clover

[tree cutter 08]

whats yalls thoughts on clover plots? when to plant and maintance?

 

[win280]

Hard to beat crimson clover and winter wheat. But then I have planted duranna, patriot,crimson and whitetail institute clover. I wanted to give the wildlife something to eat year round.

 

[Forest Grump]

whats yalls thoughts on clover plots? when to plant and maintance?

When to plant = last week of Sept- 1st 2 weeks of Oct, ideally.

Maintenance depends on what type of clover you plant: perennials need occasional mowing, weed/grass competition control, etc... Annuals you need to let go to seed every year before mowing them, usually not until you are getting ready to replant. Fertilize with balanced fertilizer according to soil test results at planting. People will tell you not to use any N, but that is if you have grass, (grass competition will use the N to overwhelm the clover, so you withhold it to starve the grass); clover appreciates a little N, esp. at establishment, until it has time to form root nodules. Later applications, while not necessary, will increase protein level & " lushness".

Crimson is cheap, readily available, & very tolerant of soil type & pH. If you plant white clover, you need good site moisture & the right pH. Clover should be inoculated with the appropriate Rhizobia bacteria to fix N. Red clover, which is not the same as crimson, is a good choice, as it lasts a little longer into spring than crimson before it seeds out. Clover's greatest benefit is late winter-early spring, before the woods green up, as a source of tender, high protein forage.

I plant a wide variety of things for the deer to eat, but for small plots that will receive a good bit of browse pressure, staging areas, & something good for turkeys as well as deer, it's hard to beat good clover plot.

 

[Hunt&Fish]

Crimson and Arrowleaf

whats yalls thoughts on clover plots? when to plant and maintance?

I've been planting Crimson and oats in Sept when there is moisture in the soil and I've had good plots.
This year I'm going to mix Crimson and Arrowleaf with oats and plant in Sept when the moisture is right. I am doing this to compare the two clovers.
Crimson does reseed itself, however, I replant every year
since I've got to disc the plot to plant the oats anyway.
By the way wild mustard comes up in my plots every year and the deer love it. I think it's because I put out plenty of nitrogen. Deer know what's been fertilized.

 

[dick7.62]

Wheat and/or oats and crimson clover is a never fail and relatively cheap(compared to other seeds) food plot for me.