Bowsite.com

Frost seeding

Can a person frost seed too early? Are there any draw backs?

I usually frost seed in February or March. The weather here has been in the low 50s during the day and down to 20s at night.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't frost seed chicory and clover in my existing plots now?

I would think there could be the possibility of potentially losing more of your seed by frost seeding now vs Feb/March, from possible heavy rains, snowmelt, birds (to a far lesser extent), etc. If you aren’t pressed for time in Feb/March, I would prefer to doing it then. Of course, those things could also happen in late winter as well, but you would be reducing the chance of seed loss by waiting, IMO.

The only way it might be too early is when the seed has an opportunity to germinate, but just barley, and a hard freeze follows. You may damage or kill plants in that early stage. Planting in the fall allows roots to become established before a hard freeze arrives, that's why the optimum time to plant clover is the fall. I broadcast WR last November and my plot looked great by turkey season but...I have no way to know if the WR that I put down in November survived or if it was all from my September planting.

I would think rodents may also contribute to seed loss. However I will be snow seeding the end of this month solely because I’ll be mulching the heck out of the plot with my wood chipper. I want the seed under the mulch.

I am not pressed for time, so I believe I will wait. Thanks.

+troy

I'm never frost seeding again. Last year I frost seeded med red clover into my white clover plots. I went to mow it during summer. I could literally count on my fingers the red clover plants in 3 1 acre fields. Germination was probably 1 in 10,000 seeds. Never wasting that $$ again.

I have only frost seeded white clover but my results have always been good.

Maybe it was all that liquid calcium, Killbuck ;-)

coulda been!

Register here to reply to this topic