Bruce,

Maximizing clover yields can be accomplished by ensuring the crops have plenty of nutrients and eliminating competition (weeds).

The best method to insure clover is well fed is to have the plot’s soil analyzed annually to see what nutrients should be added. Remember that forage crops are simply nutrient transfer agents. They take nutrients from the soil and air and convert them to a form deer can digest. If the nutrients aren’t present, they can’t be transferred to deer. Deer consume the forage, and therefore remove nutrients annually. Unless they are replaced, the crop will be malnourished. Maximizing nutrient transfer requires very healthy forage crops.

I use Waters Ag to analyze the soil from my plots. I request they provide a maximum yield recommendation. Most folks don’t realize there are multiple recommendations soil labs can give. Since acreage for food plots is usually limited, I need each acre to produce at the maximum yield. Most labs give ag field recommendations (or optimum economic return recommendations). They are giving a recommendation for a level of fertilizer that limits cost (and yield) in an effort to find a balance that maximizes profit. I need max yield from my plots, since it is less expensive to add more fertilizer than to establish more plots.

It’s also critical to insure the limiting factors such as sun, soil moisture, and soil nutrients are available to the desired crop. This means weeds must be controlled as they are direct competition to forage crops. Weeds are tougher to control in clover than some other forage crops. However, there are grass-specific herbicides that can be sprayed over clover, and mowing does an OK job of keeping most broad leaf weeds under control.

Clover can be a good tool in the food plot manager’s bag. However, it must be fed and managed to remain healthy and productive.

Growing Deer together,

Grant