Clover/why trip 19?

[Bigeight]

I bought a couple hundred pounds of 6-28-28/acre to incorporate into the soil when I'm planting my perennial clover plot this week.
When I read on labels for "BOB" varieties of clover for instructions they always recommend planting with 19-19-19 ?? Why is this?
I always use a cover crop for a lot of reasons, but one being to soak up extra nitrogen.

Anyone have any information on this ?

Thanks

 

[j-bird]

I don't know for certain....I however suspect that the BOB seed is simply trying to give more "general" support. Most simply say "amend soil per soil test" or the like. Well, many folks won;t do a soil test, so this suggestion of X amount of 15-15-15 is at least something. Maybe not at all valid....but whatever. Triple 19, 15 or 12 is about the most common fertilizer you can find....even at retail stores. As such just like with filler seed and coating and the like - they make a general recommendation with little regard to any waste that may come from it.

This is where a community like this or even a local co-op can be a much better source of "better" information.....even without a soil test. Like you have done - you selected a fertilizer that minimizes the N input (because the clover doesn't need it) and thus....you are not paying for it and wasting money in the process and providing a higher rate of the elements that can be used. Also consider many BOB mixes tend to include some sort of "grass" as a filler - and the N will then give the buyer a better chance of a "successful plot".....maybe of just green grass.....but sometimes ignorance is bliss.

All just a theory......

 

[sagittarius]

I bought a couple hundred pounds of 6-28-28/acre to incorporate into the soil when I'm planting my perennial clover plot this week. When I read on labels for "BOB" varieties of clover for instructions they always recommend planting with 19-19-19 ?? Why is this? I always use a cover crop for a lot of reasons, but one being to soak up extra nitrogen.
Anyone have any information on this ? Thanks

Like jbird said, 19-19-19 is just more commonly available. Going in blind, your 6-28-28 could actually be a better choice than the 19-19-19. I would have done the same as you did. But then, without a soil test you still could be applying too much, or not enough, of P or K.

 

[Bigeight]

Makes perfect sense guys! Appreciate the feedback!

Didnt know if I was missing the memo about it needing an initial boost of N for germination or something silly like that

 

[dogghr]

As said, it is one of the more common fert mixes to buy easily. But any high N will work with initial planting of clover. Not sure what you are planting clover in to but if it is a new plot in field, then it does need a N boost. While clover does produce N , it doesn’t do so until its roots produce nodules after it has established well. That is another reason to inoculate clover seed, to give it that boost until nodule formation begins. Now once it it established, then N additives is unlikely.
If you are planting into a previous rotation of clovers then N may not be neeeded. Good luck.

 

[X-farmerdan]

There's nothing left to say here, but that never stopped me! Triple 19 is easy to find. WalMart sells it. Lowes, Home Depot, your local coop and maybe even your grocery store. It seems like the uninitiated of the world are in love with 10 - 10 - 10. Need fertilizer? Ask for 10 -10 -10. Sounds cool and that's what dad always bought. It has a nice balance. Fertilizing? Balance just seems right. You might ask, why's he talking about 10 -10 -10? Well, when you blend the right amounts of potash, diammonium phosphate with a dash of urea you end up with 19 - 19 - 19 on the way to bagging 10 -10 - 10. Let's see. Start with 333 lbs of muriate of potash (0 - 0 - 60). Add 435 lbs of diammonium phosphate (18 - 46 - 0) and you get 200 lbs of P and 78 lbs of N. But, we need 200 lbs of N so well throw in 265 lbs of urea (46 - 0 - 0) which supplies 122 lbs of actual N. Total material pounds - 333 + 435 + 265 = 1,033 lbs. That's all we need to get 200 lbs of N, P, and K.
More math -- 200 divided by 1033 = 19%. Want 10 - 10 -10? Add 967 lbs of stuff not fertilizer! Or, lets forget the stuff and call it 19 - 19 - 19 (its actually the guaranteed analysis). And it's everywhere!! I know! Now you are going, huh?

But, it's Friday night and I ain't got nobody....