when to plant clover?
Whitetail Deer
South east\ central east Kansas. When should I put in my food plots. Now or fall? Going with clover mix.
Put mine in in Feb. ., but have planted as late as July with good results...Durana, red, Ladino, Alsike, Birds foot treefoil.
My buddy owns H and H hunting supply in Sedan KS. He has a seed blend from Biolodic we are going to use.
I prefer fall in Tn.mix with either wheat or oats Durano has been very productive.I always throw in some crimson and re to go with it they generally mature earlier Good Luck Lewis
I live in SE Kansas. I planted my clover plot in early September. My reasoning: Winters are usually cool and moist (this one wasn't that moist). The plot received plenty of moisture to get it up and going and I had put on the correct amount of fertilizer and lime. It is the best clover/wheat plot I have ever planted.
If you plant it now/soon and we hit a dry spell and then enter a hot dry summer the root structure of the clover will not sustain the plant through those conditions. However, it is situational... we could have plenty of moisture and it will be fine. I do think Spring is a bigger gamble, from my experience with clover. Just my two cents.
Sooner the better. You could have planted earlier but get it in. The best time to plant clover is late summer/fall with a mix. Then frost seeding additional clover if needed in winter. Spring is not as good to get it seeded but will work just fine, get it done asap
"The best time to plant clover is late summer/fall with a mix. Then frost seeding additional clover if needed in winter. Spring is not as good to get it seeded but will work just fine, get it done asap."
Great advice here and the best way to go IMO.
99/100 times the weeds will defeat you with a spring planting, and you'll have to replant in the fall.
In the fall, you can plant rye with it, and the weeds are at bay, plus you can then frost seed in March and you will be in great shape.
Spring is the worst IMO, but can be done, but very tough and frustrating. I have done it too many times, even when warned against it :(
Seeems to me that the late summer/early fall seeding can, with the right weather, lead to some germination just in time for a hunter to see deer perusing the area, generating some shot opportunities THAT season! If you don't want the deer to eat it when it is first coming up, put a fence around the clover.
With the right conditions it can, but the rye for sure will, and also act as a weed "inhibitor".
Then you can frost seed next winter and mow the rye down the next summer. The most full proof plot there is IMO.
Hawkeye has it right IMO for planting in E KS and N MO. I always go in fall with a cover crop for weed suppression and better root development, and always frost seed that winter and every winter the plot is kept.
Cover-Oats for early attraction but dies off after a few days of hard freezes.
Wheat, lasts all winter but must be mowed a couple of times in the spring to kill it and let the clover through.
Rye, same as wheat but a lot of guys on other forums swear by the soil building characteristics of rye.
I usually mix oats and one of the others that way the oats dying off gives the clover more room the following spring.
Here is a picture of last falls clover/rye in one of my plots in Iowa. It was also frost seeded this March and is doing OK as we had a drought last fall.
Soon we will clip the rye and should be incredible by fall. Leaving the rye Can help shade the clover a bit and it is worthless to deer once this tall and ripe.
I was thinking it would be good it get it in now so every think becomes normal by Nov. As long as it gets rain it should be fine right? What is wrong with some weeds in your plot? I'm not looking to make the cover of food plot magazine, just a food source for them be for the beans come up, and after the beans are cut and be for the wheat is up.
It's more the amount of weeds inhibiting their growth and choking them out as they get established. I agree, few weeds hurt nothing but aesthetics, but if you can suppress them enough to establish clover in spring, then will work fine. Just a lot more wrk ad tougher IMO to hold weed/grass growth back early vs late.
So you would got with out plots this hunting season, and plant next march?
No, I'd try it and see if wouldn't be too expensive. Then at the worst you have to reseed this fall and frost seed no matter in March.
Forest,
If for hunting season, do the fall planting with the cover crops. Wheat, rye, oats all germinate quickly. Put some cow peas in the field now to build nitrogen and get the deer used to staying around.
You're correct in a lot depends on the rains. We've done fall clover plantings and had nice stands quickly.
The frost-seeding is a very good option.
In one plot's first year we did a fall planting of Buck Forage Oats, the did a frost-seeding of clover in early March.
I had to mow the clover from the frost-seeding by the end of May.
Things like soil pH, fertility, timely rains and time of the first serious frost will a lot to do with the success of fall plantings.
here is a photo of a clover field i established last june
phenominal growth all ready this springQ
White clover/Crimson clover = Late August - early September: depending on approaching rain. I am on the border of zone 5a and 5b. ;-)
I would be complete relying on rain for water. I'm all the way in Colorado.
My experience is that the fall is better for white ladino type clovers. You will get the best long term results if they are planted with no other crops. They will not do much the first deer season but they will thrive the next spring. The weed competition is too great and the moisture too iffy for spring clover plantings.
We are planting on friday!
That crimson field is awesome! Good job.
Planted today and its RAIIIINIIIING!!!!!!!! Thank You GOD!!
Forest Bows:
My farm is in SE Kansas as well. You had better start budgeting for a replant this fall. You cannot successfully plant clover this time of year in our neck of the woods with any consistency. The tender roots of new plants will not be able to withstand the intense heat and typical droughty conditions we have. Established (mature) stands of clover can go dormant during late summer and perk up once it cools down in September and we get some moisture in the ground. But new clover simply burns up.
I've got a brother-inlaw that is in the same boat with a new farm. He's so excited to get some nutrition on his place that he keeps going against convention on planting dates. It's already cost him a ton of money. Remember...it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Good luck,
KSArcher~~~
i got 4 acres in for 500$ will reseed this fall and ferdalize. i dont think I'll need to till again even
If you are getting the rain we are in VA you will be a happy camper shortly.
What do you use to sow clover seed i am going to plant clover on my new food plot thats never been planted before. I got 10 pounds of seed for an area 132x100 it should be more then enough ??????
For tiny clover seed, I just use a small handheld seed spreader set to the smallest opening, and walk fast. You have a bit over 1/4 acre, 10 lbs which could do 3/4 acre.
50% chance of rain on sunday!!!!!
I mix smaller seeds with pelletized lime and spread with my four wheeler mounted spreader.
I mix with fertilizer and spread with speader.Lewis
If it's not a huge plot you can always re seed in August .....put some rye in with it, I think you'll like results! ...chuck in Coffeyville.
If it's not a huge plot you can always re seed in August .....put some rye in with it, I think you'll like results! ...chuck in Coffeyville.
