Overseeding clover plot

[Peeps]

Anyone ever try or have luck broadcasting clover seed onto an existing clover plot during late summer/early fall? Wondering if this is worth while or if I’m better off just waiting till spring and frost seeding then.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I overseed my clover plots to fill in thin spots. But if you have weeds, it wont do anything to the weeds. If you want to overseed to fill in thin spots, fall is the best time to do it. If you have a bunch of weeds, spray it with round up, and then put the seed down, it should kill off most most weeds, and the clover should recover, and what doesnt, your overseeding should fill in.

 

[j-bird]

I just overseeded mine this past weekend. We got rain the past few days so hopefully my timing will be pretty good. if not....I'll do some frost seeding in early spring. I have small plots and use co-op seed so it's not like I am spending a fortune in the process.

 

[Barndog56]

I've had success thickening up my red clover and alfalfa simply by mowing it after it has set seed. I spray any troublesome patches of grass or broadleafs, then mow when rain appears to be on the way.

It may be hard to tell that it's working in the short term, but last year I mowed twice after seed had been set and my plot is much thicker this year.

 

[yoderjac]

Anyone ever try or have luck broadcasting clover seed onto an existing clover plot during late summer/early fall? Wondering if this is worth while or if I’m better off just waiting till spring and frost seeding then.

You are not better of waiting and frost seeding. Whether overseeding is worth it or not is another question. Clover produces a lot of seed if you let it go into bloom. If you do overseed it, doing so right before a good rain is always a plus. If weeds are a problem and it is a well established plot, you can spray with 1qt/ac gly before you overseed. This will kill susceptible weeds to the root so many won't resprout next spring. Clover planted in the fall has a real advantage over weed seed that germinate in the spring. Frost seeding looses this advantage. If I had to choose between planting or overseeding clover in the fall or frost seeding it, I'd always opt to broadcast in the fall ahead of a good rain.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Rit]

I just overseed all my clover to add a few different varieties about 3 weeks ago. Hard to tell but I you can see some of the new germination. The deer have kept it pretty low but with fall coming I expect it to bounce back pretty well.

 

[Rit]

As long as we are talking Clover is there a preference for time of year to add gypsum? Most of my clover is in clay soil.

 

[FarmerDan]

I tend to think of clover overseeding as insurance. I just like to do it, but my clover plots are small. Do it now. Don't wait for frost seeding season. It's very possible for some of that seed to germinate and get a root system started before dormancy - if you have such a situation. Those plants will have a big head start - two growing seasons, like fall AND spring, rather than just the spring season when frost seeding.

 

[SD51555]

As long as we are talking Clover is there a preference for time of year to add gypsum? Most of my clover is in clay soil.

I prefer doing it in spring before the frost is out, but my newest clover is in 4" of standing water at that time, and I wouldn't get my boots back. Doesn't really matter, just do it the same time each year.

 

[Bill]

As long as we are talking Clover is there a preference for time of year to add gypsum? Most of my clover is in clay soil.

Kinda curious about that also. More so how long it takes to actually get into the soil. I’ve never done a PH test but clover thrives naturally for several years until the grasses take hold. So I have to believe natural PH is at least decent.

 

[SD51555]

Kinda curious about that also. More so how long it takes to actually get into the soil. I’ve never done a PH test but clover thrives naturally for several years until the grasses take hold. So I have to believe natural PH is at least decent.

You've only got to worry about that once. The more important consideration is how long does it stay in the soil. I test every year, and I just got my results back on friday. I still had 13 ppm (I aim for 20) sulfur from my application last year in august. Before I started, I only ever had 2-3 ppm. That tells me I can hold it. From there I add a maintenance amount each year. So whether it takes one rain or three months, once you get it going, just keep it up.

It's a double edged sword though. I used to think clover was a weak plant that needed lots of intervention to be kept weed free. Well fed, it becomes a smother crop and very difficult to interseed. I was able to punch some extra stuff up through mine this year, but that was savvy timing and mowing as the soil warmed and a discovery of a few that could get up to sun before they ran outta ufda. I had many that did not. Gotta retool and try some new tricks next year. The more plants I can get to invade my clover, it'll be stronger and last longer.

I got forage barley and jap millet to come through. Everything else got snuffed out by the clover. Here's a quick hack for you guys too wet to keep rye alive through spring ponding, deer eat forage barley heads too. August 1st, they were all gone.

 

[Bill]

Thanks. Gypsum was on my list on the last trip to the farm. Just didn’t get to. Something I’m going to try for sure.
Guess a soil test is in order too.

 

[Mortenson]

That reminds me I was suppose to get a bag and do the gypsum strip test also. My big clover plots have gotten rough looking as I've given them the hands-off policy this year. Wanna experiment with a year of little intrusion. I'm tempted to blast a plot with some butyrac and toss down some more clover seed, and if I do, I'll take the gypsum along.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

next year I'm considering only mowing once (laborday weekend) I usually mow twice a year but I don't think that I am getting any benefit from seed production with mowing twice a year. Although I don't spray my clover and I wonder if it will get overly weedy with only one mowing a year.

 

[Barndog56]

If you're only going to mow once I don't think you can wait til Labor Day. All your weeds will have seeded out by then. Probably August 1st will be as late as you can wait. You should be able to time it before the weeds have seeded out, but after the clover has. Then when your clover produces the second round of seed, it doesn't need to be mowed. The late fall and winter weather will spread that seed for you.

 

[Tree Spud]

I overseed in the fall with red clover, at $3/lbs, very cheap insurance.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

If you're only going to mow once I don't think you can wait til Labor Day. All your weeds will have seeded out by then. Probably August 1st will be as late as you can wait. You should be able to time it before the weeds have seeded out, but after the clover has. Then when your clover produces the second round of seed, it doesn't need to be mowed. The late fall and winter weather will spread that seed for you.

What I did last year was shrink the amount of acreage I have in clover/chicory. The deer seem to be able to keep up with it better now and mowing the CLOVER isn't as important as it was when I had more of it out there. Now deer keep it mowed off FAIRLY well (The clover and chicory still flower) and I just need to keep the weeds in check. I am guessing though next year my weeds will be even less of an issue. It seems for me that the second growing season the plots are at their cleanest and then the weeds start to return in the third growing year so then I rotate and do a TNM brassica planting into it.

 

[Peeps]

I’m going to overseed but go the cheep route with the medium red clover seed. I’m going to have some logging done and they will be driving across 2 of my clover plots so I’m sure they are going to get torn up pretty good whenever it gets done. But this way if they don’t get to it till next years fall I’ll still have some thicker clover for the deer and my bees.