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Clover

How much sun does Alice or Jumbo white clovers need?
Looking at putting some on a old logging road this next year and I know
it gets limited sun. I see Welter's has 5% off during the month of December
and am trying to do some pre-planning.

I assume if put in a cool dry place that brassicas and other seeds will last until next fall?
 
dbltree said:
What about you? Are they still hitting your clovers...more, less, the same then usual??
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This is a year old durana plot in a hardwood bottom....we overseeded with SGs and radish then fertilized. Very minor grazing through November. The clover was over ankle high and you could track anything which walked across it.
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Then came the first really cold spell during first week of December....most of the acorns were gone.....all plots got hammered and by various critters.
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Don't underestimate the value of 'green' for turkeys...large dietary component
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Some bucks need a lil help
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I've been impressed so far with durana.....many deer have hit this plot. A high fertility regimen would produce alot of forage for a small plot and make it hold up to some stiff grazing pressure. We established two more plots like this in Sept! :D
 
I am looking to frost seed a white clover mix in my rye plot this winter. What rate should I go with? Heavier or lighter? If I mow the rye this spring how long will it keep growing? I only have a lawn tractor for mowing, so I don't want it to get too tall. Thanks for the help.
 
There are many good white clovers such as Alice, Durana, KopuII and Patriot but personally I really like Alice becuase it is very aggressive and drought tolerant.

Deer hammer this clover and are digging thru the snow for it this winter.

I frost seed slightly heavier then when conventional planting, usually around 8#'s per acre.

Here's a list of clover seeds that Welters offers but you can check your local co-op or seed supply as well.

Welter Seed - Clover seed

Frost seeding into rye works very well, just clip off the rye when it gets about 20" high or so in the spring....:)
 
New foodplotter

I'm just getting started on this stuff, but figured I'd share my trials. I enjoyed reading all the forums, and I think the testimonials are the best part. ANyway, I got about 1/4 acre easement (30ft wide by 350 long) on a south facing slope (gentle). The neighbor who holds the easement has talked for years about graveling the road to access his field, but he never has... Anyway, I decided to frost seed some clover into it.

On 2/28/10 I frost seeded the following into this 1/4 acre tract:

2lbs Ladino white clover $3.75/lb
2lbs Kopu II white clover $4.35/lb
1lb medium/ Alsike red clover mix $1.25/lb

I went a little heavy but wanted to get good coverage and wasn't sure how far it would go.



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02/20/2010 - week before planting - covered with leaves and frozen pretty hard



02/28/2010 - Day of planting - mulched up leaves with mower and blew them to the sides.


Drug with weighted down fence, broadcast seed, drug with car hood with lots of weight on it



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I'll try to keep progress reports posted.

I sure liked reading these from others, so I hope everyone enjoys mine.
 

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The quick warm up and rapid transition from snow to mud has many people wondering if they can still frost seed, so just a couple thoughts on the subject of frost seeding clover.

Frost seeding just allows the freezing/thawing action to help seed make soil seed contact but other factors can easily accomplish the same thing.

Heavy rains will usually do the trick and we will have plenty of them over the next few months, so no worries about lack of freezing weather if you would like to broadcast clover seed on untilled ground.

Red clover is commonly overseeded into standing soybeans in late summer/early fall ahead of a good rain and with sufficient rainfall a great stand will be the result.

Freezing weather is pretty rare in late August yet the clover will germinate and do just fine.

I would also suggest that it would seem highly unlikely that we will have no more freezing nights yet this winter either....so go ahead and get your seed broadcast this weekend if you can... ;)
 
frosty nights coming

I frost seeded some white clover on 2/28/2010. (previous post) I had 6 or 7 nights of sub-freezing temps with days temps in the 50's-60's. The next 7-10 days were mixed rainy/ sunny, but warm. We haven't had a low below 36, I don't think... Anyway, I checked my seeding, and I have some tiny sprouts starting... We have 3 or 4 nights coming up forecast to have 25-30 degree temps... There is also a chance of a brief snowfall... I assume this happens with most frost seedings... but I thought the last weeks weather might have started the germination process a little early... Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
What kinda seed company doesn't carry ladino and other clovers this time of year? :mad: All they had was Alsike and I know nothing about it. Can I frost seed it and will the deer eat it? Why is it so much cheaper than the other clovers? I went through this thread and didn't see much mention of it.
 
Skully said:
What kinda seed company doesn't carry ladino and other clovers this time of year? :mad: All they had was Alsike and I know nothing about it. Can I frost seed it and will the deer eat it? Why is it so much cheaper than the other clovers? I went through this thread and didn't see much mention of it.
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This is from Welters...

