My balansa clover with a little wheat in it 03/11/24
Food Plots Perennial clover establishment
- Thread starter NChunt1
- Start date
buckaroo
Well-Known Member
That looks awesome, hope mine does that good!
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
That plot looks amazing! Very nice!
Thanks guys, I have been obsessive about it. This field is 1/8 mile from ft. Campbell and gets hit hard every night. I have to admit I have spent years building the soil on this field.
Beautiful
Amazing, great job!
Where did u find the seed ? And what brand
The name was Fixation Balansa Clover
I got mine originally from Nutrien, I'm sure Tennessee Farmers Coop can get it. I now see it being added to a lot of blends from Eagle seed and green cover seed. It shouldn't be hard to locate
Creek bottoms
Well-Known Member
I'm a fan of Durana, but this Balansa has me intrigued. What would be the appropriate mix of Durana and Balansa for a September planting?
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Depends on what your goals are...
For me, on plots I'm planning on replanting in the summer to build soil, I go 50lbs wheat, 5lbs clover (if 2 varieties of clover I go 3lbs plus 3lbs), 5lbs brassicas per acre. That gives me enough clover from Feb thru May that the deer can't overbrowse (on larger plots). On microplots (half acre or less), I double drill at an angle, so I'm doubling the seeding rate because of the excess browse pressure on the tiny plots).
If I'm wanting a lush clover plot I'm not going to replant the following summer, I go 40lbs wheat plus 10lbs single variety clover. I've never mixed 2 varieties of clover when I'm going for a dense stand, but I suppose I'd go 12lbs clover (6lbs of each).
Now this is with a drill. I suspect you would need to roughly double seeding rates if broadcast.
Once the clover is established and reseeding itself, I drill right thru it in the fall with the original recipie. It's probably a waste of the clover seed, but it saves me from having to remix a new blend.
@megalomaniac In your experience when blending with balansa have you seen the annuals remain and be able to compete with balansa? I have not blended that way unless the annual clovers were established and were the dominate percentage. I ask because I believe that the balansa will out compete and overtake the durana if it even allows it to establish at all.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Well, the only time I combine 2 clovers is when I'm trying to get one to flower before balansa specifically to attract turkeys the following spring before the plot gets replanted for the summer. And crimson does bloom a little earlier. I'm not sure that makes a difference for turkeys though. But I'm always experimenting!
On the plots I'm only planting in the fall and letting grow all summer, I've never mixed 2 clovers. But thinking about what you are saying, I bet you are right and the Balansa will absolutely outcompete any other clover if they are allowed to go through May.
