WV Hunter

Myimperial clover plot is 4yrs old this year, and done for...so my plan was to re-do it for this fall. It is a small plot (about 1/3+ acre) and it is over my drainfield where I live. So a few weeks ago I sprayed it and killed it off. My buddy came over almost 2 weeks ago,and we burned off the whole plot. Then we used an atv with a drag behind it to turn it over (can't use a tractor and disc because of my drainfield, so we thought this should do ok). Well it has been dry here this summer, and the ground was very hard. Even putting a couple hundred pounds on the drag, we could only turn about 2"...less in some spots. (got alot of mountain buiscuits though and some big onestoo.how does a 4"spiked drag turn up a basketball sized buiscuit anyhow [&:])

Anyhow, my next plan since that didn't work as I had hoped for...was to get an atv disc from a buddy of mine. I figured that would turn it up better, but still not go too deep...so it should be ok. So I haven't been able to get it yet, and I go out to the field yesterday to pick rocks anyhow. I look and see a green haze across the field and think...good grief, the grass is growing back already.[:@]

Lo and behold...I get out there, it's all clover. Across the entire field.

So now I'm puzzled. The only thing I can think is that I overseeded my plot the 2nd year, because some areas were a little thin, and the seeds must have layed dormant since then. Once we removed the thatch, and turned it up...they had a perfect seed bed to grow from. Am I crazy? Does this sound like what could have happened? I have heard that seeds can lay dormant like that, but never actually heard of it happening. Anyhow, whatever caused it...I'm not complaining. I probably wouldn't have gotten my seed in for at least another week at the earliest. Now I already have lots of tiny clovers growing for over a weekI'm pretty pumped! My son and Iwent out today and spent 4 hrs picking rocks. I have never seen so many rocks out of a little field...thats over a drainfield! Unbelievable! But we got it done, now the field is clear of all the bigger rocks and looks to be doing well. I am going to lime and fertilize tomorrow.

Not a bad suprise....too bad I hadn't already bought my whitetail clover, LOL. I did add some area onto my plot this year, so I went ahead and seeded that today. One thing I noticed...the Imperial clover has changed. It's BLUE now...wasn't that way a few years ago. I was originally planning on putting in some oats as a cover crop, but since I already have this growing like it is...it will be all clover now.

Just thought I'd share that with you guys. I ain't no food plot guru....fill me in on your thoughts.

Of course I could just sayI'm an expert and I planned it that way [8D] OR...maybe I just invented a new way to farm... LOL!

Thanks
~Mike

farm hunter

WV -

It sounds like you had good seed production from the plot itself. Like you said - The RR doesn't kill the seeds - and the die off spurred their germination. Not really normal - but I've seen that too - its usuallly pretty spotty though - not a good thick plot like when you planted it - I hope yours ends up that way though.

FH

WV Hunter

FH-

Well whatever it was caused by..I can't complain. It appears that I have GREAT coverage, and that was before planting any seeds!

How would the seeds get there? Would it be from mowing the seed heads off over the last 4yrs and just letting them lay? Could it be from the time I overseeded?

How's your plots looking? Starting to seeany nice bucks around? Corn is starting to brown out around here on the earlier plantings. Some farmers have already cut.

My buddy that helped me...we're getting ready to do his plot this week. But with a tractor and disc. He has some unbelievable soil ...7.5ph with no lime. His clover last time we planted it in the fall, grew a foot tall in a couple weeks. Should be a good plot again, hopefully. He has about 3/4 acre on the one we are re-doing. It butts right up against a 10acre cedar thicket, which works out great because the deer can literally bed 25yds from the plot. No way to hunt them there (except with a gun from a distance), but it holds the bigger bucks in that thicket most of the year, and then when the rut is on...they venture out chasing the does. He only has 40ac, but every year we see a few realnice ones on his property.

farm hunter

Hey Mike -

Our beans and corn plots look great - we'll have plenty for winter this year.

Its been real dry and the spring planted clover (2acres) was a bust. Some grew - but its really small and there are still large patches of bare dirt from scalding from the sun. I'll plan to frost seed it for next year in hopes of thickening it up.

Mowing the seed heads does put alot of seed down for future. Some clovers are better at reseeding than others. The ladino in IWC never came back as big on mine, probably another white clover in the mix was what reseeded in mine.

Seen two nice bucks - both 18" approx 8 pointers. I only have one picture of one of them so far - but I've seen a couple 5, 6 and 7 points that are promising - if they stick around.

Good luck this fall
FH

Slumpbuster

WV, I've had great luck with the Imperail Clover too. Not as good as you seem to have had but I've got a four year old plot that's jammin. Even as dry as we've been, it's still alive and sucking deer in daily.

I think, keeping the grasses out of the plot has helped me. We sprayed for grass the first year and then agaiin this spring. It's 4 years old and about 99% clover. I hope the new plots I planted last week do as well.

otismyman

Bought some Imperial CLover yesterday. I hope mine works as well as your fields have. I soil tested last month and I need a little lime. If I add it now will it be OK to plant? I needed 2,000 pounds per acre. pH is 5.8

Help me. I hate to plant it and have it struggle.

Otis

WV Hunter

otismyman....plant it and put your lime down now. It should be ok. The lime will take a while to work its way in, but it will.. My initial ph the first time I planted was 5.1, and my plot did very well (although not really until the next spring). I planted and put alot of lime down all at the same time.

The biggest thing we need now for our plots to do well is RAIN! Haven't had a drop in over 2 weeks. It's been real dry this summer for sure. I have some clover growing already, and now also some weeds too. I did go ahead and re-seed my plot again, so I get full coverage. Come on RAIN! My buddy's plot is also in, and he's praying for rain too. The way his ground is....if we get 1/2" of rain, he will have a 4" clover plot in about 10 days. Mine will probably be lucky to make 3-4" this fall, if we get plenty of rain. Very poor ground.

Good luck!