TOP-DRESSING FOR CLOVER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 57, 1 September 1939, Page 2

TOP-DRESSING FOR CLOVER

An important consideration of grassland management is always the correct application of top-dressing. On dairy farms, except for spccial pur poses the most convenient time is usually regarded as between late summer and caily spring. Convenience however, is not the only factor which must be taken into consideration . Except for direct applicat'on of nitrogenous fertilisers, top.dressing is usually carried out to make clover grow. To a certain extent, clover can use superphosphate and potash immediately thev are dissolved in soil moisture. The longer they remain unused in the soil ? the greater is the danger of their becoming "fixed'' in a form unavailable to the plants, so that their effects become increasingly lost. Certain soils absorb potash so strongly that little of it is usable by the plant; phosphate fixation similarly nullifies the desired results. . In order that the most may be obtained from expenditure on phosphates and potash it is imperative therefore, that top.dressing should be done while the clover is growing fnd while there is yet probable a fairly long period of sctivc growth. This means cither late summer or early spring top-dressing or else spring top-dressing. In a normal spring however, clover grows luxuriantly without top. dressing at that time, find it is therefore doubtful whether added fertiliser in, the .spring is always efficiently used. one of the main aims of grassland management h to smooth out the unevenness of pasture pro. Auction throughout the year. Usually, spring top-dressing merely intensifies the natura] differences in sea. sonal growth. In many districts enough trouble is caused by the natural flush of white clover causing feed-flavour and bloat without accentuating it. Late summer and autumn top. dressing is, as a general rule, wisest because, although in the long run total pasture production may not be greatly affected whether the,top(ireSsing be done in the autumn or in the spring, the time of top-dress-ing greatly affects distribution of pasture production. Although spring top.dressing with phosphates should normally be restricted to ha.y and silage fields it is not unwise to top-dress one or two other pastures in August or September when the clover begins to move away, provided it is done simply as an insurance against a late spring.