Clover plot

[Moog5050]

Trying to get back into full swing of hunting again after several years of not going much.  Just seeded food plot for first time in years.  It was overgrown with grasses and weeds.   Hit everything with glyphosate, waited a week and then used the ATV and bobs redneck tiller.  Spread seed and rolled.   Still worried about grasses taking over.  Any options here.  I know cleth was banned.  

[Robhuntandfish]

Glad your back around and your putting in food plots.  Sounds like a great plan to me....  If it gets bad with weeds and grasses you still have lots of time before season to adjust.   

Can always plant a nurse crop with the clover like oats to help choke out the weeds and let the clover get established again.  Just keep mowing it high if it gets too high over the clover.  Then over seed it again late summer and frost seed in the spring.  

Good luck...

[E J]

1 hour ago, Moog5050 said:

Trying to get back into full swing of hunting again after several years of not going much.  Just seeded food plot for first time in years.  It was overgrown with grasses and weeds.   Hit everything with glyphosate, waited a week and then used the ATV and bobs redneck tiller.  Spread seed and rolled.   Still worried about grasses taking over.  Any options here.  I know cleth was banned.  

I'm not sure if clethodim was or now is restricted use. I know it's not banned though because I still use gallons and gallons of it yearly.

[G-man]

Cleth is still available  just not in nys, the internet is your friend. 

[Moog5050]

Thanks all.  I bought some just wasn’t sure if it would actually be delivered.   

[Robhuntandfish]

I've read that Imox works well too and won't hurt the clovers. 

[Chromeslayer]

Cleth for grasses and 24db for broadleaf

[Cabin Fever]

My backyard clover plot was being taken over by grass the past couple of years. Mowing wasn't helping at all. I got some Arrest Max and sprayed it 4 weeks ago. It took 2-3 weeks before I noticed any difference. (Glad I read beforehand that it takes 2-4 weeks to see die off, otherwise I probably would have prematurely mowed it thinking it didn't work.) It eventually put a whoopin' on the grass though! In the mean time, I over seeded with clover. Haven't looked at it close enough to see if the clover is thickening up yet.

Edited May 19, 2024 by Cabin Fever

[Wolc123]

You are fighting a loosing battle because spring is not a good time to plant a clover plot.  
 

The best way to do it is to put in a July planting of brassicas or a spring planting of corn.  Both of those are heavy users of nitrogen, which grass also needs.  They will deplete the spot of nitrogen, making it tough for grass the next year.  
 

That’s when you should plant your clover, along with some winter wheat, around September 1.  You can start that process this year, if you had any spots that were brassicas or corn last year. 
 

The winter wheat will provide very good fall attraction late the first season, and the following year you can mow it off (like right now), leaving a lush growth of clover below and no grass whatsoever.  The wheat will take up lots of the remaining nitrogen making things even tougher for grass competition.  
 

Some folks use cereal rye as their “nurse crop” but that seems dumb to me because wheat is cheaper, easier to find, sucks up more nitrogen, and deer like it a lot better than rye.  

 

Just like this:

It’s all about balancing the nitrogen in the soil.  Trying to take care of the weeds with chemicals is expensive and foolish, and possibly could put your health at risk.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Moog5050]

5 minutes ago, Wolc123 said:

You are fighting a loosing battle because spring is not a good time to plant a clover plot.  
 

The best way to do it is to put in a July planting of brassicas or a spring planting of corn.  Both of those are heavy users of nitrogen, which grass also needs.  They will deplete the spot of nitrogen, making it tough for grass the next year.  
 

That’s when you should plant your clover, along with some winter wheat, around September 1.  You can start that process this year, if you had any spots that were brassicas or corn last year. 
 

The winter wheat will provide very good fall attraction late the first season, and the following year you can mow it off (like right now), leaving a lush growth of clover below and no grass whatsoever.  The wheat will take up lots of the remaining nitrogen making things even tougher for grass competition.  
 

Some folks use cereal rye as their “nurse crop” but that seems dumb to me because wheat is cheaper, easier to find, sucks up more nitrogen, and deer like it a lot better than rye.  

 

Just like this:

It’s all about balancing the nitrogen in the soil.  Trying to take care of the weeds with chemicals is expensive and foolish, and possibly could put your health at risk.  

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks wolc.  I have had good success planting spring clover in this same plot following the same method.  It’s a great location with fertile muck soil and just enough off the main fields that doe bed close by all summer and eat all day.   I think it helps to ensure doe bed where I want them to so that fall bucks cruise downwind where I expect and have had good success.  Not worried about the spring planting.  Just want to fight back grasses until it’s well established.  

[Moog5050]

I may add some wheat or brassicas in August.  

[Belo]

probably the best my clover/chicory plot has ever looked. 3 mowes at 8" and the max arrest with surefire crop oil really did well on some of the weeds.

[Land1]

you can actually spray clover with glysophate  use a touch less chemical then normally would when clover is not stressed and is established at least a year old  " might set it back a touch but ive found it will not kill it

[Belo]

13 hours ago, Land1 said:

you can actually spray clover with glysophate  use a touch less chemical then normally would when clover is not stressed and is established at least a year old  " might set it back a touch but ive found it will not kill it

yeah it's funny I missed a spot when spraying for my fall plot. I went back with a hand sprayer and the clover survrived. I don't think there's anyway I could do the normal concentration though as that killed everything the first time I got ready for the spring plot and every year for the fall. Regardless, I'm happy with how she looks this year for sure. 

[Moog5050]

Clover came in solid.  Need to mow it this weekend.  Some other weeds too but we will address those.  Happy to see apples too.