Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Fall to Spring Clover

Crimson Arrows

Crimson Arrows

Well-Known Member
I just had a new strip opened for a plot and would like to see it in clover. This fall, would you seed with Alice/White and rye/oats and then frost seed clover so that it is all clover next spring? Just trying to see how you guys would plant if you wanted a fall food source but then wanted it in clover next year?
 
saw a hunting show that was pimping whitetail institute, can't remember the name of the product, but it had white clover, brascias (sp) and turnips. it was an annual plot, could get 5 years out of it with propper care. it was planted in summer/late summer. and was put on in a no-till situation. just need good seed to soil contact. pretty impressive plot
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: huntyak</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just had a new strip opened for a plot and would like to see it in clover. This fall, would you seed with Alice/White and rye/oats and then frost seed clover so that it is all clover next spring? Just trying to see how you guys would plant if you wanted a fall food source but then wanted it in clover next year? </div></div>

You won't need to frost seed...just seed the white clover in late August with rye and oats...done!

Just be careful of ending up with clover every where. If you want those strips of clover for a number of years...great, but you may want some plots each fall that are oats/rye and perhaps some that are brassicas.

For the plots you want in clover for next year...

Plant the last couple weeks of August.

Till, broadcast rye and oats and fertilizer, roll seed in, broadcast 4-8#'s of clover seed and roll again.

Deer will be attracted to the rye and oats this fall, the clover will take off like gangbusters next spring.

The oats will die during cold weather, rye will feed deer thru the winter and grow next spring. Clip it off when ever you clip your clover.

Maintain the clover, spray for grasses if/when needed and it'll be there for years. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
If i wanted to have rye every fall and also have a spring plot, how would you proceed? I will have 6 acres replace the clover that I have around the strip now as it was seeded this spring and just never did well.The alfalfa will be seeded in a couple weeks. I Had an offer to do it in alfalfa yesterday and took it. So, there will be all alfalfa around the strip and just don't know what to plant??? Beans als are abundant starting about 20 yards to the east.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: huntyak</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If i wanted to have rye every fall and also have a spring plot, how would you proceed? I will have 6 acres replace the clover that I have around the strip now as it was seeded this spring and just never did well.The alfalfa will be seeded in a couple weeks. I Had an offer to do it in alfalfa yesterday and took it. So, there will be all alfalfa around the strip and just don't know what to plant??? Beans als are abundant starting about 20 yards to the east. </div></div>

If I had 6 acres (for example) I would divide it into at least 3 2 acre plots (or 6 one acre...) but just to provide food for thought...

Clover is a great food plot, hard to beat for most folks for sure, but rye will last thru the winter, oats are so very attractive in early to mid fall and brassicas also provide a great alternative that can provide late late winter feed.

So...divide them up and plant 2 acres to rye/oats and white clover, 2 acres to rye/oats and red clover to till under next summer and 2 acres plant to brassicas (you can either sow red clover with the brassicas or frost seed it next winter)

By doing this you can always have at least 3 different types of food sources/attractants. Different then the corn and beans in the area.

You always have some type of clover growing to help produce nitrogen for the next years plot and you have all winter long food sources.

Of course you can add AW peas to fall plantings, you can till down the rye in early spring and plant buckwheat...all types of options, but red clover seeded with the rye means you don't have to touch it again until the next fall when you plant either rye or brassicas again. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
Never thought of the red clover...great option!!!! I will do rye, oats and red clover this fall. About 1/2 acre. Unfortunately, the farmer said all or none on the 6 acre alflafa but I still have other areas. The BIG QUESTION is a 1/4 acre strip we have against beans ans clover that is DOING GREAT, seeded two years ago. The other strip was milo..did bad...then this spring we hand seeded white cover over it and it grew "here and there" I am tempted to just till it up and plant red clover with rye oats this fall, then do it again every summer. I will lose all the clover growth from this year but its not that great. Would you do that if it wasn't stellar. That way I'd have white clover, against rye/oats, against beans.. MMMMMMMMM /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
If the white clover patch is really bad you have two options....frost seed it this winter to thicken up the bare spots, or as you say...till it under and go a different rout.

The big picture...look at that and decide how you can utilize the most of many different options so that as you say it will be MMMMM to deer! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
So, if I planted clover today it would not be good for this fall? I was planning on mixing some turnips and other brassicas in also?
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: guardianhntr</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So, if I planted clover today it would not be good for this fall? I was planning on mixing some turnips and other brassicas in also? </div></div>

You'll have some but it's not really going to take off until next year.

You can mix with brassicas but I don't care for it. Deer root the turnips out all winter and leave it looking like the hogs got loose. (if your not a farm boy like me...suffice it to say they make a mess of it /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif )

In doing so they tear your clover seeding to pieces and make a mess to try to mow over. If your going to mix red clover for a plowdown then it wouldn't really matter but I still would prefer to frost seed after the deer get done "rootin" it up.

Another problem is that brassicas can get so thick they literally choke out the clover.

If you want a good clover seeding and fall feed then sow clover mid to ate August with oats and rye. Sow brassicas anytime now in a stand alone plot. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom