smstone22 said:
Would you mind sharing your recipe for that particular field? Like how many pounds of this clover or that.
Steven, I would really like to sound super smart right now but I can't pull it off. I have thought about what I have done with these plots and I can't find anything different than probably anyone else. But here goes.
The bottom pic is a bench that has a spring coming out of it at the base of the ridge where the bench meets. We cleared this out with a dozer because it was a mess. Stumps, trees and all kinds of growth head high and even higher. It is VERY rocky, the half facing the ridge has so many rocks that it is almost depressing.
My goal was to make it a "pure" clover plot. With that in mind, just like any of my other plots I look at them as a two year minimum project not a one year fall planting and it is finished. I think a major mistake guys make is to pick a weekend and plant it and say that they are done. Preperation is the most important thing we can do.
First thing I did after clearing is limed it In February of '09. I put 9.5 tons of lime between my bottoms and this bench. I started planting this plot in the spring once green up started. I killed everything in the field and manicured it how I wanted it to look.
As far as the seed I am embarassed to say like most times I mix what I feel. Ladina is my favorite all around clover and I know most of the plot is that.
Once the ground is prepped my next goal is to plant in the rain or within a few days of for-sure rain. I try to plant in the rain and schedule my plot preperation around it. I have seed and a spreader available almost always.
After I have a plot established controlling weed/grasses is a must. On this plot especially. I know good chemical is expensive but driving a 1.5 hours in my truck and wear and tear isn't cheap either so less "work" I have to do on them long term the better. ALL of my plots are done by hand. This is the first year I have used a 4wheeler disc. I think we open that seed bank up when we disc and then most of us do not use proper chemical to control unwanted weed/grasses.
Mowing is very helpfull to keep unwanted weeds out of your plot. I try to never mow when it is really hot unless it is getting ready to rain. I try to keep it around 6 inches when I do mow. I probably only mow it around 4 times a year at most.
Last but not least with this plot being planted in the spring I put another few pounds of clover in it in the fall. Any spots that didn't come in as good as I wanted I concentrated on those areas. The fall is the best time to plant clover like we all know but I do find myself "top dressing" plots year around with more clover.
I guess this is what I do with all of the plots that I have done. Nothing different than anyone else I am just anal about when and how I do it. Ground prep and rain is all we need to have good plots.
Hopefully I will have a great stand of soybeans in a few month and if it looks half as good as my clover I will consider myself lucky. Either way it sure is fun.
