Clover Type

[TarponStalker]

One of my favorite food plots in SW GA is an old kudzu field. Just under a half acre. For years I’ve planted grain rye , wheat and Buck Forage oats with good success. This Fall I want to try clover in addition to the grains. My ph is now 6.0. Every year I add pelletized lime. My question to the clover experts is which type of clover should I plant? I’ve tried Arrowleaf and Patriot with limited success. I want one to plant along with the grains. thanks.

 

[Canuck5]

Pennington Durana Clover is good and very forgiving. Since you planted Arrowleaf, you may always have some arrowleaf in it for the next few years. A Medium Red clover, a biennial would add to your plot for a few years.

Imperial Whitetail Institute Clover prefers a higher ph, but it is a good clover, as well. Patriot is typically a clover to be used farther north and doesn't last as long as Durana (it seems).

Don't go hog wild with the amount of cereal grain, because you want to give the clover a chance to establish. Depending on how far you are in South West Georgia, you could look at these clovers that are recommended for Florida, as well. They might be more available to you, down there.





Make sure either either buy preinnoculated clover of buy the innoculant separately.



Add 1 pound per acre (not more than that) of 20 mule team Borax to the soil and work it in. Clover loves lots of potassium and phosphorus, so don't skimp.



Don't plant too deep. Your shoe print should only be this deep before broadcasting your clover, otherwise it will go deep and not germinate.

 

[Canuck5]

 

[Canuck5]

Oh and spend $10 on a soil test now and they will give you all the information you need, on what you have to add to your soil, at planting. Just tell them you are planting white clover, when you submit it.

 

[Ihunt]

Duranna is hard to beat.

 

[TarponStalker]

Thanks for all the good info. I would like to mix at least two types. The arrowleaf I tried earlier was in a different place. I’m a little south of Columbus. northern Stewart Co. I’ll add more lime to get the ph a little higher by late summer then I airways plant early Oct. maybe I’ll mix Durana and Red

 

[Canuck5]

Yeah, you have to figure out what your deer like and at what time, etc.. Variety is good. I'm about 38 miles west of you in Talbot County.

 

[Canuck5]

 

[Canuck5]

An old video from one of my posts a long time ago. "How to keep deer on your property". Just throwing it out there again.

 

[Canuck5]

And another about watering holes. Food, shelter, water and mineral sites are a good combo.

 

[Canuck5]

And you don't have to have that plot, 100% in clover. You can leave some of the sunnier area, to plant fall grains, brassica's, etc., in.

 

[R and D]

I have had very good luck with Osceola Ladino in North Thomas county...last longer than my Durana has every summer

 

[davidhelmly]

Thanks for all the good info. I would like to mix at least two types. The arrowleaf I tried earlier was in a different place. I’m a little south of Columbus. northern Stewart Co. I’ll add more lime to get the ph a little higher by late summer then I airways plant early Oct. maybe I’ll mix Durana and Red

Durana and red with some cereal grains is tough to beat.

 

[TarponStalker]

I’d like to try this with some of my other plots but two are mostly clay. I’m sure they’d be better if I could run a bottom plow thru them. The one I’m referring to fir this thread is mostly loamy type soil. My largest plot is 3/4 acre. Somewhat sandy but it’s grown great plots of rye wheat and oats. I’m trying to get it’s ph up too.

 

[Elkbane]

Here's my 2 cents. It depends on what your goals are for the plot in terms of repeated plantings and annual management.

If I was going to plow/plant every year, and was mainly interested in an added attractant during the hunting season, I wouldn't waste money on Duranna (it's a perennial clover, really expensive, and doesn't make a lot of biomass the first fall). In that instance, I'd plant crimson or arrowleaf and medium red. Don't pay for perennial attributes if you are going to treat the plot as if it's an annual.........

If I was going to move toward a no-till or perennial type plot, Duranna is the king, and you can mix in some medium red, crimson or balansa and maybe even some groundhog radish to provide first year attractant while Duranna gets started. That mix, with Abruzzi rye as a cover will get your started on a path to no-till or at least minimum till.

My oldest Duranna plots were established in fall of 2014, require a little annual supplemental reseeding, occasional lime, annual spraying and mowing, but the rewards are almost full year deer feed and better herd health. Even with all that work, it's still the cheapest near-year-round food source I can produce. I now have a little better than 1/3 of my tillable acreage in Duranna based plots.

The cost/time trade-off depends on whether your goals are hunting attractant or improving herd health, and whether you have the time/equipment/ability to maintain perennial plots.

Elkbane