Clover spray and fertilizer question

[texashoki]

All,

I will preface this post with a note that I did something half ass and now I am trying to figure out how to get the most out of my effort.

This spring I had an opportunity to be back at my family farm and decided to go ahead and plant some clover/chicory (I planted WI Fusion). It was a spur of the moment thing, so I did not get a soil sample or pre-spray the field and kill the existing grasses, I just tilled and planted the seed. I had planned on getting a soil test and then fertilizing later, but real life conspired against me.

At this point, the ~5 acre plot looks fairly decent in that the chicory and clover are pretty well established, but there are a lot of grasses and weeds. I will be back this fall (mid Oct-mid Nov) and I am trying to figure out what I may do to try to enhance the plot. I plan to get a soil test sent in while I am back, but I was also thinking of spraying some Arrest Max this fall (have had it sitting in the basement for last 3 years and would like to go ahead and use it and get fresh for the spring) and then spreading some 5-20-20 a week or so later to try to get a little head start on when I return next spring. In the spring, I was going to fertilize based on the soil test and spray again.

I know it is not ideal, but due to living ~20 hrs from the farm, I am limited in some ways. My questions are:
1) Am I wasting time spraying this fall that late?
2) Is there an order I should follow in fertilizing-spraying (I assumed spray first?)
3) Is there a time I should wait in between fertilizing and spraying?
4) I have always been told that it is not bad fertilizing in the fall, although it is better fertilizing in the spring-am I wasting fertilizer?
5) Any thoughts/recomendations are appreciated.

 

[sagittarius]

1) Am I wasting time spraying this fall that late?

For weeds, yes, just mow them now.

2) Is there an order I should follow in fertilizing-spraying (I assumed spray first?)

Spray first, some dust may inhibit herbicide effectiveness.

3) Is there a time I should wait in between fertilizing and spraying?

Until spray is dry, or 1 hr.

4) I have always been told that it is not bad fertilizing in the fall, although it is better fertilizing in the spring-am I wasting fertilizer?

Ed Spinnazolla (sp) was well known for adding nitrogen to clover plots 2 weeks before bow season to sweeten up the plot and increase palatablility/attractiveness. N is leached into the soil with the first good rain. P and K take a while to work themselves into the soil, and microbes then have to break it down into forms plants can utilize.

5) Any thoughts/recomendations are appreciated.

If your plot needs P and/or K, anytime is better than not at all.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Arrest will only affect grasses. It usually works best when grass is short. You'll likely need to mow first, and wait a few days before you spray.

 

[texashoki]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I think I will restructure what I do this fall and next spring. I will probably throw a little fertilizer this fall (200 lbs/acre) and get the soil tests in. Then next spring before things start greening up I will augment the fertilizer based on the results. Once things green up and start growing, I will probably treat with the herbicide. Does this sound reasonable?

 

[Mennoniteman]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I think I will restructure what I do this fall and next spring. I will probably throw a little fertilizer this fall (200 lbs/acre) and get the soil tests in. Then next spring before things start greening up I will augment the fertilizer based on the results. Once things green up and start growing, I will probably treat with the herbicide. Does this sound reasonable?

Growing clover is easy, but a great clover patch depends on getting multiple small things right, rather than getting one big thing right. At this point you need lime, fertilizer, mowing, and herbicide, all four of these items are very interdependent on each other. I don't always bring the lime and fertilizer up to soil test spec on first application, several applications over several years can be just as effective and be easier on the wallet.
Is your family farm in WVA or TX? It's not worth fertilizing or spraying anything in WVA after the middle of October, but Texas might still be ok. Ideally you'd go in there now, add a little brassica seed or grain, and lime, fertilize, and mow, then spray weeds in a week or two as things start growing again. Weeds need to be sprayed when they are small, such as in the spring. The way to get around the problem of big weeds is to mow them to make them small again, then spray after the mowing thatch is dried up a little, exposing the now short weeds to the herbicide. 100 lbs per acre several times a year is even better than 200 lbs once. Fertilizer works right away, and can be applied anytime the current crop is growing, lime is slow. It only takes one good rain to begin to see the difference fertilizer makes for a growing crop.