2018 Clover Thread, The Gift That Keeps On Giving

[davidhelmly]

As Triple C said, clover is the gift that keeps on giving and I agree totally. I've been seeing everyone's clover pics over the last couple of weeks so I took a few while I was at my lease on Sunday.
We've got a lot of typical rectangular - round plots but being a pine planation and the owners growing trees everywhere that they can, we plant any little spot that we available. We've got plots that run along the edges of our roads and we plant lots of skidder trails in the pines also a lot like Jim Boyd does and I've grown to really like hunting those long narrow plots, it's almost like the deer feel more secure sometimes in them than standing out in a 2 acre open plot.
Some of the clover in these pics is 8+ years old, some was planted last fall and everything in between. Most of ours aren't the weed free magazine cover plots, I've come to realize that a few weeds definitely aren't hurting anything and that the deer actually eat a lot of the weeds so I don't stress over it like I use to. I still spray them for grass if it gets really bad but mostly just mow them occasionally.

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[Canuck5]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's some beautiful clover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[OmenHonkey]

Looks awesome Triple C!!

 

[Triple C]

Looks awesome Triple C!!

OH...I wish that was mine! That's David's clover plots on his lease. He'll be feeding deer all year long with those plots.

 

[Jim Boyd]

Looks awesome David!!!!

Yep - we plant anything we can get disked and limed.

Keith and I are gonna be breaking some disks - ahem, ummm, well.... what I meant to say is that we will be cutting in some new areas this weekend.


As usual David - you got it happening, brother!!!

.

 

[XIronheadX]

Looks like clover heaven. All the protein a deer could want.

 

[BCPbuckhunter]

That is some good looking clover David. How is your Renovation clover doing so far?

 

[Gut_Pile]

Looks great

 

[davidhelmly]

Thanks, the weather has been just about perfect for the clover this year, I hope we keep getting the occasional rain!!

Looks awesome David!!!!

Yep - we plant anything we can get disked and limed.

Keith and I are gonna be breaking some disks - ahem, ummm, well.... what I meant to say is that we will be cutting in some new areas this weekend.


As usual David - you got it happening, brother!!!

.

Jim, you and Keith go easy on those discs this weekend!

That is some good looking clover David. How is your Renovation clover doing so far?

I ended up doing a mixture this year of Alice, Balansa and Marathon Red so I didn't try the Renovation.

 

[Big7]

Bet they like to munch on that!

I've had good luck with clover and millet.

 

[uturn]

Good Stuff as Usual David!

You mentioned "mowing occasionally" and I am wondering what occasionally means?

Thanks

 

[davidhelmly]

Good Stuff as Usual David!

You mentioned "mowing occasionally" and I am wondering what occasionally means?

Thanks

Just as needed Scott, normally just once or twice a year.

 

[uturn]

Thanks David!

Mine do not look as yours but good to know my thinking is similar or at least that's what I've been doin as well.

Obviously, your place looks great!!

 

[elfiii]

Holy cow David! Y'all got it goin' on in the hizzle. That's inspirational. I'm going to plant more clover this year.

 

[Triple C]

David...Maybe we make this the clover thread for 2018. Clover's been the flagship of our plotting endeavors for the past 3 years and as you so eloquently stated - it's the gift that keeps on giving.

These pics look more like winter wheat we planted as a nurse crop for the clover this past fall but at the base is a solid stand of ladino and durana clover. I've mowed it once already this year and will terminate all the wheat n spray sometime in late May.

 

[davidhelmly]

David...Maybe we make this the clover thread for 2018. Clover's been the flagship of our plotting endeavors for the past 3 years and as you so eloquently stated - it's the gift that keeps on giving.

These pics look more like winter wheat we planted as a nurse crop for the clover this past fall but at the base is a solid stand of ladino and durana clover. I've mowed it once already this year and will terminate all the wheat n spray sometime in late May.

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Sounds good AC, clover 2018 it is!! Your clover looks great, I know it is feeding lots of deer!

I haven't mowed anything or sprayed yet, I always let my wheat/oats go to seed because the deer and turkeys love the seed heads when they get to a certain stage and devour them.

Clover is definitely our mainstay, if we keep getting some timely rain this summer I will be a happy camper!!

 

[tenpoint2772]

clover

the clover we planted has toped out with red buds.the deer don't seem to be using it as much now do we need to cut it.its our first year with a good clover plot and I am not sure what to do

 

[Canuck5]

Does the clover look like this? If so, it's crimson clover and will likely be seeded out in the next 30 days and will be dead. It will drop seed and depending on what you do, will reseed next fall.

Since you've had success with the clover, you can consider a couple things. You can plant a perennial white clover, like the ones in the pictures above or you can opt for a variety of annual clovers that will extend the deer usage. I have both perennial white clovers and the 3 clover mix. They both serve their own purpose, for me.

 

[Canuck5]

The annual clovers, for me are crimson, arrowleaf or ladino, and medium red. My medium red (pink flower) is carrying me thru to the following fall, or has the last couple of years. These charts sort of spells it out.

 

[Canuck5]

But a perennial white clover like Durana or Imperial Whitetail Institute, or Regal, is hard to beat!