Food Plots Crimson clover

[JCDEERMAN]

@jcdeermman if you spray it now you can burn the stalk easily but its much harder to kill the roots. I like to hit hard with crossbow and roundup with diesel as a surfactant to end those but you must wet it all not just the stalk. The other option is to take a machete to it then spray it after it begins to regenerate in about 7 to 10 days.
i have a place down on the cumberland that i cant seem to get to for spraying but am about to mow it for the second time trying to buy time and prevent seeding. I really should just burn it all down in august and start again

Hmm…we are fixing to drill RR beans and some RR corn into 2 fields that have thistle. What about after drilling, going through 1-2 weeks later with the herbicide and diesel at the base of the thistle? If so, would tryclopr and gly work?

 

[BSK]

Headed out today to check my crimson clover plots. Hoping the blooms have finished and are ready for mowing.

 

[xatxay]

Headed out today to check my crimson clover plots. Hoping the blooms have finished and are ready for mowing.

When is the best time to mow it for optimal re-seeding? I'm concerned about nesting turkeys & hidden fawns.

 

[BSK]

When is the best time to mow it for optimal re-seeding? I'm concerned about nesting turkeys & hidden fawns.

As soon after the crimson has bloomed and died. When the seed heads are brown and dry, you can mow for reseeding.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Headed out today to check my crimson clover plots. Hoping the blooms have finished and are ready for mowing.

Ours were about 98% finished. Just a couple stalks still red

 

[BSK]

Ours were about 98% finished. Just a couple stalks still red

Good to know.

We're also checking on our wild bee traps. We've got a pretty good set of hives going now. We have three established hives that lived through the winter, and have out about 5 new traps, two of which have new colonies. We get some really great amber dark honey from these (poplar, blackberry, and sourwood blooms primarily, with a little crimson clover thrown in as well).

 

[Popcorn]

Hmm…we are fixing to drill RR beans and some RR corn into 2 fields that have thistle. What about after drilling, going through 1-2 weeks later with the herbicide and diesel at the base of the thistle? If so, would tryclopr and gly work?

On review the label states that on Canada thistle it is a top kill pesticide and will require additional applications. No other thistles are mentioned.
It not gonna kill the mature root systems of plants with large carbohydrate root systems effectively but will give you a reprieve for a little while.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Good to know.

We're also checking on our wild bee traps. We've got a pretty good set of hives going now. We have three established hives that lived through the winter, and have out about 5 new traps, two of which have new colonies. We get some really great amber dark honey from these (poplar, blackberry, and sourwood blooms primarily, with a little crimson clover thrown in as well).

I'd love to get into that. I know nothing about it. Is this something that can be managed from afar (I'm assuming so since yall don't live on your farm). If minimal maintenance, that would be awesome and something I'd like to explore some day.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

On review the label states that on Canada thistle it is a top kill pesticide and will require additional applications. No other thistles are mentioned.
It not gonna kill the mature root systems of plants with large carbohydrate root systems effectively but will give you a reprieve for a little while.

You're a wealth of knowledge - thanks! After drilling, I may go through and chop at base while everything is laid flat (no way I'm walking through 6' tall rye and 3' tall crimson). Then come back through a week later with the 2,4D , gly and diesel mixture to spot spray.

 

[TNTreeman]

Spot spraying the thistles works great but I think I missed more than I hit. Once it gets tall I don't have much luck. After I mow I try to remember locations and hit the fresh cut ones.

 

[BSK]

I'd love to get into that. I know nothing about it. Is this something that can be managed from afar (I'm assuming so since yall don't live on your farm). If minimal maintenance, that would be awesome and something I'd like to explore some day.

It's my BIL who got into it last year. Our first year and we did OK. Out of 4 hives, we got 5 gallons of honey. Half was the amber dark from our hunting property and half was very light clover honey from suburban Nashville. This year, we'll have triple the hives. Checked yesterday and we have six hives working on our hunting property. In late winter and early spring, we add food to hives, but this time a year it's just adding fresh layers to the most active hives give them room to expand.

 

[BSK]

Crimson blooms are pretty much finished, but still need another week to 10 days for blooms to dry out before being mowed.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

One of our worst fields. Clover has thrived. The "weeds" you see are rye and wheat we planted lightly as a nurse crop (about 25 lbs/acre). Only about 10% are weeds. Will spray and overseed again in the fall

 

[mcbuck58]

One of our worst fields. Clover has thrived. The "weeds" you see are rye and wheat we planted lightly as a nurse crop (about 25 lbs/acre). Only about 10% are weeds. Will spray and overseed again in the fall

One of your worst? Looks good to me. Good job.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

One of your worst? Looks good to me. Good job.

Traditionally it has been. We essentially, I wouldn't say gave up on it, but wanted to make it to where we wouldn't have to mess with it much anymore . We started down this route and man, it looks great. We have 4 fields just like this. Each are 1 acre and this one is closer to 2 acres

 

[BSK]

My fall crops (Crimson Clover and wheat) were finally bloomed-out and standing dead by the 18th. Sunday and Monday I broadcast my summer crops (Hutchinson Soybeans and WGF Sorghum) into those standing dead crops, then bushhogged, then sprayed. We'll see how long it takes for the soybeans to show themselves from under all the mulch. And there is a lot of mulch mowed onto the ground this year!

Last year, the Crimson Clover seed heads did not germinate until after a second mowing in early August. Will be interested to see if the same thing occurs this year.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

My fall crops (Crimson Clover and wheat) were finally bloomed-out and standing dead by the 18th. Sunday and Monday I broadcast my summer crops (Hutchinson Soybeans and WGF Sorghum) into those standing dead crops, then bushhogged, then sprayed. We'll see how long it takes for the soybeans to show themselves from under all the mulch. And there is a lot of mulch mowed onto the ground this year!

Last year, the Crimson Clover seed heads did not germinate until after a second mowing in early August. Will be interested to see if the same thing occurs this year.

The weather has been great for all crops this spring. And it appears your prediction going into early June with below average temps might just pan out.

As far as the crimson, we have been extremely loaded as well. Almost to the point that I'm wondering if we even need to include it in our mix this fall.

 

[BSK]

The weather has been great for all crops this spring. And it appears your prediction going into early June with below average temps might just pan out.

As far as the crimson, we have been extremely loaded as well. Almost to the point that I'm wondering if we even need to include it in our mix this fall.

I will only be broadcasting Crimson Clover seed into the few patches that did not produce well this year. All plots had a pretty good stand, but there were a few isolated patches that didn't. I took pictures so I can remember where to spread seed.

 

[BSK]

In early August, I plan on broadcasting Buckwheat seed into my summer plots (and a little Crimson Clover into the thin patches), and then mow and spray. Last year, the plots I bushhogged around August 8th produced the best stands of naturally seeded clover. I'm hoping to repeat that this year. I will also broadcast wheat into the standing plots in mid to late September. I've found that wheat germinating in mid-August does very well, but by deer season is too tall and "stemmy" for the deer. So by broadcasting it into the standing plots in late September, it should still be young and tender in early November.

 

[tellico4x4]

Traditionally it has been. We essentially, I wouldn't say gave up on it, but wanted to make it to where we wouldn't have to mess with it much anymore . We started down this route and man, it looks great. We have 4 fields just like this. Each are 1 acre and this one is closer to 2 acres

I need lessons from you