Clover in pasture - how to eliminate

[twhs]

We have way too much clover in our pastures! Approximately 80% in a small 1 acre pasture, 60% in a 2 acre pasture, and 50% in my 5 acre pasture. In the past, I had everything sprayed maybe every 2 - 3 years and that worked. I have no idea what they used. Last spring my husband I tried using PasturePro and a small pull along sprayer on the 1 acre pasture and then spot sprayed in the 2 acre pasture. Clover laughed at us and kept on growing. So it’s been 3 years and I couldn’t get the guys I used before to spray in the spring and now it’s July and someone else could come in another week or so and gave me a choice of Grazon or Pasture Pro. Holy smokes the price keeps going up!!! Expensive stuff and I don’t mind that so much because I’d rather pay $$$ than lose my horse to laminitis but I want to be sure we use something safe that will actually knock out this mature clover.

I’d also like to re-seed the pastures with either KY31 or Max Q fescue in the fall or next spring.

Are there any COTHers out there who have experience eliminating clover from pastures?

[RPM]

What kind of clover? Red or white?

If white, why do you want to eliminate it? Horses love it.

[hosspuller]

2,4, D … Plus a surfactant. Inexpensive… $40 for 2.5 gallons around here or $55 at Tractor Supply. Spray when it’s actively growing. Spray in a drought or when it’s dormant and you’ve wasted your money and time. Tank mix Dicamba or something else if you want other broad leaf plants killed.

[OneTwoMany]

Call your co-operative extension. They will be able to help you with suggestions for what works best in your area. Sadly we had to spray a few paddocks to eliminate alsike clover. What a drag. The herbicide killed the alfalfa and the good clover too.

[findthedistance]

2,4-D is your best bet, but clover is a tough bugger. It’s hard to kill and the horses love it. I have made my peace, personally.

[nashfad]

GRAZON killed my clover…

[jherold]

You might also want to do a soil test. It’s my understanding that clover grows in soil that is nitrogen deficient because it “fixes” it’s own nitrogen.

[gumtree]

@jherold

You might also want to do a soil test. It’s my understanding that clover grows in soil that is nitrogen deficient because it “fixes” it’s own nitrogen.

That’s what the book and class room educated extension agents will tell you.

In real life it grows well in all soils by and large. Esp good soil that has become compacted. A horse or 2 on a couple of acres will compact the area in pretty short order. Clover puts out a prolific amount of seeds which are easily carried from other properties. The horses that walk on it carry the seeds to other parts of the paddock. Grass struggles in compacted soil, clover does not. Once it gets a foot hold it will crowd and shade out the desired grasses. Contrary to popular belief horses by and large do not relish it. I had as many as 50 on my farm so I had a pretty good size “study group”. Esp after spring has come and gone.

[gumtree]

Pasture Pro is not much more than watered down 2-4-D. You’re paying a lot of money for a pretty label.

I have never had much luck with straight 2-4-D. better if I mixed stronger then needed for other stuff. Took repeated applications. Even then, kills some just knocks back others. Grazon is a better choice. If you live in an AG area there should be a local Ag Supply store. The place where farmers buy fertilizer, herbicides, seeds etc. These people know what will work best in your area and best bang for the your money and time. Their prices are usually more reasonable than any where else you can buy this stuff.

Understand there is a good chance even after you kill it off there will be seeds left. Might want to think about using a pre-emergent next spring. To keep the seeds from germinating. I hate clover in my paddocks. It takes over large areas quickly. Kills the grass. There is a lot more grass in say a 10X10 area for a horses to graze on then clover.

[Guilherme]

I guess when you have breed called “Will Eat Anything That Doesn’t Eat Them First”* then clover is as relished as anything else that grows here!

Clover is a relatively high protein plant and that’s usually a Good Thing. It does return a measure of nitrogen to the soil and that’s a good thing. If you want to “dilute” it then you could strip kill with 2,4,D or some other herbicide. Then drill some seed this fall into the strips and strip fertilize to assist the grass in it’s competition with the clover.

Since my horses love it and it does good things for the soil I’m cool with it!!!

G.

*I don’t think this is the actual, literal translation of “mangalarga marchador” but it might as well be!