<TABLE width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>Alsike Clover


</TD><TD align=right>


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Alsike Clover is a palatable, short-lived perennial that does well on low, poorly drained acid soil.

Alsike Clover can be used in mixtures to sow on lowlands for hay or pasture.

Alsike Clover will tolerate flooding for longer periods, but it may be killed out if drought periods become prolonged.

Alsike Clover is very palatable to all grazing animals. Use it in mixtures to sow on lowlands for hay or pasture. Alsike Clover will tolerate flooding for longer periods, but it may be killed off if drought periods become prolonged.
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Alsike would not be my first choice but it certainly would work in a bind! You can also call Welters and they'll send you whatever you need probably the next day and they will sell it by the pound.(If you want white clover)

Welter Seed - Clover seeds

I love to get out and frost seed some clover seed just because I'm anxious to get out and tramp the fields! March is a great time to broadcast some clover seed on where one would rather not do any tilling, to fill in some bare spots or a weak seeding or perhaps seed a late planted cereal grain plot.

I like to sow 2-3#'s heavier then with conventional tillage because there are some variables that can affect germination rates. Even with wet fields and muddy roads I can still throw my backpack on and pack some seed and a hand seeder and go to work!

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This is Alice white clover and Alta-Swede Red Clover springing to life even though the snow has barely been gone a week or so.

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My favorite time to sow clover is with winter rye in late August/early September when I don't have to fight wet weather or summer weeds and the clover is already well on it's way at the first sign of spring.

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Frost or spring seeded clover will be a month behind the fall seedings so that gives fall seedings an advantage in providing early spring forage when deer need it most.

Some fields the deer tore up pretty bad and grubbed the rye right to the dirt so I frost seeded a bit more clover seed to fill in where they dug things up.

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This is Sweet Spot (high sugar ryegrass, clovers and chicory) also greening up fast and looking great!

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Of course the other great thing about frost seeding clover is find a mess of sheds to boot!

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Still time to broadcast clover seed even if "frost" is not imminent...so pickup a little seed and enjoy a little time outside! :way:
 
Good stuff Paul. I spread about #6 of alice yesterday and looks like we might get a few more cold nights to hopefully aid in the freeze/thaw. It was in the same plot I seeded rye/alice in last Sept 5th and it is already greening up and looks good. Hopefully the frost seeding will thicken it up.
 
would it help to lightly run a drag over the plot after frost seeding alice and ladino clover in a fall planted winter rye, oats, awp plot?
 
I wouldn't think so as frost seeding, from my limited knowledge, needs the freeze /thaw to allow it to stratify into the ground.
 
huntyak said:
I wouldn't think so as frost seeding, from my limited knowledge, needs the freeze /thaw to allow it to stratify into the ground.
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The freezing thawing action and heavy spring rains will assure that the seed makes soil contact but in the case of clover there is no actual "stratification" as there is with switchgrass seed...otherwise huntyak is right on the money. :way:

No dragging is needed when frost seeding clover..:)
 
I just "cleaned" up a spot in the woods for a half acre food plot. It is bare dirt right now with some grass/weeds. I sprayed the whole area with roundup. How long do I have to wait before I frost seed clover? And should I broadcast oats as well with the clover seed to help keep weeds down until clover establishes itself?
 
jmm46 said:
I just "cleaned" up a spot in the woods for a half acre food plot. It is bare dirt right now with some grass/weeds. I sprayed the whole area with roundup. How long do I have to wait before I frost seed clover? And should I broadcast oats as well with the clover seed to help keep weeds down until clover establishes itself?
Click to expand...

Get the clover seed on asap and oats are fine but I would wait until it warms up and try broadcasting them just before a rain. They don't germinate as well sometimes just broadcast on the surface as they do when planted.
 
I got lime and fertilizer spread on some clover plots the first of April on a nice early spring day.

100#'s of pel lime raise PH roughly one tenth of a point so in this case we put on 400#'s per acre.

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I followed that with 400#'s per acre of 6-24-24 that translates into nearly a 100#'s of P&K per acre.

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We are hopeful that eventually we can get Ag lime on this field but weather and thousands of acres of ag crops needing lime seem to always get in the way in this area. Pel lime is quick acting but not as long lasting and requires re-testing and re-applying more frequently.

Lime was $6.50 a bag and 6-24-24 was $13 a bag for a total cost of over $150 an acre in this case.

All the more reason to send in a soil sample to avoid applying lime and fertilizer needlessly.... ;)
 
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