Perennial plots Maintenance question

[Jnort9]

Enjoy reading and learning from you guys on this thread. Would love to hear some of yalls experience with perennial plots. I established some clover (with a little alfalfa) plots last fall. Been happy with them thus far. A few questions for y’all with experience.
1). When do you fertilize in fall (general timing, or temp range etc..)?
2). Experience with overseeding annuals to help provide more food? What do you do, and the process, timing etc.?
3). Have some bare spots mainly from overgrazing last winter. Timing for overseeding more perennial?
Thanks in advance for any insight guys, really appreciate it.

 

[Canuck5]

1. 200 pounds/acre of 0-20-20 fertilizer or 8-24-24 ... anything with a low first number and you can do it now. As IHunt does, you can also split that up to be 50/50 spring and fall.

2. Broadcast wheat or cereal rye, right over top late September or early October, ahead of a rain. Nothing special to it and put out 50 pounds per acre of either.

3. Overseed the clover, at the same time as you do the cereal grains. Don't overseed any more alfalfa because it may not germinate.

Over seeding a cereal grain like wheat or rye in there is easy and can be killed off next year, if you choose, with Clethodim. A simple solution.

You can broadcast brassica's in there too, but to kill them off would take 2,4d-b, to do it.

 

[Canuck5]

I'll throw this out as something else to consider, and that is to add 8-10 pounds per acre, broadcast over top of a medium red clover. Skip your perennial white clover.

I am adding a medium red clover to all my mixes now, because it has a deeper root system, than white clover. I still love white clover, but I consider the medium red clover as a "backup". We've been blessed with a wet summer, so everything looks good this year, but in drier years, my perennial clover dries up and doesn't feed anyone, vs the medium red clover still trying to grow.

This was some medium red clover, in September 2016, when my Durana was dormant. Still feeding deer.



Medium red clover is a Bi-ennial, so it might last a couple of years, if the perennial clover doesn't overpower it.




Just a backup plan!

 

[Jnort9]

Awesome info thank you sir!! I wasn’t sure if fertilizer when too hot would be a risk. Although I’d time before a rain for sure. Any specific red clover you like to use? I believe im just a bit north of you @Canuck5 I’m in Greene county.

 

[Jnort9]

Also @Canuck5, can you elaborate on the issue with alfalfa not germinating, I’m guessing it just doesn’t do like clover overseeding? Thanks again

 

[Canuck5]

Awesome info thank you sir!! I wasn’t sure if fertilizer when too hot would be a risk. Although I’d time before a rain for sure. Any specific red clover you like to use? I believe im just a bit north of you @Canuck5 I’m in Greene county.

If you used a high nitrogen fertilizer right now, it might have a tendency to burn your crop, but going with something that is high in P&K shouldn't harm it. Plus, most fertilizers, today have urea (someone correct me here if I am wrong) used as the nitrogen component, which will volatize a little (disappear), if not incorporated in the ground. First rain and it will go into the ground or in the air. I just wouldn't purposely put it out when it's extremely hot or dry, or "if" I wanted the nitrogen to work for me. Here you don't.



My plots are in Talbot County ... due west of Macon. How many acres do you have of clover? If you have 5 acres, then you could buy a 50 pound bag, but if you had just one acre, I'd check out what you can buy in smaller quantities, locally, first.

You could see what you could buy, listed under North Georgia.

 

[Canuck5]

Also @Canuck5, can you elaborate on the issue with alfalfa not germinating, I’m guessing it just doesn’t do like clover overseeding? Thanks again

Alfalfa won't always let new alfalfa seedlings grow.

https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/forage/understanding-autotoxicity-in-alfalfa/

 

[Jnort9]

@Canuck5 Great information, thanks for all of it! Very helpful.