Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
That's an interesting angle, I never heard that idea of trying to intentionally keep nitrogen low before, and since the clover seed that I buy from ag suppliers has a seed coating that includes innoculant I've never put much thought and effort into innoculating clover. Bur according to Penn State either your legumes are fixing nitrogen from the soil through rhizobium bacteria, or, when you don't innoculate and there's no rhizobium in the soil you force the plant to fix N from the air at high energy costs to the plant, costing you plant growth and bulk. You can’t really have it both ways, good clover growth and low nitrogen. The problems with grass start when the nitrogen levels get way high, and that's when i convert the excess nitrogen into carbon and OM by planting grain into my clovers.I don't inoculate my clovers on purpose to minimize grass/weed competition in those plots. Extra fixation promotes nitrogen loving weeds. It has it's place...