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Clover

Yes, went back to the rye plot I frost seeded clover into and the rye is really growing after one week of warm weather. Hopefully the clover will take soon! My actual clover plot from last year has a few sprouts popping through.
 
You guys will be seeing clover from last year's plots now or any day. Newly seeded, could be anytime as well, maybe a little later depending on temps. Great thing about clover, one of the the 1st things to green up - it provides critical and timely nutrition. The deer need a great food source right now and we're close to having it for them - one of clovers biggest benefits, super early greening up for early & needed top notch nutrition coming out of winter.
 
Sligh1 said:
You guys will be seeing clover from last year's plots now or any day. Newly seeded, could be anytime as well, maybe a little later depending on temps. Great thing about clover, one of the the 1st things to green up - it provides critical and timely nutrition. The deer need a great food source right now and we're close to having it for them - one of clovers biggest benefits, super early greening up for early & needed top notch nutrition coming out of winter.
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Is it too late to broadcast clover on open dirt? I have plot prep done just have to get seed down but I have been working out of town and won't be home until this weekend to broadcast the clover.
 
I'd say you're good to broadcast the clover yet. If you could pack it in with a cultipacker that may help push it into the soft soil. Otherwise we'll get some precip one of these days and that will press it against the soil for you. You may want to seed it a bit heavier to avoid having a spotty clover patch. That's what I'd do anyway. Good luck!
 
eiowaarcher said:
Is it too late to broadcast clover on open dirt? I have plot prep done just have to get seed down but I have been working out of town and won't be home until this weekend to broadcast the clover.
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I would think you would be fine. Won't hurt anything. Temps will still get down over night where you might get a few days of frosting and melting to work the seed in.
 
eiowaarcher said:
Is it too late to broadcast clover on open dirt? I have plot prep done just have to get seed down but I have been working out of town and won't be home until this weekend to broadcast the clover.
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No, not too late IMO. While we may have just passed the ideal frost seeding window for the year, if you have bare dirt then I know clover broadcast on it will grow unless you have NO rain subsequently.

Now then, the little bit later start could open another window for some more spring weeds to also grow along with the new clover. Be prepared to deal with that via mowing/spraying, if you have a problem at all, and you may not, and you should be fine.

If we are past the overnight freezing ground...you could also broadcast your seed and then cultipack it to press it in too.
 
We are definitely back to thawing freezing weather now, but counting on some rain? Ah,think you are otta luck...Hope not,,but looks only DRY, far as maybe 10 days.
 
Ok, so I screwed up and frost seeded a couple lbs of Red clover into my old white clover plot instead of Crimson, (grabbed the wrong bag.). The red was not pre-inoculated. Is this a complete waste or will the seed still germinate?
 
You're fine. No problem at all. I would not have frost seeded Crimson but I would have seeded red so you're doing what I'd do. I'd also be adding some whites too but you're fine. With no inoculation, you're fine. Innoculant is simply going to allow the plant to create more Nitrogen but it's not like you won't have a good food source there. Maybe you're missing some N production but your red should germinate relatively soon and do just fine.
 
I threw some white clover down today. The Rye I had planted from the fall was starting to come back up. There were deer tracks everywhere all throughout both of my plots.
 
Hodge said:
I threw some white clover down today. The Rye I had planted from the fall was starting to come back up. There were deer tracks everywhere all throughout both of my plots.
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With some overnight freezing temps yet this weekend AND the deer stomping the seed in for you...you should be golden! :D
 
JayEC said:
Why not crimson? Doesn't do as well when frost seeding? Thanks!
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I'm not saying it couldn't work. It might. Berseem, an annual is almost completely a frost seeing failure. Annual clovers do not tolerate cold or freeze well and frost seeding is strictly recommended against. Crimson is, as I recall, generally considered a "bi-annual". Not quite a one year clover but closer to that side of things. Where a white or red is a perennial, very resilient, tolerant of many conditions, including cold and some varieties will persist for years. So, crimson could be sort of "in the middle". I would not frost seed Berseem, (Alfalfa too while we're on the subject) or Crimson. I would frost seed Whites, red & alsike clovers and they do exceptionally well.
Crimson.... I'd wait until we past frost risk and immediately seed, earlier the better if frost is not a concern. I'd mix in your other clovers as well, seed heavy, innoculate if able and add oats if you'd like. Weed control as needed. If you seed properly, at a high rate and mow as needed or destroy the grass soon after with clethodim & crop oil, you have a few mowings in the summer to manage it and that's about it.
 
gundog870 said:
Will clethodim & Crop oil take out any broad leafs that come up in clover seedings as well?
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No, clethodim will only control grasses. You can try 2,4-Db aka butyrac or just clipping broadleaf weeds prior to them going to seed. Generally you want clover somewhat established prior to using butyrac but before annual broadleaf are very big. Results are marginal at best with butyrac.
 
I have never had to spray any of my clover plots but I keep them mowed. Clover is fast growing and if it isn't really dry and you mow the clover it will usually overtake the plot.
 
I've had great success using clethodim to control grass. I would rate my success using butyric for broadleaves in clover as marginal. Mowing does a decent job on broadleaves.....grass....not so much.
 
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IowaBowHunter1983 said:
I've had great success using clethodim to control grass. I would rate my success using butyric for broadleaves in clover as marginal. Mowing does a decent job on broadleaves.....grass....not so much.
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Similarly...I have controlled broadleaves fairly well with mowing and I have used clethodim a few times to beat back the competing grasses. But once you get the clover established well, mowing alone should be sufficient.
 
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