Favorite Perennial Plot?

[catscratch]

Zone 6a. Favorite clover variety, alfalfa, chicory, etc? If you could plant anything you wanted (and needed it to stay a few years) what would you pick? My Ladino clover/chicory in the orchard is getting weak, it's time to replace it this fall.

 

[SwampCat]

For deer, I plant a couple five acre eagle seed forage bean plots each spring. Everything else is a durana clover plot that I overseed the end of Sept with wheat. Typically, clover in my area dies down and turns brown in the summer and doesnt provide anything for a fall hunting plot. That is what overseeding with wheat is for - a quick green up to give the deer something for fall. This is as simple - and productive - as I can get. I dont fertilize. Mow the clover a time or two late spring/summer - overseed with wheat in the fall - and that is it. I plant ten plots like this every year. I am past planting some type of cocktail seeds. No disking, fertilizing, or spraying. Thats what works for me.

 

[Native Hunter]

Plant in the fall per acre:
Zone 6B

40 lbs of the grain you prefer (oats, wheat, rye) or mix them,
5 lbs of a premium red clover that grows well in your area (I prefer Barduro but hard for me to find)
5 lbs of the white clover you prefer (I generally just use feed store white clover)
2 lbs of a premium forage chicory (Commander and Whitetail Institute are my favorites)
1 lb of diakon radish

For me the above is hard to beat. The clovers and chicory should last several years, and my deer eat the red clover and chicory like candy.

 

[Drycreek]

What I would give to be able to chunk seed out without a hog waiting to gobble it up !

 

[catscratch]

Durana and Barduro for clovers.
Do you guys think improved Chicorys are that much better than feed store varieties?
I've wanted to try an alfalfa plot for a while. I "Johnny Appleseed" alfalfa into cattle pasture but that is a walk away type of deal and it is just for the betterment of the range, I'll never be able to tell if deer are hitting it specifically.

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[dogghr]

One thing for sure, having done it, I would never terminate a clover plot again because I thot it needed it. Did that to one, leaving the other for another year, and the latter with a little work is still going strong after 10 years. The redo took couple years to get back up to speed.
Personally a clover / chicory mix is hard to beat. As you prob know as I've shown it multiple times on my thread, I do have a 6 yo clover/chicory plot that includes alfalfa . Been pleased with it with very little maintenance on my part. My assumption is it would last a few years and transition into a mainly clover plot. It has maintained itself well going thru a year long drought in 17 to record rain in 18.
As I've said multiple times, I would assume the alfalfa no longer existed except my exclusion cage proves otherwise, the deer just keeping it mowed short and hard to see. I mow foot+ high to control weeds and have never baled.
To answer your question tho, fav is a clover/chicory plot with fall overseed of WR and/or WW. Good luck.

 

[catscratch]

Thanks for the replies guys!
I may have not been real clear with my OP. I'm going back with a clover/chicory mix, or maybe straight alfalfa (I haven't decided yet). My intent was to ask what your guys's favorite varieties of those plants are? I really like having clover plots, I'm just wondering if I'm missing out on a great variety that I haven't tried yet.

 

[DIY]

If your plot isn’t too big I would buy WINA Alfa-Rack Plus and be done with it. In that bag you get:

WINA Imperial Clover - a proven winner
WINA-100 Chicory - a great chicory
Grazing Alfalfas

It runs about $40 per 1/4 acre or about $140 per 1.25 acre.

 

[OkieKubota]

Barduro Red and Durana White fall planted together with generous WR...The Barduro will make mature clover quicker but be prepared for the Durana to overtake the Barduro and crowd it out but that is OK... this is a 5 year old perennial clover plot here on the Hollow...

 

[Triple C]

I"m 7b/8a. I've got a lot of Regal Graze ladino and durana clover and keep expanding a little every year. Regal Graze is extremely drought tolerant. I really like both. This far south, with decent moisture, we get as close to 12 months of feeding as anything I could possible plant and it's relatively easy to maintain. I don't have competing ag within miles of me. Took these pics on May 19th.

That being said, I've got two 1/3 acre plots that I'll plant in the WI Alpha Rack Plus this fall. I haven't had chicory since 2012 and I've never planted alfafa. I want to see what this mix does in these small plots. I leave the borders of the large plots in pure clover and overseed each fall with a grain.

 

[KSQ2]

Cat, I've had good luck just down the road from you with Alice clover and ladino. I've never planted chicory or alfalfa. My father-in-law usually has 10 acres of rr alfalfa for hay, and in my observation it does no better at drawing deer than clover.

 

[coolbrze0]

My Durana is pretty decent this year, but wasn't good at all the 1st year. I'm liking it now. My Will Ladino clover seems to be coming in quicker it's 1st year than my Durana did, so we'll see how it compares next year, although it'll always be a year behind...