Can you give me some tips about planting and maintaining clover?
Filed under: Food Plots
I did not have time to plant clover before it got too late in the year. So, I was planning on frost seeding near the end of winter. However, I have several questions….
When is the best time to frost seed?
With so many varieties of clover…. Which type and/or brand is going to give me the best forage for turkey and deer?
How many pounds/acre is best when frost seeding?
What should I do during the year to maintain a healthy stand of clover once it is established?
Never tried to plant clover and I don’t want to make a mess out of it.
Thanks again Dr. Woods, and God bless.
Heath,
Clover is usually easy to establish but can be difficul to maintain.
There are many, many varieties of clover. The last clover I planted was from Eagle Seed – a newer variety they have. I often plant at least 50% more (by weight) seed when frost seeding compared to spreading on a prepared seedbed.
Two common causes of clover to fail is lack of nutrients and weed competition. I always take a soil test and tell the lab I wish to plant clover. This will allow them to make fertilizer recommendations specifically for clover!
Weed control in clover isn’t as simple. There are several grass-specific herbicides that are safe to use over clover including Poast Plus, Clethodim, etc. However, there are very few options that will control broad-leafed weeds and not harm the clover. The two most common used is Pursuit and 2,4,D-B. Make sure and use the formulation with the “B.” 2,4-D will kill clover.
Mowing isn’t necessary and mowing without herbicide won’t control weeds.
I prefer to frost seed clover when there are two to three frost left. This is not 100% predictable so I watch the weather during each late winter and plan accordingly.
Enjoy creation,
grant
December 28, 2015
