It is now a staple in my cover crop mixes.

 

[TenPoint]

I planted Fixation Balsana in my summer cover crop mix for the first time this year. I may also include some in my fall mix. Will know next spring how it survives here in Upper Michigan - Zone 4a - Latitude 45.5 N.

I never planted Crimson clover for many, many years because I didn't think it would over winter. Finally decided to try it anyway about 3 years ago and not only did it over winter, it reseeded itself. It is now a staple in my cover crop mixes.

I did that last year with crimson and it survived winter in zone 4b. Will be interesting to see if it reseeds and survives another winter.

 

[SD51555]

I'm gonna have some new spots next year when I finish spreading pond spoils, and I've got a few pockets of plot going on 5 years that need to get the re-boot. I'm considering coming back with a simpler blend of:

Primary:
Fixation balansa
rye
chicory

Secondary:
Plantain
flax
japanese millet
ragweed
black eyed susan
purple coneflower
alfalfa
collards
Dwarf BMR sorghum

The secondaries are either low population or low odds of making it. We'll see. I liked the sweet clover experiment, but I think it held back my rye straw yield. At least it seemed like it did. The rye made full size before the sweet clover, but once the sweet clover came on, the biomass was so high, my residue at mowing time was mostly clover, and not much straw. I did find a guy at the social club that's wants to come mow my stuff with his skid steer and brush mower. He claims he can get down to 3". I figure that's gonna run me about $100-$200 more than doing it myself on foot with a rental goat.