Food plots

[JDS]

last year was my first year plotting. I have 2 plots that are clover. So the two questions I have are first what percentage of plot needs to be clover versus weeds/grass before it is not worth trying to salvage, 80/20,70/30,60/40? And second, both of my plots are 1 acre or smaller so what size plot is worth trying to salvage or is an acre and less a plot just to till under and redo?

Thanks

 

[huntncoach]

I'm certainly no expert , but in my opinion, if over half is just weeds you should start over. Plenty of time still. You might try some turnips, too, but wouldn't sow the seed until about August for the deer to browse later in the fall/winter.

 

[mrw]

Clover will look its worst in the middle of summer. If it still has a lot of clover in it, I would mow it and overseed it with clover again this fall. I leased a place a few years ago that had a power line right-of-way sowed in clover. It was chest high in weeds before I was able to mow it in August. There was still some clover underneath all the weeds so I overseeded it and fertilized it and hoped for the best. It was unbelievable how thick the clover was that season!

 

[deerhunter10]

In my experience you can usually salvoit pretty easy. Most clover seed you can spray arrest or slay on it to get broad leaf now it right after a rain or right before. Its gotta be pretty bad not to salvage it. Plus like said above mid summer is the worst for a clover plot.

 

[Hunter 257W]

The factor I'd look at to decide whether or not to keep a clover plot that's infested with grass, is cost. One the one hand, if you keep the plot, you have to buy selective herbicides two times. One for grass, another for broadleaf weeds. Those selective herbicides are expensive. Depending on how much empty space is left between clumps of clover once your herbicides work, you will likely need o buy some clover seed. For the second possible path, killing the whole plot and starting over again, the herbicides will be a lot cheaper as you can use roundup and kill everything. Since you now have bare ground over the entire area (after mowing and disking) you will need more clover seeds than the 1st option above.

I think the 2nd will end up cheaper most of the time. This is assuming you have the time and equipment to easily rework the soil and replant.

I've got a 4 acre plot of WI AlfaRack that is going the same route. It's deteriorating fast and is down to about 15% alfalfa total but it's all concentrated to one area the furthest from the house so for now I'm leaving it alone. Considering all the row crops around, it's way more alfalfa than the deer can eat even in it's diminished state.

 

[JDS]

I have read across several forums about using a light gly spray, maybe 1/8 cup per gallon to kill grass and weeds from clover and the clover survives. I have zero experience with this, just what I have read from a few different sources. Would you try this before just wiping it completely? I don't mind replanting but if I can save it I would like to but I can replant the whole thing for not very much and seed and from what I have found doing very little Googling is that the selectives are going to cost more than seed.