Clover...how deep do i dig?

[WIDeer4Life]

Planning on planting some clover in August and was wondering how much ground i should dig up. I'm using a rotitiller (spelling?) so I dont really wanna do more work than i have to haha. My dad says I'll probably only have to dig about 4 inches down at the most, if its anything like alfalfa. Thanks guys.

[cowpoke]

Treat it just like you would for planting alfalfa if you are familiar with that. You want a firm seed bed so the seed doesn't get put too deep into the soil.

So 4 inches deep of tillage should be ok.

Right before planting when you walk across the tilled ground it would be nice if your footprints only sink in about 1/4 inch into the soil.

[wtnhunt]

Yep, you want a firm seedbed for clovers. I run my drag after discing several times over where I intend to plant to smooth the surface and also aids in firming it up.

[cowpoke]

The drag is a good tool for hleping firm up the seed bed if you don't have access to a brillion roller packer

[wtnhunt]

A drag can be made really easily fairly cheap with a small section of chain link and a piece of steel pipe, if you do not have one.

[Bownarow]

You are definately going to want to pack the soil a little to get a firm seed bed. If you have an ATV, simply driving over the ground will do a sufficient job of packing. You will want to do this again once you have seeded your plot to insure good seed to soil contact.

[FSU_Seminole]

Just like these guys have said.

How much ground you break doesn't really matter with clover seed. But its best to go 4 inches or so because you want the soil to get air, fertilizer & moisture. The thing with tiny seeds like clover & brassicas is DO NOT cover them with a buch of soil.

Disk the ground, fertilizer then get a roller or drag of some sort & pack the soil. Then broadcast your clover then come by and lightly use a drag to cover them.

I've got 2 drags. One weighs about 150 lbs I use to pack the soil down tight, the other weighs 48 lbs I use for lightly covering the seed.

[LETMGROW]

Don't be afraid of tilling too deeply. You are simply loosening the soil so the plants can establish a deeper root system. Clover and alfalfa both have long roots which seek moisture. I try to till at least 6" deep for clover.

[RangerClay]

[ QUOTE ]
A drag can be made really easily fairly cheap with a small section of chain link and a piece of steel pipe, if you do not have one.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have really good luck with a set of bed springs

Ranger