Food Plots Perennial clover establishment
- Thread starter NChunt1
- Start date
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
In the fall not spring for us always. But There some gurus on here with mixes that can really help you out.
Starting a clover plot now for me would be an exercise in expedition considering the date. Your actual location may help and your method is going to be critical. Also consideration should be given to exactly what you want from a clover plot. Newer Annuals can outperform the most expensive perennial blends.
There is a process to establishing a good solid perennial clover plot that will perform year round and remember all clover plots require maintenance. Done well, you will be very happy and proud with a successful clover plot.
If you have any actively growing matter now spray kill it now. Ideal is to plant no till, either by drill or frosting it in if possible. If you use tillage minimize it. Take your soil samples, you can amend later but pelletized lime works fast and helps distribute seed more evenly if broadcasted. Most of my small clover plots start with wheat or cereal rye at 100 lb / acre then straight 4 lb crimson, 8 lb ladino and 4 lb arrowleaf. Durana is a good candidate to add next fall, its expensive and should be planted when it has the best opportunity to succeed. The crimson is an annual but its inclusion will give you clover for turkey season and help feed your wheat. Like @deerhunter10 said above fall is the best time to plant clover plots. This is due to root development and tillering of the cereal grains which better insulates the ground. Planting much later than right now is betting hard on good rainfall for the summer. I would not plant clover after the first week of April opting for late august instead. Varieties are great and can be used to keep clover plots full and lush all year in most circumstances. I have several clover blend plots and love them but I do my due diligence and keep them sprayed, mowed and interseeded.
BUT!
You should consider another option as well. Search posts on here by me and others using the word Balansa.
I have started using this amazing annual clover in my soil building blends and have now 10 acres of straight Balansa clover. It is a cool season annual that simply will not give up. Its vining and can easily be knee deep. I have picked up vines that came to my shoulder. Deer and all other game browse it well and it takes it very well, almost seems to like it. With this mild weather mine has been lush and green all winter. We have it on our dove field and I love it. It dies in August, I mow the field then Spray with roundup September 1 for dove season. Come October cool nights and you discover how wonderful this clover is at reseeding itself. Easily over 200 lb per acre. And yes it will keep up with fall browse if you get rain. I do drill wheat or cereal rye into it after dove season to keep any bare spots filled in and be more attractive to deer but no worries the balansa will outcompete the wheat next spring.
Let us know what you do and dont forget the pictures.
There is a process to establishing a good solid perennial clover plot that will perform year round and remember all clover plots require maintenance. Done well, you will be very happy and proud with a successful clover plot.
If you have any actively growing matter now spray kill it now. Ideal is to plant no till, either by drill or frosting it in if possible. If you use tillage minimize it. Take your soil samples, you can amend later but pelletized lime works fast and helps distribute seed more evenly if broadcasted. Most of my small clover plots start with wheat or cereal rye at 100 lb / acre then straight 4 lb crimson, 8 lb ladino and 4 lb arrowleaf. Durana is a good candidate to add next fall, its expensive and should be planted when it has the best opportunity to succeed. The crimson is an annual but its inclusion will give you clover for turkey season and help feed your wheat. Like @deerhunter10 said above fall is the best time to plant clover plots. This is due to root development and tillering of the cereal grains which better insulates the ground. Planting much later than right now is betting hard on good rainfall for the summer. I would not plant clover after the first week of April opting for late august instead. Varieties are great and can be used to keep clover plots full and lush all year in most circumstances. I have several clover blend plots and love them but I do my due diligence and keep them sprayed, mowed and interseeded.
BUT!
You should consider another option as well. Search posts on here by me and others using the word Balansa.
I have started using this amazing annual clover in my soil building blends and have now 10 acres of straight Balansa clover. It is a cool season annual that simply will not give up. Its vining and can easily be knee deep. I have picked up vines that came to my shoulder. Deer and all other game browse it well and it takes it very well, almost seems to like it. With this mild weather mine has been lush and green all winter. We have it on our dove field and I love it. It dies in August, I mow the field then Spray with roundup September 1 for dove season. Come October cool nights and you discover how wonderful this clover is at reseeding itself. Easily over 200 lb per acre. And yes it will keep up with fall browse if you get rain. I do drill wheat or cereal rye into it after dove season to keep any bare spots filled in and be more attractive to deer but no worries the balansa will outcompete the wheat next spring.
