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Post by sd51555 on Apr 1, 2021 17:59:59 GMT -6
I'm finally getting around to trying something I've always wanted to try. I emailed the seed guys and asked them about timing my white sweet clover seeding. They gave me the green light to spread it whenever I wanted. So this is the weekend. Three big things I want to see happen with this: *Quick cover for fawns and grouse *Provide nitrogen to eat up brush *Bee and bug food I've had white and yellow pop up in my driveway, so I think this stuff should do just fine. I also don't see it much around the countryside, so I don't think it'll go rogue on me. I'm gonna cut it with flax to try to stretch it and blow it into all of my cut open spots. I think this stuff is low enough on the food quality scale it shouldn't take away from my plot(s). I hope to see a sea of this stuff 4-5' tall in time to help hide fawns and grouse, and not see any of this brush laying down.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 1, 2021 18:15:31 GMT -6
Sweet clovers like a decent ph. 6 or higher for optimal growth. When conditions are right, the stuff can easily grow to 5' and take over an area.
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Post by Catscratch on Apr 2, 2021 8:25:27 GMT -6
What does a 5' tall patch of sweet clover look like in the winter?
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Post by smsmith on Apr 2, 2021 8:30:02 GMT -6
What does a 5' tall patch of sweet clover look like in the winter? Kinda like still standing tumbleweed if that makes any sense.
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Post by Catscratch on Apr 2, 2021 8:37:54 GMT -6
What does a 5' tall patch of sweet clover look like in the winter? Kinda like still standing tumbleweed if that makes any sense. Yup, makes sense to me.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 2, 2021 8:42:12 GMT -6
It also resembles dead asparagus fronds. My wife freaked out one winter when she saw a big expanse of still standing sweet clover, she thought we'd found the mother lode of asparagus beds.
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Post by Catscratch on Apr 2, 2021 8:54:53 GMT -6
It also resembles dead asparagus fronds. My wife freaked out one winter when she saw a big expanse of still standing sweet clover, she thought we'd found the mother lode of asparagus beds. That would be such a disappointment!
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Post by kooch on Apr 2, 2021 9:43:05 GMT -6
Is it a perennial in the North?
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Post by smsmith on Apr 2, 2021 9:50:11 GMT -6
I think white sweet clover is a perennial, but a weak one. I'd consider it more of a biennial and would re-seed it annually or at least every two years if you want to maintain a "crop" of the stuff.
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Post by benmnwi on Apr 2, 2021 9:55:47 GMT -6
I have some growing wild in a few areas and it seems to be slowly expanding. It is good stuff that grows taller than most of the other grasses and weeds that tend to grow in similar areas.
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Post by Catscratch on Apr 2, 2021 10:03:13 GMT -6
Deer preference/palatability? Protein and mineral content?
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Post by sd51555 on Apr 2, 2021 10:07:58 GMT -6
Is it a perennial in the North? The white that I have is Hubam, and it's an annual. Common yellow is a reseeding biennial. Look in your road shoulders, that's likely where you're going to find it.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 2, 2021 10:18:44 GMT -6
I have both white and yellow blossom sweet clover growing in the ditches here. Deer nip the tops, but most of it doesn't get browsed heavily. Sweet clovers do have coumadin in them naturally. I know eating too much of the stuff can kill cattle and horses, not sure about deer.
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Post by terrifictom on Apr 2, 2021 10:38:16 GMT -6
I have both sparsely growing naturally on my land. When I 1st tried frost seeding my plots very early in my land ownership I added both sweet yellow and white to my mix. Never saw much in germination of either when I frost seeded them, while all the other clover varieties and chicory grew very well. After 2 attempts I gave up on adding them to my clover mix when frost seeding.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 2, 2021 12:38:12 GMT -6
I tried planting some yellow sweet clover a couple years at my folks' old place. Did it the "right" way...disked, cultipacked, seeded, cultipacked again. Nada. It was just too acidic at their place I believe.
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