Throw and mow clover - 13 months later

[Native Hunter]

Early last year I got one of those wild hairs to put in a plot. The fact that we had been having unusually good rains for summer and more forecasted didn't help me get it off my mind. I had been wanting to start a new small plot ( approx. 1/3 acre ) in a location that had good visibility from the primary blind, so that became the spot for my experiment.

I didn't want to spend a lot on special seed for something likely to fail, so I just went to the feed store and bought some common Ladino Clover. I could have added some red too, but I envisioned this as a spot that might be mowed more frequently than I normally do, because it was beside a trail I keep mowed during the summer months to access my tree planting for maintenance.

It was mostly just weeds and wild grasses. Below are the steps I took and the plot was planted in July.:

• Vegetation was pretty high, so I mowed with the walk behind DR several weeks before planting. I felt like there was too much vegetation for T&M.
• After it came back about 10 inches high, I sprayed with gly using my pickup truck with a 25 gallon tank and hand sprayer..
• I let it set for several days and went back and hit with gly again where necessary. With a hand sprayer you will miss some spots.
• I scattered my seed and mowed the dead vegetation over them with the DR. I used my S10 Pickup as a cultipacker - going round and round in circles - packing the seed into the ground.
• The clover came up quickly but so did fireweed. I let the fireweed grow pretty tall and mowed it close with a lawn mower. No other weeds were a problem, and by fall I had a nice clover stand.
• This year I had lots of panic grasses come up in the clover. I'm satisfied this was from seed already in the seedbank, because I got a good kill the year before.
• I let the panic grasses grow and a few weeks before they set seed I sprayed with Cleth. It was an incredibly quick kill for Cleth.
• After the panic grasses were completely toast (a few weeks ago) I overseeded the plot with some different things to add a little spice for this fall. Then I mowed everything close with a lawn mower, and even took the tops out of the clover. I did give a light shot of fertilize then too, and this was the only fertilize it has ever had.
• Below is the plot today - approximately 3 weeks after being mowed at 3.5 inches with a lawn mower.

 

[Satguy]

That is one fine looking stand of clover.

 

[Semisane]

Congrats NH. They don't come any prettier than that.

 

[Drycreek]

Good looking stand of clover ! That should draw them in.....

 

[Native Hunter]

Thanks everyone. And thanks to all who give good plotting advice on the forums. I've benefited a lot from it.

This is a little different kind of plot for me. I've never had a "straight white clover" plot. All the other plotting I've done has been a Duke's Mixture of lots of stuff - with chicory and red clover as the backbone. I try to get those thick and only mow once a year. Those plots work well for me and the deer just live in them. I generally have to mow them about this time of year since I will have perilla come up in them, and I can keep it from seeding.

But I like the idea of having at least one plot like this one. And, it's at a good place for me to mow more frequently since I pass by it when trail mowing.

Tell me what you think of the plan below for the future:

• Continue to maintain it as a low clover plot but sweeten it up with some other stuff each fall like I recently did. At about this time each year, overseed it with some annuals and mow it low like I recently did. Then let it go for the rest of the year.
• Next spring return to mowing it low when soil moisture is good, which should get rid of everything else and give the white clover the advantage again. Make a decision whether or not to mow when I pass by mowing the trail.
• Take care of any grass or weed problems as necessary.

 

[Jason Broom]

What a great example of what timing and technique can accomplish! The only variation I would add to your future plan is to rotate the plot with brassicas or corn, if and when the clover has banked an excess of nitrogen.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Native Hunter]

What a great example of what timing and technique can accomplish! The only variation I would add to your future plan is to rotate the plot with brassicas or corn, if and when the clover has banked an excess of nitrogen.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Thanks Jason. I overseeded the plot recently with some mixed brassicas and grains. They should suck up some of the nitrogen.

 

[Triple C]

Native...Great looking clover plot! We mowed 2 weeks ago and sprayed this past weekend. White clover will be a staple in our fall planting in a few more weeks. Gonna convert 2 of our smaller plots to a pure clover stand and use either WW or oats as a nurse crop. With ample rain, clover just keeps putting out all summer and deer are in it daily.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I'd spin some oats into it to extend it into late fall. Rye is also a good option for midwinter feed, if you want to be bothered with the added chore of terminating it in the spring. Planting small grain in brassica or clover plots in several stages in late summer is what hunting pros call a layered plot.

 

[gut_pile]

Looks great

 

[Brokenbear]

Awesome!

 

[dtabor]

Clover looks great! Im getting mixed results from my recent T&M. Two of the plots had little left once hit with gly so showed alot of dirt, those were showing green within a week. My third plot died nicely but may have been too heavy on the weeds as after a week I have no green showing yet. I have time to hit it with rye/oats if nothing shows in another week or so.

 

[Crimson n' Camo]

Clover looks great! Im getting mixed results from my recent T&M. Two of the plots had little left once hit with gly so showed alot of dirt, those were showing green within a week. My third plot died nicely but may have been too heavy on the weeds as after a week I have no green showing yet. I have time to hit it with rye/oats if nothing shows in another week or so.

You can get too thick with the thatch if you're planting little seeds like clover or brassicas. I've found that cereal rye will tolerate it pretty heavy though. It takes a little time for it to show in that situation due to the plant having to get some height on it before it tops the thatch.

 

[dtabor]

You can get too thick with the thatch if you're planting little seeds like clover or brassicas. I've found that cereal rye will tolerate it pretty heavy though. It takes a little time for it to show in that situation due to the plant having to get some height on it before it tops the thatch.

Yeah it was a mixture, clover, radish and rye. Hopefully didnt waste the clover/radish seed but time will tell!

 

[dogghr]

Great job. I bet just to aggravate me some chicory will make its way into that plot.

 

[Native Hunter]

Yeah it was a mixture, clover, radish and rye. Hopefully didnt waste the clover/radish seed but time will tell!

I agree with what Crimson has already told you. Hopefully it will work out and it may just take a little longer for you to start seeing results. If it doesn't work out, the experience and getting a feel for the amount of thatch will be worth the seed you lost. My best way of learning is getting less than optimum results and then analyzing why it happened that way. Good luck!!

 

[Native Hunter]

Great job. I bet just to aggravate me some chicory will make its way into that plot.

Of course I added a little chicory. I'm afraid you are going to run out of it, and I may have to get the hay baler out and send you a few rolls....