Opinions on clover planting

[Drycreek]

First off, I've always been a disc, plant, and drag guy, or disc, drag, and plant if it's clover. This year it has been so wet that one of my usual clover plots has been "too wet to plow" for a month. I got part of it disced and dragged Saturday but the rest is too wet. It has a little grass growth in it since the discing earlier this summer and my thoughts are just to take the spray rig that sits in my Ranger bed and hit it with gly, then broadcast the seed on top. I can't see a problem with that, but I'm open to constructive criticism. Let's hear it !

 

[MarkDarvin]

That's the only way I've ever planted clover. Still don't have any tillage tools, and never had a mower around when I needed it in the fall. Spray it and blow your clover on. Throw some rye or ww with it. Come back and put down lime if you need it, and some gypsum.

 

[TheOldOak]

Same here, don't own any tillage equipment, just spray the plots, plant, add a little fertilizer and you'll have some of the best food plots you can possibly imagine. Timely rain can make a difference though. I've even sprayed, waited 2-3 hours and planted the clover right into the standing weeds on the same day. Within two weeks the weeds are dead and the clover is taking over. Adding a cover crop like wheat or rye never hurts.

 

[X-farmerdan]

I can only approach this from my home geography. Having said that, assuming "a little grass growth," I'd probably put the sprayer away and just seed the area. My expectation, again from here, is that there will be plenty of time to deal with a big pile of grass in the spring anyhow. If you don't spray what would you expect to happen where you are?

 

[Drycreek]

I can only approach this from my home geography. Having said that, assuming "a little grass growth," I'd probably put the sprayer away and just seed the area. My expectation, again from here, is that there will be plenty of time to deal with a big pile of grass in the spring anyhow. If you don't spray what would you expect to happen where you are?

Thanks all !

X, I would expect a little competition from the established grass and a few weeds, but not much at this time of year. What I didn't say is that this plot isn't hunted and there are plots on both sides that have grass and weed problems galore. I'm trying to knock out some young weed growth on each side of this plot also and I plan to spray the clover plot at the same time.

There are three distinctly different soils in this two acre plot. Some sandy soil on the S side, gray colored "Post Oak" clay in the center, and reddish brown clayey sand on the N side. The clover has done well in the center for the ten years that I've owned the place. This will be the fourth planting. The drought this year and in 2011 cut short the life of the clover, otherwise it would still be viable.

Edit: BTW, in my neck of the woods, anything except the tiniest of seeds will invite destruction from hogs. Everything else has to be covered and sometimes they even root those up and eat them. The N and S side of this plot was planted in RR beans and IC peas respectively this last spring and hogs ate virtually all the seed.

 

[Chainsaw]

Your clover planting technique sounds fine from our experiences here. In addition here we have found that adding a small amount of chicory into the clover mix extends the useful period of the clover well into hunting season for us and it grows well in dry times if and when they come. Those pigs sound like a real challenge to work around!

 

[Drycreek]

Your clover planting technique sounds fine from our experiences here. In addition here we have found that adding a small amount of chicory into the clover mix extends the useful period of the clover well into hunting season for us and it grows well in dry times if and when they come. Those pigs sound like a real challenge to work around!

Thanks Chainsaw,, I'm planting WINA Fusion, so I have the chicory covered. My deer love Fusion and even though it's a little expensive, the fact that normally I can get 4 or more years out of it with just some mowing and spraying, it's not that bad.

And yes, the pigs are a challenge, one that I could do without. We've killed over thirty this year (on 217 acres) between two of us and haven't made a dent.

 

[Drycreek]

Update: I went ahead and disced up the S side of this plot, but the middle was still too wet, so I left it alone after making a couple ruts in it. But......today my buddy and I planted Whitetail Institute Extreme in the sandy side and Whitetail Institute Fusion in the middle. He sat on the back of the golf cart cranking on the Solo spreader and I was the driver. We are getting good at this redneck electric planter business and it's sure easier when it's 90 degrees outside. Quicker too ! After we planted I sprayed the grass and weeds where I was unable to disc and cultipacked the part that I had previously disced and dragged. Turned out pretty nice and we have rain forecast for tomorrow.

Last weekend we planted medium red clover over wheat in the same way. I checked that plot this morning and it looks like we got it right.

 

[Drycreek]

This is another plot of Fusion. It's looking pretty good also. One week old.

 

[lakngolf]

Amazing how that clover can POP out of the ground

 

[MK111]

I plant clover by frost seeding in last winter. I don't have to put up with hogs but any larger seed laying on top of the ground is eat almost 100% by large flocks of turkeys. One year I sowed 1 ac with 90 lbs of WI oats right before a heavy rain forecast so I didn't drag it in. We got no rain and the turkeys moved in and eat 100% of the oats seed.