Trying to save Fall's Clover Plot

[brofoster]

I generally plow my plots under and start fresh each September. This past seasons plots proved to be a labor of love. We got no rain, seed sat in the ground forever, slow starting......then exploded into my best plot to date! At least 10 different clovers, wheat, oats, rye, peas, beans and brassicas! Well the cereal grains took off and I knew they would choke out my patch. Also turkeys hate tall grain (at least mine do) and they don't come into the patch until later in the day when it dries out!!! So this year I put the bush hog to work. Kept the blade kind of high to cut the wheat down but hopefully expose the clover. I plan on fertilizing later this month and hitting it with clethodim in May and August. See if I can't pull this plot through to next year° Any other suggestions would help!!!

Gunny

 

[Canuck5]

For as bad a fall as we had, I'd say you did outstanding!

Spray clethodim and 2,4d-b (if needed). You can fertilize again in late September with 0-20-20 (if you can find it) or 8-24-24 and IMHO just park the bush hog.

Do you remember which clovers you used?

 

[Canuck5]

Oh, and plan to overseed (a little) with more clover in the fall, along with more cereal grain, turnips, radish, etc.. The clovers I would choose would be a medium red clover and a ladino white clover.

 

[Canuck5]

....... oh, and let your clover go to seed

 

[Triple C]

@brofoster - Sounds like the perfect plan if you ask me. You're right, turkeys on our place wont use cereal grain once it's above their line of sight.

Keep an eye on the clover and spray with cleth about end of May thru June when the crab grass comes in and you should have you one fine clover plot assuming you've got a good base of perennial clover in there.

 

[Triple C]

@brofoster - Sounds like the perfect plan if you ask me. You're right, turkeys on our place wont use cereal grain once it's above their line of sight.

Keep an eye on the clover and spray with cleth about end of May thru June when the crab grass comes in and you should have you one fine clover plot assuming you've got a good base of perennial clover in there

 

[TomC]

This first year will be a war on weeds. Follow what has been said above with regards to spraying and you will be amazed at how good your perennial clover plot will look going into spring / summer 2024. Don't overseed too early in the fall with additional clover seed and cereal rye. I'd wait until mid October. Due to the extreme drought last fall my clover was down to DIRT at Halloween. Overseeded (Ladino, Durana, Cereal Rye) first of November and by mid November it was coming back nicely. Once the clover roots get established they will come back even after extreme drought. Don't forget to frost seed additional clover seed January / February. I'm going into year three on a Ladino / Durana plot out behind my house. Its been worth the effort. Perennial Clover is a 365 day a year buffet. Overseeding with rye in the fall just gives it an extra boost. Took this photo last night. Average turnout

 

[davidhelmly]

Canuck gave you some outstanding advice, your plots look great!

 

[Ihunt]

That wheat is going to try and come back. Not sure how tall it will get but it will try and make seed.

You could spray that Cleth as soon as it warms up a little to kill the wheat.

Imox is another option. It has a residual with plant back restrictions of 3 months on wheat and 9 months on oats. I’ll let you know this October if 7 months was sufficient for oats.

 

[brofoster]

For as bad a fall as we had, I'd say you did outstanding!

Spray clethodim and 2,4d-b (if needed). You can fertilize again in late September with 0-20-20 (if you can find it) or 8-24-24 and IMHO just park the bush hog.

Do you remember which clovers you used?

I threw the sink at em with the clover. I know there were close to a dozen. Red, crimson, landino, arrow leaf, white, fixation, yucchi, bermseed, you name it...... it was probably in there and it all took! What will hold over is a different story. I've don't know much about 2-4-D. Didn't know if it was safe on clover. I have several gallons or clethodim

 

[brofoster]

Oh, and plan to overseed (a little) with more clover in the fall, along with more cereal grain, turnips, radish, etc.. The clovers I would choose would be a medium red clover and a ladino white clover.

