dbltree
Super Moderator
Re: Clover - mowing
My plans of haying my clover and alfalfa plots were scuttled by a Judge in Seattle sometime back (dang yuppies anyhow... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif )
So I had to go ahead and mow including some I hadn't sprayed with Select that had foxtail 3 feet high... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif
Got out the big guns...
and clipped it perhaps 8-10" or so...
The Alice clover spring planting was thick and lush but starting to flower...
Do you know that clover no longer fixes nitrogen once it flowers? Just another reason to clip it every so often, especially if it's Berseem plowdown clover...
My Berseem has been outstanding!
Had I known I would not be able to mow and bale this I would have sprayed it all and clipped earlier because this is what happens...
Always a chance of some smothering if you let it get to tall before mowing.
On another note...
Reading back thru this thread you can see that I planted test plantings of Alice, Durana, KopuII,Jumbo Ladino, Imperial Clover Mix, and clover mixes by Biologic and Tecomate.
All of the name brand clovers failed with the exception of a couple very small spots where they had more moisture.
The Durana and Alice and other Welter varieties were unphazed and performed admirably!
You can take what you will from that "test"...but it didn't allow me to compare growing stands, deer usage etc. so I'm going to try some new plots always using Alice as the standard.
As always I want to stress that most seeds you purchase are fine quality seeds that will all produce well...it's the price that differs widely.
I planted side by side plots of Alice, WI Imperial clover, IC with chicory, IC with brassicas and Alfarack...all of this sandwiched between a stand of alfalfa and a plot of mature Alice clover.
I fertilized these plots heavily and I can moniter them with trail cams.
Perhaps in the spring I'll try some of the other brands again as well. So far Alice white clover and Durana white clover have out performed all others and have worked well for plenty of other food plotters.
Both of these clovers were developed by agronimists searching for clovers that could withstand drought and heavy grazing by cattle. There are always some who insist that "brand" companies have developed clover specifically for deer...which means what????
White clover is a high protein legume that has high TDN and CP no matter if a deer eats it or a cow. Believe what you will but NO ONE has any proof that ANY clover is better then Alice (for example) Do they think that a certain clover will grow bigger bucks, attract more deer, insure them a trophy compared to Alice, Durana, Patriot and others?????
Many companies compare there own white clover to other types of clovers (such as red clover) and not apples to apples.
Planting any one variety of clover (or any other seed) proves only that deer either like it or they don't...not that one is better then another.
So far I have found no difference in usage by deer regardless of which variety I planted. The only difference is in my costs of plantings. Remember when you buy a pure clover seed...you pay for pure clover seed!
Alice is roughly $4.50, Durana varies but some have found it as low as $3.50 a pound. Imperial Whitetail clover contains a very high percentage of berseem clover which is dirt cheap, you can't frost seed it and it lasts only one year. I love berseem clover but not at exorbitant prices!! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif
If I want berseem in my mix I can buy it for $1.65 a pound bringing my costs per acre to roughly $20 versus $75 plus shipping for Imperial clover from WI.
We just had some good rains on these newly planted plots so I'll keep you updated as to how they do and usage by deer. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
My plans of haying my clover and alfalfa plots were scuttled by a Judge in Seattle sometime back (dang yuppies anyhow... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif )
So I had to go ahead and mow including some I hadn't sprayed with Select that had foxtail 3 feet high... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif
Got out the big guns...
and clipped it perhaps 8-10" or so...
The Alice clover spring planting was thick and lush but starting to flower...
Do you know that clover no longer fixes nitrogen once it flowers? Just another reason to clip it every so often, especially if it's Berseem plowdown clover...
My Berseem has been outstanding!
Had I known I would not be able to mow and bale this I would have sprayed it all and clipped earlier because this is what happens...
Always a chance of some smothering if you let it get to tall before mowing.
On another note...
Reading back thru this thread you can see that I planted test plantings of Alice, Durana, KopuII,Jumbo Ladino, Imperial Clover Mix, and clover mixes by Biologic and Tecomate.
All of the name brand clovers failed with the exception of a couple very small spots where they had more moisture.
The Durana and Alice and other Welter varieties were unphazed and performed admirably!
You can take what you will from that "test"...but it didn't allow me to compare growing stands, deer usage etc. so I'm going to try some new plots always using Alice as the standard.
As always I want to stress that most seeds you purchase are fine quality seeds that will all produce well...it's the price that differs widely.
I planted side by side plots of Alice, WI Imperial clover, IC with chicory, IC with brassicas and Alfarack...all of this sandwiched between a stand of alfalfa and a plot of mature Alice clover.
I fertilized these plots heavily and I can moniter them with trail cams.
Perhaps in the spring I'll try some of the other brands again as well. So far Alice white clover and Durana white clover have out performed all others and have worked well for plenty of other food plotters.
Both of these clovers were developed by agronimists searching for clovers that could withstand drought and heavy grazing by cattle. There are always some who insist that "brand" companies have developed clover specifically for deer...which means what????
White clover is a high protein legume that has high TDN and CP no matter if a deer eats it or a cow. Believe what you will but NO ONE has any proof that ANY clover is better then Alice (for example) Do they think that a certain clover will grow bigger bucks, attract more deer, insure them a trophy compared to Alice, Durana, Patriot and others?????
Many companies compare there own white clover to other types of clovers (such as red clover) and not apples to apples.
Planting any one variety of clover (or any other seed) proves only that deer either like it or they don't...not that one is better then another.
So far I have found no difference in usage by deer regardless of which variety I planted. The only difference is in my costs of plantings. Remember when you buy a pure clover seed...you pay for pure clover seed!
Alice is roughly $4.50, Durana varies but some have found it as low as $3.50 a pound. Imperial Whitetail clover contains a very high percentage of berseem clover which is dirt cheap, you can't frost seed it and it lasts only one year. I love berseem clover but not at exorbitant prices!! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif
If I want berseem in my mix I can buy it for $1.65 a pound bringing my costs per acre to roughly $20 versus $75 plus shipping for Imperial clover from WI.
We just had some good rains on these newly planted plots so I'll keep you updated as to how they do and usage by deer. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
