Pastures and hay meadows provide higher quality feed, are more productive, and cheaper to grow if they have good forage legumes growing in them. Because nitrogen fertilizer is expensive, it’s sometime difficult to justify fertilizing pastures.

As a result, Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln forage specialist, suggests growing your own nitrogen by interseeding legumes.

Prepare to Seed Legumes in Pastures and Hay Meadows

The biggest challenge to establishing legumes into grass sod is competition by existing grass on new, slow-growing seedlings.  Anything you do to reduce competition and slow down grass growth will help. Weakening the grass to slow down its spring growth will give new legume seedlings a better chance to get started.

“You can take advantage of this year’s drought,” Anderson says. “It surely has weakened your grasses. And if you keep grazing this fall, your grass will green up later and grow slower next spring. Legumes you interseed next spring, such as red clover, alfalfa, and birdsfoot trefoil, will take advantage of this reduced competition to get established, giving you a more nutritious and less expensive pasture for years to come.
Do you have a hay meadow or pasture that is relatively free of weeds and makes up no more than about 15 to 20 percent of your total pasture acres? If so, this is the perfect place to add legumes.

Now is the time to start preparing, according to Anderson. “Besides taking advantage of

the drought and heavy fall grazing, also collect some soil samples. Then analyze them and apply any needed fertilizer this fall so you don’t need to do it next spring. Legumes especially need good phosphorus and soil pH.”