Let us know what you do and dont forget the pictures.
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
You'll have the weed/grass/broadleaf fight of your life establishing perennial clover in the spring vs fall. Fall with a nurse crop of wheat or rye and watch your investment grow. Spring planted the young clover just has a really hard time outcompeting everything else and that's BEFORE summer stress/drought.
This is not wrong. Weed control is a lot easier if your clover and cereal grain is established and growing before spring and summer weeds get started.
Clethodim, 2-4D B and your mower will be your friend.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Good info here. Like others, fall is the best time to establish clover from what I've found. We started with crimson and ladino, with about 25-50 lbs of wheat mixed in. Man, does it look amazing. I frost seeded it with a mix of crimson, ladino and arrowleaf at the start of February. It is popping now. Once everything starts greening up this spring and weeds/grasses start popping, we will spray with Clethodim and Butyrac (2-4D B).
Best of luck and keep us updated
Best of luck and keep us updated
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
And if you do go with a fall planting try to resist mowing right away let it bloom and go to seed. I've got 6-7 yrs out of durana by doing nothing more than getting a good healthy stand and clipping it at the right time.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Always plant my clover mixes in the fall. Have had great results with planting clovers with rye grain.
I planted some Imperial Whitetail in late fall mixed with wheat and oats but the drought hurt me. Some of the clover came up but I overseeded about 30 lbs in early February and it's coming on slowly. I'm going to keep it mowed high and hit it with some 0-20-20 later this month and hope for the best . It's 3.5 acres of really good dirt.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Probably too late to plant this year unless you are high in the mountains of NC
buckaroo
Well-Known Member
Which spray for my balansa? or both? Also have you found a good place to purchase?
We redid 12 of our clover plots last fall with mixture of Durana, Landino, Balansa & Crimson. It was so dry this past fall & winter for us ( still in drought according to monitor), that they are just now starting to pop. I was really getting worried as we threw a lot of $ towards this renewal project. Thankful for this mild wet spring!
Spread 0-20-20 last fall and it just dissolved the past couple of weeks due to drought
Spread 0-20-20 last fall and it just dissolved the past couple of weeks due to drought
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Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
I've used forestrydistributing.com over the years for bulk orders often with free shipping but all depends on how much you need. You can likely find at your co-op or order smaller quantities through Amazon though.
Both, clethodim is for grasses and 2-4 DB is for broadleaf weeds in clover. MAKE SURE THE "B" is there, it's for Butyrac. Prices and supply vary sometimes you take what you can get I usually find my best prices at Tennessee Farmers Coop next would be Nutrien then Southern States coop in KY
Ive found if possible mowing high is a great weed control . My clover plots are only 3-4 acres so it's not a big deal.
I've got a pretty decent start of clover I planted last year but my question is do I wait on the spring warm up to fertilize and spray for weeds until it takes off a little more
Also what's best to fertilize with 0/20/20 or something in that range
Chickenrig
Well-Known Member
Hancock seed is where i get mine from and free shipping
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
Take a soil sample. We spray when needed personally. Some of our only need sprayed once a year a few plots we fight broadleads bad and have to spray 2 or 3 times a year. We mow them generally 2 or 3 times, although there's a lot of studies now showing not to mow clover very often at all.
I spray if needed 2X a year, never spray when under stress.
I often wait till it needs mowed, mow wait 10 to 14 days then spray after weeds and grasses begin growing.
So thats mow X spray 2X if needed
most commonly available fertilizer appropriate for clover is 6-24-24. I apply in april and september
I often wait till it needs mowed, mow wait 10 to 14 days then spray after weeds and grasses begin growing.
So thats mow X spray 2X if needed
most commonly available fertilizer appropriate for clover is 6-24-24. I apply in april and september
