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Weedy Pastures Shouldn't Prevent Planting White Clover
by Wayne Tankersley
Pennington Seed
For years, forage specialists have touted the production and agronomic benefits of adding legumes to pastures. Despite this, many livestock producers have resisted adding them to the pasture forage mix, citing poor stand persistence under grazing pressure and/or the inability to maintain a legume stand while trying to control pasture weed problems.
Two recent developments have fueled renewed interest in adding legumes to pastures. One is the rapid escalation of nitrogen prices and the other is the development of grazing tolerant white clovers such as Pennington's Patriot and Durana that offer superior persistence under grazing and environmental stress.
"...weeds - while serious and troublesome - do not have to be a major deterrent to planting clover"
Still, the weed issue remains problematic for many farmers. This is because most herbicides used to control pasture weeds will kill or severely injure legumes. In spite of this, weeds - while serious and troublesome - do not have to be a major deterrent to planting clover. With a little planning, perennial white clover can be successfully added and maintained in pastures with a history of weed problems.
The key to success is to reduce the weed population in the pasture prior to planting clover. Tim Murphy, Extension Weed Scientist at the University of Georgia, says, "If practical, intensive weed control needs to be initiated the year before planting clover." He recommends the pasture(s) be scouted from November through early March for winter annual and perennial broadleaf weeds such as thistle, henbit, chickweed, cudweed, sorrel, plantain, buttercup, etc.
If needed, apply an appropriate herbicide. The pasture(s) should be re-scouted from May through early July for summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like dogfennel, bitter sneezeweed, horsenettle, spiney amaranth, pigweed, etc. and an appropriate herbicide applied if needed. Dr. Murphy cautions, "Intensive weed control the year before planting legumes will not totally eliminate weeds, but it will dramatically lower the existing weed population and stop weed seed production the year before planting."
Following such a program should adequately reduce pasture weed populations for 3-5 years; a period of time that easily allows clover to more than pay for itself by annually providing 75-150 lbs/A of free nitrogen and significantly improved animal performance.
It is important to note that pasture herbicides vary in their soil persistence. Certain herbicide residues can severely injure clover or prevent clover seed emergence. Plant back times for legumes can vary from 0-365 days with commonly used pasture herbicides. Therefore, it is essential for producers to read and follow any label restrictions when applying an herbicide prior to legume establishment.
The message here is that weedy pastures should not be allowed to prevent producers from receiving the livestock performance and agronomic advantages perennial legumes offer.
Wayne Tankersley is a retired University of Georgia county extension agent. He owns and operates a commercial beef cattle farm and works as a private forage consultant.
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