What (if anything) could I plant now to prep clover in the fall

[tlh2865]

I have an orchard that is just over half an acre that I want to get established in clover starting this fall. I would like to spray to kill grass/weeds and plant something now but I am not sure what would work this late. It will be another week before I can plant anything, and I can plant up to an acre of whatever it is by using my fall food plot as well. I would love to get this acreage into use as turkey food for the spring season (which runs into early may) if possible, I just have no idea what to plant. Is it too late for oats? Would the deer mow buckwheat to the ground at this acreage? I just want to know what you guys think my options could be in this scenario.

 

[Bowhunter]

I would just go with the buckwheat both because of it being very fast growing, and the turkeys love it.

 

[MarkDarvin]

Three main things: Something that blocks the sun, mostly annual, and diverse. Crop canopy is the best weed preventer there is. If you're already into warm soils, I'd add to what Bowhunter said. Throw down some buckwheat, annual clover, grain sorghum, flax, and chicory. If you can get your hands on an upland game bird mix, you'd have about all that.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Do a mixture, radishes, annual clover, oats, buckwheat, sorghum, pearl millet, sunflowers, and sunn hemp would be my first choice. Check out Ray's crazy summer mix, it has most of these.

 

[farmhunter]

I'd agree with buckwheat if your soil is warm enough (55 degrees or more). there isn't always much sense in planting too early because it doesn't do well in cold weather and it comes quick when it does come.

If not buckwheat - something like oats can use up free nitrogen in preparation for a clover planting.

Sometimes in the spring - I'll plant red clover/oats. I get some weeds sure - its not as clean as a fall planting - but if I prep well - I'm not usually disappointed and I have clover all summer. I just frost seeded some into a fall planted rye plot - I would have seeded the clover with the rye but I planted really late last fall.

 

[THE LLC]

Buckwheat. No sense to complicate this or make it expensive. The best clover fields I have ever had were all after growing buckwheat. If you plant end of April you should be able to double, or even triple, crop it.

 

[bearcat]

As far as planting buckwheat in a new spot , just spray then broadcast?


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[Creek chub]

Buckwheat recommendation here too. Gly, come back two weeks later and gly again concentrating on missed and stubborn spots. Wait a couple hours after seeding and mow or pull a drag harrow and you should be good to go, weather dependent

 

[Drycreek]

I have two new smallish plots that I sprayed last Friday. Next week, weather permitting, I’ll add lime and disc it in. As soon as it gets a little warmer I’ll plant buckwheat. My limited experience with buckwheat says that it will grow without perfect ph, will suppress weeds, will improve the soil, and the deer will eat on it some, if not a lot. I mainly am planting it to improve the soil. Of these two plots only one will be planted again this fall as we don’t hunt it. Next year it will probably be planted to IC peas as the lime will have had time to work. I have to disc lightly to plant as the hogs will eat anything that I leave on top. So....buckwheat is my recommendation also.

 

[Fire_Medic_14]

Pretty green at all this. Was going to plant some new plots with a buckwheat and hope to get 2 or 3 crops this summer. Once it goes to seed should I mow it down, roll it, or just let the seed drop itself? Was going to throw a little sunflower in the mix also. Thanks!

 

[Mennoniteman]

Pretty green at all this. Was going to plant some new plots with a buckwheat and hope to get 2 or 3 crops this summer. Once it goes to seed should I mow it down, roll it, or just let the seed drop itself? Was going to throw a little sunflower in the mix also. Thanks!

Welcome to the forum. I'd hesitate to mow it because some of the seeds will get damaged. Rolling it right as the seeds are starting to drop sounds like a great option.