How's my clover?

[Jeremy K]

First time for a clover field,should it be further along for this time of year?

[growalot]

I can't say without knowing the planting date...whts do have a slower growth and then take off the following year is perennial...That's why I plant a mix of different clovers...This year mainly reds in the grains and ladino and reds in the the other fields with afalfa...

[growalot]

I can't say without knowing the planting date...whts do have a slower growth and then take off the following year as perennial...That's why I plant a mix of different clovers...This year mainly reds in the grains and ladino and reds in the the other fields with alfalfa...

Edited September 17, 2015 by growalot

[landtracdeerhunter]

The basic thing to remember is to establish a good root system during the growing season. That way winter kill will be less. Maybe been nice to plant a cereal grain with the clover for two reason; one, to hold the snow cover more to protect the young seedlings during the freezing thaw cycle of winter plus hold snow pack on the ground to lessen freezing, wind burn and two, to draw in some wildlife this season.

[sailinghudson25]

How deep did you till.  How's the soil pH, how much and what kind of fertilizer did you use.

 

Cereal crops also help the clover from getting too badly hammered.

 

On a positive note, deer prefer the fresh young growth over mature stalks of clover.  So, you should be good to go.

 

If you used perennial clover, I would expect you need a frost seeding come febuary or march.  Most clover would be about 3lbs and acre.  If drainage isn't an issue, mix up that clover with about 2 bags of fertilizer per acre to help spead it more evenly.

 

Fancy stuff is nice, but they keep coming back to my clover plots.

 

 

[landtracdeerhunter]

It depends a lot on the time of the year it is, and also the carrying capacity for the statement, deer prefer young tender clover. I can take you to a clover field that is mature now, by November that field will be stripped to the ground,  the clover heads go first. I cycle acres of red clover every year from first growing to mature. They visit it all through the fall.

[sampotter]

Like others have said,it typically doesn't look like much the first year unless you plant it in April/May. It looks like you got good germination. Next year it really take off, just remember to clip it 3+ times a year starting in June before the weeds go to seed.

[wolc123]

I usually plant a clover and wheat mix in late August.  The first fall, the wheat is the primary draw.  For a little added early attraction, I often add some soybeans to the mix.  Many foodplotters mis-use soybeans, thinking they need to produce pods.  Ripe soybean pods rate very low on a deer's preference list.  They certainly do love the sprouting greens however, and adding some to your fall wheat/clover mix provides a great early draw, much like the more expensive Austrian winter peas (AWP).

 

A lot of foodplotters use rye rather than wheat in their late-summer mix, which I see as another mistake for 3 reasons.  First, and most important, deer like wheat better and will not feed on rye if there is wheat close by.  Second, wheat seed is easier to locate.  And lastly, wheat is less expensive.   In some situations however, rye is better.  That would be when you plan on using it to prepare the spot for a high nitrogen-using spring plot the next year, such as corn.  Rye takes up less nitrogen than wheat so the corn gets a better "jump" when you disk up the rye, compared to wheat, and allows you to use less starter fertilizer.

 

The clover you planted this late-summer will likely not do much to attract deer this fall, but if you are into turkeys, it should attract them.  They are especially fond of "baby clover", and love pecking at them little sprouts when you can just barely see them.   Deer prefer tender clover, but they need a pretty good mouthful to feed efficiently.   It is good to keep your clover tender by mowing it several times a season after it gets established.  That also helps control the weeds and it is usually not too difficult to keep a white-clover plot going for five or six years, doing nothing more than cutting it a couple times per season.  Look for your clover to be a hit with the deer next fall if you are able to mow it a couple times.   Also, it is not too late to broadcast some rye or wheat over the top of your clover if you want a bigger draw this fall.