Frost seeding

 Today looks like a great day to do some frost seeding.

Southern Belle has about three acres that she is turning into pasture.

Unfortunately, most of it was covered with Asian Honeysuckle and other pucker-brush. She hired a gentleman to brush-hog that down.

As of this morning, approximately two-thirds of the ground is bare dirt. The brush threw such a dense shade that it killed off any ground cover.

Even goats cannot survive eating dirt.

Frost seeding

Frost seeding is the practice of broadcasting (scattering) seeds on top of the soil and counting on the freeze-thaw cycle to "work" the seeds into the ground. Once they are under the surface, the seeds are relatively safe from birds and mice.

The weather pattern of freeze-thaw can be tough to catch. One cue is to watch to see if the people who tap maple trees are moving sap. That same freeze-thaw cycle moves the sap from the roots to the tops and then back down again.

Clover seeds

White Clover* seeds are tiny and it is difficult to spread them evenly. They run about 800,000 seeds to the pound or 1,800,000 per kg.

Seeding rates for White Clover are one or two pounds per acre. It is a pretty neat trick to spread those seeds that finely.

One trick is to add other materials to bulk-up the seeds. It can be cheaper Red Clover seeds. It can be millet seeds or oats or cracked corn (although the last two attract birds).

I have a bunch of old seeds for deer food-plots that were given to me as a gift. They are at least eight years old. I also have a significant amount of grass seed but will only add that to the mix when I am seeding the totally bare areas.

The areas that already have some kind of grass growing in them will only get the clover seed + whatever else I have on hand. 

Ladino Clover

Ladino Clover is a giant form of White Clover. People who plant deer food-plots typically treat it as an annual crop rather than as a component in a perennial pasture.

 

In my part of Michigan, a pasture that is between 20% and 40% clover is considered well managed. If you can keep the needle between those two numbers on the majority of the pasture then you are doing a stellar job as a grazier.