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Post by badbrad on Aug 27, 2021 7:52:29 GMT -6
I had a brief conversion with Stu about keeping a plot clover forever a year or two ago. Is it worth it to do this or just replant every few years? My preference would be to try and do the work to just overseed, fertilize and spray to keep it good clover but not sure how much work it is and how effective it will be. I wanted to have an open discussion about this. I have 2 separate 1 acre areas I want to do this with.
Tips? Suggestions? Types of clover that work better? When should I be over seeding and how much? What kind of fertilizer would I need to put down and how often? Just looking for a general open discussion on this topic.
I currently have Balansa fixation, ladino and med red with a little aslike in my fields. Hasn't been a need to mow it yet. Maybe by end of the year. It looks great for spring planted clover and I just sprayed with cleth. I want to overseed here in fall the areas that need a little help. Best time to do that? Now or wait till later in the year.
Or am I nuts and since I have all the equipment should I just nuke and re-plant every couple of years?
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Post by smsmith on Aug 27, 2021 8:27:04 GMT -6
With all of your equipment, it may be easier to just re-plant and rotate your plots every few years. Plant something that will use up the accumulated N from the clover for a year or two, then plant back to clover for 3-5 years. You like farming  |
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Post by badbrad on Aug 27, 2021 8:30:52 GMT -6
With all of your equipment, it may be easier to just re-plant and rotate your plots every few years. Plant something that will use up the accumulated N from the clover for a year or two, then plant back to clover for 3-5 years. You like farming Yes I do. But I don't want to rotate. I've set up my stands and blinds and even the plots to specifically for this area to be clover and the balance to be row crops. Kinda hard to explain but I had some dozer work done here this summer and I set it up specifically for the "old big plot" and the wrap around to the big field to be clover. I could not really plant row crops there for a couple of reasons. drainage and size of the area where the old big plot is would not allow for it. If that makes sense. I also want the spring clover for turkeys. If replanting is the answer that is fine but I'll put clover right back in there. I suppose that plan could change and maybe put brassicas in there one year out of 5 or something but right now I'm thinking no as brassicas don't meet my goals for this acreage. Edit: Actually thinking about it more I could rotate in my cabin plot which is one of the one acre areas. That would be fine. The area there by the big field I am more fussy about. |
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Post by smsmith on Aug 27, 2021 8:52:20 GMT -6
With all of your equipment, it may be easier to just re-plant and rotate your plots every few years. Plant something that will use up the accumulated N from the clover for a year or two, then plant back to clover for 3-5 years. You like farming Yes I do. But I don't want to rotate. I've set up my stands and blinds and even the plots to specifically for this area to be clover and the balance to be row crops. Kinda hard to explain but I had some dozer work done here this summer and I set it up specifically for the "old big plot" and the wrap around to the big field to be clover. I could not really plant row crops there for a couple of reasons. drainage and size of the area where the old big plot is would not allow for it. If that makes sense. I also want the spring clover for turkeys. If replanting is the answer that is fine but I'll put clover right back in there. I suppose that plan could change and maybe put brassicas in there one year out of 5 or something but right now I'm thinking no as brassicas don't meet my goals for this acreage. Edit: Actually thinking about it more I could rotate in my cabin plot which is one of the one acre areas. That would be fine. The area there by the big field I am more fussy about. I wouldn't waste my time doing that. If you don't want to rotate out of clover, then I'd feed your clover potash, lime, and gypsum (or some other source of sulfur) as needed/as you want. Spray it for grasses and broadleaves as needed (or develop some tolerance for seeing weeds in your plots). Frost seed more clover/chicory every year and call it good. |
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Post by Catscratch on Aug 27, 2021 9:00:39 GMT -6
I replant clovers every couple of yrs, some fields I replant every yr. To avoid issues typically solved with rotations I plant a large variety. You could say I'm wasting money replanting plots that have good clovers established, but I don't buy sprays and seldom mow so I think it evens out. To reclaim N from the clovers I go heavy with cereals and sunflowers/sorghum/millet interseeding in the summer.
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Post by badgerfowl on Aug 27, 2021 9:11:59 GMT -6
We replant our 5 acre river bottom field every 5-6 years. Don’t do a damn thing to it in between other than cut it twice a year. I should try frost seeding some every year to keep it going strong but I just don’t want to spend any money on that place. Not until I get the hills property where I want it, which is hopefully next year.
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Post by badbrad on Aug 27, 2021 9:19:43 GMT -6
Does it pay to put any clover seed down in fall or just wait till spring?
I like the idea of broadcasting rye into the clover.
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Post by badgerfowl on Aug 27, 2021 9:20:41 GMT -6
Does it pay to put any clover seed down in fall or just wait till spring? I like the idea of broadcasting rye into the clover. If you're going to plant a perennial clover plot it should be done now. I did mine Aug. 7 w/ WR and radish and some annual clover. |
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Post by smsmith on Aug 27, 2021 9:21:39 GMT -6
Does it pay to put any clover seed down in fall or just wait till spring? I like the idea of broadcasting rye into the clover. I've spread a bunch of crimson, ladino, medium red, white dutch, and Fixation this August. |
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Post by MoBuckChaser on Aug 27, 2021 9:38:52 GMT -6
We still have 2 clover plots going on 12 years now in Missouri. Every year or two we spray it to kill the grasses in July, over seed the thin spots with brassicas in August, over seed with clover in sept and fertilize in October. Don’t know if it will work north of Missouri but it’s sure worth a try. I hope the kids keep up with it down there.
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Post by benmnwi on Aug 27, 2021 12:02:49 GMT -6
I threw down some oat and winter rye seed in my clover plot a week ago in an attempt to chew up a little nitrogen with those plants rather than weeds. I did that last year and it seemed that there were fewer weeds in the areas that the rye grew, but it may just have been my imagination seeing what I wanted to see. I can say overseeding oats/rye in late summer didn't negatively impact the clover stand that I could notice and the winter rye that grew the following spring added some organic matter when I mowed it.
If I wanted a long term clover plot I think I'd hit it with a light dose of round up every other year when the weeds are growing actively and broadcast brassicas and some more clover seed at the same time. Maybe some winter rye too just for some variety. The growing clover should pop back up, but the weeds will be killed and the new clover, brassica and rye seed will have a head start.
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