# Planting birdsfoot trefoil in the spring



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Some of you might remember my birdsfoot trefoil thread last fall http://www.haytalk.com/forums/topic/76514-birdsfoot-trefoil/. I planted it but had a 3" rain a couple days later and it all washed away. Ordered more seed but never got it planted so I still have the seed.

Can birdsfoot trefoil can be spring planted and if so what can I expect out of a spring planted stand? If it won't amount to much the first year when spring planted I will just wait until this fall to plant it.

Hayden


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## Fossil02818 (May 31, 2010)

I've planted birdsfoot trefoil in the spring into a prepared seedbed along with orchard grass and had good results. However, it is very slow to establish and if your field is already planted with grass I doubt that the birdsfoot would compete very well at all. I've found trefoild to be a great addition to our grazing pastures but not better than alfalfa or red clover in our hay fields.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Fossil02818 said:


> I've planted birdsfoot trefoil in the spring into a prepared seedbed along with orchard grass and had good results. However, it is very slow to establish and if your field is already planted with grass I doubt that the birdsfoot would compete very well at all. I've found trefoild to be a great addition to our grazing pastures but not better than alfalfa or red clover in our hay fields.


 I would be planting it into a clean seedbed mixed with a little orchard grass. Spring planted orchard grass doesn't yield very much the first year here and can be risky if we have a dry summer. Spring planted alfalfa does very well here though......being a legume I thought the trefoil might be similar to the alfalfa.

My main reason for wanting to try trefoil is I have read it is supposed to hold its quality in the field and not get over mature as fast as alfalfa which would allow me a wider harvest window. Mature alfalfa is very difficult for me to sell.

Hayden


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

FarmerCline said:


> I would be planting it into a clean seedbed mixed with a little orchard grass. Spring planted orchard grass doesn't yield very much the first year here and can be risky if we have a dry summer. Spring planted alfalfa does very well here though......being a legume I thought the trefoil might be similar to the alfalfa.
> My main reason for wanting to try trefoil is I have read it is supposed to hold its quality in the field and not get over mature as fast as alfalfa which would allow me a wider harvest window. Mature alfalfa is very difficult for me to sell.
> Hayden


I planted bf trefoil with timothy and had excellent results. Trefoil will stand trampling much much better than alfalfa and as you said doesn't loose TDP if not cut at its peak. Also does well in wettish fields. Takes about 1/2 to 1 whole day longer than alfalfa to cure and you must use a conditioner set to really crimp the stalks as they are waxy. In the barn the scent is not as sweet as alfalfa, it's a bit pungent and the colour a bit darker, but it makes for excellent hay.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

How would BF trefoils do in Texas?


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## reede (May 17, 2010)

Hayden,

Which variety are you planning on using?

clowers,

Typically the weak spot for trefoils is hot southern summers. It has typically done much better a bit further north. Other than that, it handles soil challenges that southern farmers face pretty well. So, if we could get a more heat-tolerant variety, I'd be very interested. Hayden's only a couple of hours from me, but he's at the base of the mountains, and can grow stuff that won't tolerate summers down here in the Piedmont.

https://cses.auburn.edu/news/improved-birdsfoot-trefoil-cultivar-goal-of-multi-state-project/

Reed


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

reede said:


> Hayden,
> 
> Which variety are you planning on using?
> 
> ...


 The seed I have is the variety Pardee. It is a Cornell developed variety and it supposed to be the most disease resistant variety available. Couldn't locate any seed of the AU Dewey variety.

Except for possibly of taking longer to dry than alfalfa I like everything I have read about birdsfoot trefoil. Since it does seem to be more of a true cool season legume than alfalfa I do question how well it will grow here which is why I'm hesitant on a spring planting.

If it wasn't for the fact I have already purchased the seed I should probably just plant this field into orchard grass as I have customers knocking my door down for it. My curiosity of how birdsfoot trefoil will do here is too much for me to resist though so I guess I'm still going to plant it. Just have to decide if I want to this spring or wait until fall.

Hayden


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

We've always mixed birdsfoot into our timothy hay at a 2:1 ratio (timothy:birdsfoot) and haven't had any noticeable problems with it drying. We will mow on day 1 and bale on day 3 with no preservative or tedding. Alfalfa seemed to take longer to dry out the one time I tried it, but that might have been due to local climate, the hay mix or the particular field it was on. the only ground I have that will grow alfalfa is a narrow field right up next to trees on the one side, so it really doesn't get much of a breeze or a full day of sun. I've never done a spring seeding of birdsfoot, but I would think it will probably work Ok since your are seeding the grass in at the same time. If you were trying to seed it into an existing stand, I'd be worried.


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

Josh in WNY said:


> We've always mixed birdsfoot into our timothy hay at a 2:1 ratio (timothy:birdsfoot) and haven't had any noticeable problems with it drying. We will mow on day 1 and bale on day 3 with no preservative or tedding. Alfalfa seemed to take longer to dry out the one time I tried it, but that might have been due to local climate, the hay mix or the particular field it was on. the only ground I have that will grow alfalfa is a narrow field right up next to trees on the one side, so it really doesn't get much of a breeze or a full day of sun. I've never done a spring seeding of birdsfoot, but I would think it will probably work Ok since your are seeding the grass in at the same time. If you were trying to seed it into an existing stand, I'd be worried.


Yours is a very unusual % of BFT/Timothy, generally they are 60/40 or 80/20. Your mix may be why you din't find a difference in drying, but BF does take longer due to the wax on the stems that alfalfa doesn't have.Or as you said, it may be due to climate


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