To prepare established grass sod— 
@ Clip the grass or permit livestock 
to graze it closely, or burn the 
grass if there is heavy accumula- 
tion of top growth. 
@ Cut the sod with a disk. 
. SEEDING 
Broadcasting and drilling are satis- 
factory methods of seeding. Broad- 
cast seed may be covered by rolling 
with a corrugated roller or left un- 
covered—the first rain will wash soil 
Over tie seed’ and cover it. Drilled 
seed should be deposited on the surface 
or planted shallow; depth of planting 
should be not more than one-eighth 
inch. 
Sod seeders usually work well ex- 
cept on exceptionally thick turfs. On 
such turfs it may be better to thor- 
oughly disk, roll, then broadcast the 
seed. 
In the southern part of the region, 
summer-growing perennial grasses in 
which white clover seedings are made 
include dallisgrass, bermudagrass, 
bahiagrass, pangolagrass, and carpet- 
grass. 
In the rest of the region most sod 
seedings are made in bluegrass, or- 
chardgrass, or tall fescue. These and 
other tall grasses should be closely 
grazed or clipped, or burned, the fall 
preceding the seeding. 
In most years the best seeding date 
in each part of the region will be in 
the following range of dates: 
In the southern part of the region, 
between October 1 and December 1. 
In the central part of the region, 
between September 15 and Novem- 
ber 1. 
In the northern part of the region, 
between February 20 and March 15. 
The best time to seed within the 
tange of dates listed for your part 
of the region depends primarily on 
Soil ;moisture; _ seed). whem «there ‘is 
enough moisture in the soil to germi- 
nate the seed and to give the young 
seedlings a strong start. Seedings 
will succeed on clay soils with less 
rainfall than seedings on sandy soils; 
Clay, soils’. fetai, moisture) better 
Adequate moisture is particularly im- 
portant in most of the southern part of 
the region; sandy-soil types are wide- 
spread there. 
Recommended rates of seeding vary 
from 1 to 7 pounds per acre. Consult 
with your county agricultural agent 
for recommended seeding rates for 
your area. 
Plant seed that has been inoculated 
with appropriate inoculation culture. 
Information about legume — seed 
inoculation is given in USDA Farmers’ 
Bulletin 2003, ‘“Legume Inoculation: 
What It Is—What It Does.’’ 
MANAGEMENT 
Grazing 
Competition from the companion 
crop is usually the primary manage- 
ment problem while white clover 
is: in the carly stases of growth. 
Companion crops may compete 
strongly enough to reduce the white 
clover stand. If the companion crop 
dominates the white clover, grazing 
or clipping should help the white 
clover to become established. If the 
young plants are grazed, permit 
animals to graze only enough to 
reduce competition from the coms 
panion crop. After the white clover 
seedlings become well established 
and the stolons develop, grazing may 
be more intense. 
Maintaining a balance between 
white clover and other plants in the 
mixture remains a management pro- 
blem throughout the life of the 
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