Spring planted oats and clover ?

Garrett S

5 year old buck +
Has anyone spring planted oats and clover?

New property, nothing for ag nearby(wooded area) figured I would Lime and amend the soils, no till oats and clover mix in. Total
Plot acerage will be far less than needed/wanted so felt this may suppress weeds while providing some increased draw. If they smoke the plots I’ll go a winter rye blend with a little brassica add later (which is likely the case anyway). Torn between clearing and planting 6-8 ac (with a future goal of 10-12) rather than 2.5 ac and seeing how they use the place.

Any thoughts on O&C , or the approach?
 
The few times I tried spring clover it never out competed the weeds. When starting a new property or plot I always start with buckwheat. It grows anywhere and allows you to get things cleaned up a bit and the deer will usually eat it. I would do buckwheat and then follow up with rye and clover in the fall.
 
It will be fine if you can kill the existing vegetation through chemicals or tillage.
 
Green cover has a spring mix, follow that with a summer. Then do oats and clover in fall. Can do spraying each time and eliminate a lot of weeds.
 
Everything in these areas is a mix of grasses- poverty grass, grease grass and ??

Planned to aggressively spray it
 
Done oats n clover in the spring. Definitely need to spray gly and 2,4D, then you can plant. IF you do oats n clover beofre you spray, then plan on nuking it over the summer.

I have an intersting situation, I did oats n clover in a new place in 2021 without spraying. The place is overcrowded with golden rod, but when you mow late summer, I get a nice clover plot. Almost like the golden rod is a substitute for rye. I have other little plots up at camp, justt seeeing how this plays out.

This 2.5 acres is tillable. Getting inital pH corrected, clearing rocks, brush, and leveling out ruts is usually needed to get a food plot into gear. I don't own a no-till drill, but would really want to run a set of discs though a spot before using a no-till drill blind in the spot.
 
Has anyone spring planted oats and clover?

New property, nothing for ag nearby(wooded area) figured I would Lime and amend the soils, no till oats and clover mix in. Total
Plot acerage will be far less than needed/wanted so felt this may suppress weeds while providing some increased draw. If they smoke the plots I’ll go a winter rye blend with a little brassica add later (which is likely the case anyway). Torn between clearing and planting 6-8 ac (with a future goal of 10-12) rather than 2.5 ac and seeing how they use the place.

Any thoughts on O&C , or the approach?
Do you have a no till drill or do you mean throw and mow? Perennial or annual? I’ve always planted perenial clover in the spring. Burn down with 4 quarts per acre of roundup. Overseed the clover and under seed the oats. It was very successful but you have to mow it when needed to keep the weeds down. It doesn’t look like much the first year but after year 3 it’s almost pure clover with minimal maintenance mowings. If you can’t mow then I would just do annual clovers and the rye in the fall When there’s a lot less weed competition. I used a tiller for nice seed bed but, you use what you have.
 
Do you have a no till drill or do you mean throw and mow? Perennial or annual? I’ve always planted perenial clover in the spring. Burn down with 4 quarts per acre of roundup. Overseed the clover and under seed the oats. It was very successful but you have to mow it when needed to keep the weeds down. It doesn’t look like much the first year but after year 3 it’s almost pure clover with minimal maintenance mowings. If you can’t mow then I would just do annual clovers and the rye in the fall When there’s a lot less weed competition. I used a tiller for nice seed bed but, you use what you have.

I could have them drilled with the help of a local guy but had planned on throw and mow. The clovers are a mix with maybe 30% annuals and the remainder perennials.

My take here was if it made it, sustains browse, grows well- great. If it doesn’t- it becomes a fall cereal grain plot.

There is nothing for food around here so the early grow might bring some deer here (which there isn’t a ton of sign and should be) and build the soil and minimize weeds for the big show in the fall.
 
What are you thinking for clover? If you are not frost seeding I think I would skip the oats and add an annual clover instead.
 
What are you thinking for clover? If you are not frost seeding I think I would skip the oats and add an annual clover instead.

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I don’t know if you Turkey hunt but did this one year with some fast growing red clover and oats and the turkeys wouldn’t leave it alone and it grew fast enough to compete with the weeds.
 
I don’t know if you Turkey hunt but did this one year with some fast growing red clover and oats and the turkeys wouldn’t leave it alone and it grew fast enough to compete with the weeds.

This place is 6hrs away or my approach might be a little different

That said- I’m a adhd turkey hunter. If they’re gobbling- I’m in. If they’re not- let’s look for deer sign, sheds, habitat tweaks etc. haha. I don’t think there are a ton of them there so this planting may work. If I tried oats in some other areas I hunt- it would be a messy bird feeder


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Might as well throw in some radish and chicory to add to the buffet.
 
Go for it. Might be able to curb grasses with clethodim after the oats are done. If you busy with other projects, toss some rye and brassicas in the late summer.

Weeds arent horrible. A coworker of miine, He limes when he needs to, Discs is the late spring, and mows once or twice, all fallow.
 
Go for it. Might be able to curb grasses with clethodim after the oats are done. If you busy with other projects, toss some rye and brassicas in the late summer.

Weeds arent horrible. A coworker of miine, He limes when he needs to, Discs is the late spring, and mows once or twice, all fallow.

You know this seems to be catching on. Have a couple buddies that limed to get pH north of 6, hit w cleth and said the broadleaf natives beat out most plot crops. Great idea.


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I did oats and clover last spring. Grew fine. Clover was just an annual (crimson). Not sure if anything will be seen this spring.
 
You know this seems to be catching on. Have a couple buddies that limed to get pH north of 6, hit w cleth and said the broadleaf natives beat out most plot crops. Great idea.


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Red root pigweed and thistle for me if I do this.


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Red root pigweed and thistle for me if I do this.


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Same here in NY. Throw in some dock and plantain as well.


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