Clover’s summer option

Creek chub

Active Member
I have two clover plots about 3/4 acres each. Both were seeded last fall with winter rye and winter wheat. Both seem to be doing pretty good with a little bit of grass and weeds. I will mow the plot after the clover seeds set and drop and try to knock down the broadleaf weeds then spray the grasses.

Does anyone seed a summer annual in their clover plots to fill any gaps till late summer/ early fall rye/wheat seeding?
 
I have two clover plots about 3/4 acres each. Both were seeded last fall with winter rye and winter wheat. Both seem to be doing pretty good with a little bit of grass and weeds. I will mow the plot after the clover seeds set and drop and try to knock down the broadleaf weeds then spray the grasses.

Does anyone seed a summer annual in their clover plots to fill any gaps till late summer/ early fall rye/wheat seeding?
As many as I can think of.
 
I have two clover plots about 3/4 acres each. Both were seeded last fall with winter rye and winter wheat. Both seem to be doing pretty good with a little bit of grass and weeds. I will mow the plot after the clover seeds set and drop and try to knock down the broadleaf weeds then spray the grasses.

Does anyone seed a summer annual in their clover plots to fill any gaps till late summer/ early fall rye/wheat seeding?

Hey Creek,

I don't want to hijack your thread but I have a question or two about two of my new clover plots with regard to mowing and hate to just start another one on top of yours. My plots are doing well also and I'm trying to determine when to mow them the first time. I expect to have fawns start dropping in the next 2 weeks or so and I'm trying to do any needed mowing prior to that taking place. My crimson clover is really starting to shine and the red / white that's mixed in is looking great as well. Also have some chicory that I planted last Fall that really coming on also. Is it too early to mow now? I'm in South Central KY.

I'm also interested in the input you've asked about regarding summer annuals. Thanks!

clover.jpg
 
Personally, I would not want to mow my clover plots just prior to fawning season. My does use my lush, dense, spring plots for fawning and I dont want to remove that dense growth right before they fawn. I will wait to mow the first time until mid July - to give the fawns time to get up and around. I mow again just prior to fall planting - usually late September. Broadleaf weeds dont bother me too much if I can mow a couple times a summer. Grass can take over a clover plot - but I usually spray it. I have never planted an annual in existing clover. Browntop millet might work - and provide seed heads for turkeys and other birds
 
Cedar ridge,
You crimson plot looks great! In another week or so, it’ll explode with color. I did a half acre plot a few years ago and it was beautiful. I transitioned that plot to red clover but still get crimson volunteers each year
 
What annuals do you prefer?
Grain sorghum, corn, japanese millet, buckwheat, sunflower, oats, barley, pumpkins, squash, and any other vegetable seed I can get in bulk for a few bucks. I think for $15, I got 400,000 carrot seeds. A quarter pound of pumpkin seeds was $12. The most progressive cover crop seed dealers are starting to source more and more of these things as covers. It's gonna be fun to watch the covers business develop as time goes on.
 
Grain sorghum, corn, japanese millet, buckwheat, sunflower, oats, barley, pumpkins, squash, and any other vegetable seed I can get in bulk for a few bucks. I think for $15, I got 400,000 carrot seeds. A quarter pound of pumpkin seeds was $12. The most progressive cover crop seed dealers are starting to source more and more of these things as covers. It's gonna be fun to watch the covers business develop as time goes on.
I would have never considered some of those but I like the thought process of mixing in some non traditional seeds. I’m gonna give it a try
 
I'm doing a couple of experiments with clover this summer. In a crimson/wheat field I'm going to drill buckwheat into it early June. The crimson will long have gone to seed and I think the wheat will still be standing dried. Let the buckwheat thwart weeds, go to seed and 'maybe' a dove field will come from it. At least get some summer value . I'm waiting till June to be sure to protect any turkey nests .

In another Durana & red clover field I'm going to mow it tight next week then drill joint vetch/alyce clover to it. I'm curious how compatible that will be. Not unusual for clover to be thinning out mid to late summer which is when the vetch starts going strong. TBD.
 
Grain sorghum, corn, japanese millet, buckwheat, sunflower, oats, barley, pumpkins, squash, and any other vegetable seed I can get in bulk for a few bucks. I think for $15, I got 400,000 carrot seeds. A quarter pound of pumpkin seeds was $12. The most progressive cover crop seed dealers are starting to source more and more of these things as covers. It's gonna be fun to watch the covers business develop as time goes on.
Seed at my local hardware is bare. I was able to pickup 8 oz of green beans. Not sure if that’s enough to do much but I can add it to a buckwheat, pearl millet, and oat mix in a few weeks. Maybe I can score some other seeds by then
 
I have two clover plots about 3/4 acres each. Both were seeded last fall with winter rye and winter wheat. Both seem to be doing pretty good with a little bit of grass and weeds. I will mow the plot after the clover seeds set and drop and try to knock down the broadleaf weeds then spray the grasses.

Does anyone seed a summer annual in their clover plots to fill any gaps till late summer/ early fall rye/wheat seeding?
I'm like markdarvin, I seed just about anything into clover, often just for the fun of seeing what grows. That being said, I usually don't on a 3/4 acre dedicated clover patch, because that small size is a dedicated shooting plot in the woods, and number one, I keep my clover in those small plots that thick that there's no bare spots to fill. Number two, since it's a shooting plot I want my clover top shape on the first day of archery season with nothing else in the way.
My thoughts on mowing in zone 6b is that it's too early. Clover is not lawn grass that you mow every week, I I usually only mow it twice a year, usually in June before the hot dry spell, and August, after the hot dry spell, once I'm sure that it's growing again.
 
I am going to broadcast some alyce clover and aeschynomene in my clover plots this coming up weekend. The crimson clover is about done seeding out and the Durana, Ladino, Imperial Whitetail and Zulu arrowleaf are getting hammered right now.
 
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In another Durana & red clover field I'm going to mow it tight next week then drill joint vetch/alyce clover to it. I'm curious how compatible that will be. Not unusual for clover to be thinning out mid to late summer which is when the vetch starts going strong. TBD.

I’ll be very curious to see how the vetch/alyceclover experiment goes.
 
I’ll be very curious to see how the vetch/alyceclover experiment goes.
Your bucks will love it David. I am positive you will love it also because it will really handle the browsing pressure way better than beans or peas. It is a big buck magnet IMO. I just got 100 lbs of aeschynomene to plant. Alyce clover is hard to find for a decent price to work in my budget but I will find it somewhere to add to the offering. I plant it every year and the deer love it. I skipped the aeschynomene last year and vowed I would not ever leave it out again for my summer plantings. I am going to broadcast it into a couple of annual clover plots also to just to see how it comes up and supplements the clover for the summer without disturbing the clover with equipment.
 
Your bucks will love it David. I am positive you will love it also because it will really handle the browsing pressure way better than beans or peas. It is a big buck magnet IMO. I just got 100 lbs of aeschynomene to plant. Alyce clover is hard to find for a decent price to work in my budget but I will find it somewhere to add to the offering. I plant it every year and the deer love it. I skipped the aeschynomene last year and vowed I would not ever leave it out again for my summer plantings. I am going to broadcast it into a couple of annual clover plots also to just to see how it comes up and supplements the clover for the summer without disturbing the clover with equipment.
I have planted it in the past and the deer love it, just wondering how it will do in the durana/red clover plot. I picked up a new piece of property this year and I'm thinking about planting several acs of it there but like you said, it's hard to find alyce clover this year. If I do plant them I will most likely mix them with WGF, buckwheat, sunn hemp and maybe some sunflowers.
 
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