Yep that's the plan

 

[brofoster]

This first year will be a war on weeds. Follow what has been said above with regards to spraying and you will be amazed at how good your perennial clover plot will look going into spring / summer 2024. Don't overseed too early in the fall with additional clover seed and cereal rye. I'd wait until mid October. Due to the extreme drought last fall my clover was down to DIRT at Halloween. Overseeded (Ladino, Durana, Cereal Rye) first of November and by mid November it was coming back nicely. Once the clover roots get established they will come back even after extreme drought. Don't forget to frost seed additional clover seed January / February. I'm going into year three on a Ladino / Durana plot out behind my house. Its been worth the effort. Perennial Clover is a 365 day a year buffet. Overseeding with rye in the fall just gives it an extra boost. Took this photo last night. Average turnout View attachment 1217109

Yeah I'm assuming it will be a fight. I have lots of cleth for the broadweeds. What do you do for the grasses? I've been told to hit it with 24d

 

[Canuck5]

I threw the sink at em with the clover. I know there were close to a dozen. Red, crimson, landino, arrow leaf, white, fixation, yucchi, bermseed, you name it...... it was probably in there and it all took! What will hold over is a different story. I've don't know much about 2-4-D. Didn't know if it was safe on clover. I have several gallons or clethodim

You did throw everything at it! . You will know in late June what and how much of the perennials have "taken hold". The ladino and medium red will still be around, but let everything go to seed and it will keep producing for you in the future.

2,4d-b is what you want to use for broadleaf weeds. Butyrac 200 is 2,4d-b

 

[Canuck5]

My medium red clover and it's roots in September, 2021. Deer were hammering it.

 

[Canuck5]

Yeah I'm assuming it will be a fight. I have lots of cleth for the broadweeds. What do you do for the grasses? I've been told to hit it with 24d

2.4d-b for broadleaf weeds and clethodim, plus a surfactant, for grasses.

 

[Canuck5]

And clethodim might take 3 weeks before you think you've killed the grass, but if you were to pull the center of the grass plant out and see brown at the tip, the grass is dead, but it just doesn't know it yet, LOL.

 

[TomC]

Yeah I'm assuming it will be a fight. I have lots of cleth for the broadweeds. What do you do for the grasses? I've been told to hit it with 24d

Clethodim for grass, 24DB (Butryac 200) NOT 24D for broadleaf as mentioned. Started Fall 2020, still had a fair amount….more than a fair amount of weeds last spring but is finally clearing up nicely. I’m a couple states North so just starting to pop. Under a couple acres I just can’t imagine there being any better food plot than Ladino / Durana. This plot is just under 2 acres. 20 to 30+ deer hit this every day of the year and it handles the pressure like a champ! I'll spray mid April, late May and then again around Labor Day, then overseed with cereal rye mid October, frost seed more clover February, 6-24-24 spring and fall as 0-20-20 is not readily available where I live.

 

[Ihunt]

Clethodim for grass, 24DB (Butryac 200) NOT 24D for broadleaf as mentioned. Started Fall 2020, still had a fair amount….more than a fair amount of weeds last spring but is finally clearing up nicely. I’m a couple states North so just starting to pop. Under a couple acres I just can’t imagine there being any better food plot than Ladino / Durana. This plot is just under 2 acres. 20 to 30+ deer hit this every day of the year and it handles the pressure like a champ! I'll spray mid April, late May and then again around Labor Day, then overseed with cereal rye mid October, frost seed more clover February, 6-24-24 spring and fall as 0-20-20 is not readily available where I live.View attachment 1218518View attachment 1218519

Looks great.
Hard to beat a perennial clover plot with some grains in it in the fall. Easy and relatively cheap.

 

[TomC]

Looks great.
Hard to beat a perennial clover plot with some grains in it in the fall. Easy and relatively cheap.

The only thing cheap about a clover plot is the clover seed. Factor in everything else and it adds up to a nice chunk of change. $500 per acre per year give or take to maintain. Nice not having to totally start from scratch every fall and feeds them year round! Even when I have a feeder out they spend more time with their head down in the clover than under the feeder!

 

[Crakajak]

Solid advice above.The first spring the clover is still developing the root system.
I would always overseed every year with my perennial clovers and add a little wheat and brassica in Late Sept/early Oct.I would fertilize with a 0-20-20 and add lime after a soil test.I had red clay with some topsoil on top.I wasn,t far from Canuck5.