Clover Rotation

birdog

5 year old buck +
My clover plot needs rotated. What's a good follow up to clover?
 
Something that will take advantage of the banked nitrogen. How big is this plot? Brassicas are a good option. Grains would be a solid option as well. If the plot is a couple acres, possibly think about corn if you have the equipment.
 
My clover plot needs rotated. What's a good follow up to clover?

Buckwheat, corn, sorghum, sunflowers, as well as brassica depending on what your objectives and timing are.
 
It's about 1.5 acres. I broadcast Rye the first week of September to deal with the nitrogen. So I was thinking brassica or beans.
 
It's about 1.5 acres. I broadcast Rye the first week of September to deal with the nitrogen. So I was thinking brassica or beans.

Beans are a legume like clover and will fix their own N. Not a great choice following clover in a rotation.
 
Beans are a legume like clover and will fix their own N. Not a great choice following clover in a rotation.
I will cross beans off the list. Thank you!
 
Some member of the grass family, corn, wheat, rye, oats or like was mentioned brassica. These all will love the available N. What you need to consider is you plans down the road. By this I mean how quickly do you envision going back to clover? The reason I ask is that I like running a round-up ready crop for a year or two to deplete the weeds in the plot that tend to be the cause of the rotation in the first place. I like running corn for a few years if you have the means and ability and then overseed brassica and cereal grains into it in the late summer. Then the final fall sow your clover into it and simply let mother nature and the critters take care of the stalks and come spring you will have a great clover stand. You can do the same thing with beans, but beans don;t need the N, but again overseeding with brassica and cereal grains will appreciate the N in the soil.
 
Some member of the grass family, corn, wheat, rye, oats or like was mentioned brassica. These all will love the available N. What you need to consider is you plans down the road. By this I mean how quickly do you envision going back to clover? The reason I ask is that I like running a round-up ready crop for a year or two to deplete the weeds in the plot that tend to be the cause of the rotation in the first place. I like running corn for a few years if you have the means and ability and then overseed brassica and cereal grains into it in the late summer. Then the final fall sow your clover into it and simply let mother nature and the critters take care of the stalks and come spring you will have a great clover stand. You can do the same thing with beans, but beans don;t need the N, but again overseeding with brassica and cereal grains will appreciate the N in the soil.
I was thinking a year or two before going back to clover like you suggest. I like your plan however the corn component may be an issue for me.
 
My clover plot needs rotated. What's a good follow up to clover?
RR Corn ... then RR soybeans ... then RR soybeans .... then clover, clover, clover .... then you have a six year rotation with 4 plantings. :emoji_wink:
 
I was thinking a year or two before going back to clover like you suggest. I like your plan however the corn component may be an issue for me.
Corn is just a suggestion.....it isn't for everybody. That is where you have to understand your abilities and limitations and work with what you have. I have access to corn and a row planter so it is a viable option for me and corn loves N.

Something to consider if you go the spray, till, spray, till route is that you don't have to use gly. Again you can rotate between broadleaf and grasses being targeted as this may help reduce gly resistance in some weeds.....marestail here laughs at gly.
 
We have had acceptable results with corn by just broadcasting it on top of the ground then tilling it under. Some is planted to deep some is to shallow but it still comes in decent in our good soil.

I like planting clover and chicory in the fall with rye and radishes. The third year the clover and chicory gets tilled under in early august for brassicas and the following spring we put in soybeans that get overseeded with rye, and turnips and or radishes and start the process over with the clover mix the following fall.
 
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