Clover

[wiscwhip]

LOL, looks like stu and I were typing at the same time!

 

[wiscwhip]

Although it is not as big of an issue with red clover as it is with alfalfa, red clover planted in soils which hold excessive moisture can sometimes be subject to frost heaving and experience some winterkill. Someone with soils like BJE could plant red clover and have it do very well, I just would shy away from the more expensive varieties due to the frost heaving issue and just plant the cheaper VNS or common medium red clover(which I would recommend for deer plots regardless), and then if you plan on keeping it in clover, be prepared to frost seed in the spring if it looks like damage may have occurred over the winter.

 

[West Branch]

Some of our red clover/grass/alfalfa hay fields had clover and alfalfa die off last winter. By late summer a lot of the red clover was starting to reestablish. Likely due to seed bank of when it has matured in the past? It is some resilient stuff and our deer like it. Sadly, alfalfa did not make it and will be reseeded sometime in the next couple years. We have seen the same thing with deer digging through the snow for the clover in the early winter.

 

[Native Hunter]

Medium red can be very persistent and handles frost and cold as good as anything once established. Naturalizes well and will persist if it is left to go to seed. The newer varieties are much improved over older cultivars and run of the mill VNS types, but this is from an agricultural(hay and pasture ground) perspective for long term use in dairy pasture and hay. These types would benefit someone who was looking to set up a longer term perennial plot that would need little maintenance beyond mowing and spraying. If one is looking to use it for a shorter time period and then wishes to terminate it and plant something else in it's place, the older, more common varieties would do just fine.

I started out with one of the premium varieties (Barduro). I thought about using some run of the mill medium red when expanding the plot this year, but I hate to change something that's working. It was hard to find Barduro, but I was able to eventually get some.

My guess is that the deer would eat about any red clover here, but as you pointed out - the persistence of some of the improved varieties has many benefits.

 

[wiscwhip]

WB, do you know what variety of red clover you plant in those fields. Some of the newer varieties have been selected because they can also come back from the established root systems even if the top growth is killed. I believe it would be considered a more rhizomatous growth pattern than a stoloniferous type growth like white clover, but some varieties can come back from just the established root systems as well as seed.

 

[wiscwhip]

Barduro is a more southern oriented variety that is extremely drought tolerant, not sure how well it would persist in the north, considering it has an intermediate dormancy. The nice thing is, there are many other improved types that are specifically geared towards the northern dairy farmers for long term pasture that are very persistent and do extremely well in Zones 3 and 4.

 

[wiscwhip]

That looks great badger! I hope that field is screened, because I'm betting if you spotlighted that field you would have deer in it every night.

 

[West Branch]

WB, do you know what variety of red clover you plant in those fields. Some of the newer varieties have been selected because they can also come back from the established root systems even if the top growth is killed. I believe it would be considered a more rhizomatous growth pattern than a stoloniferous type growth like white clover, but some varieties can come back from just the established root systems as well as seed.

No idea about varieties, it was planted 6-7 years ago so the stands are getting a bit old too. Some mix from the local coop. I asked my brother what variety of alfalfa he plans to replant in the next few years and he didn't know at all. He likes the running equipment part of farming but I am trying to get him to think more about the seed varieties, soil tests, and that other boring stuff.

 

[wiscwhip]

Variety selection is HUGE when it comes to establishing long term alfalfa plantings. Given the expense of seed when it comes to alfalfa, it only makes for good business practice to get something that is perfectly matched to your soils and growing conditions to ensure the stand will be as productive and long lived as possible. Pay for the best soil tests with all the bells and whistles(micros and OM) and let them know your "crop" will be "maximum yield alfalfa" so they can get the initial inputs correct. Also, when choosing a variety, take your soil test and talk to your county ag extension agent and let him know whether it will be for haymaking or for pasture. He should be able to give you a "short list" of choices that you can then take to your "MoSeedSeller" guy and bounce those recommendations off of him to get more input to make your final variety selection.

 

[Native Hunter]

This was my red with cereal grains in the spring of last year after a fall planting:

 

[Rally1148]

I spread some clover in areas where I wanted deer to come and take a bite, and then head out to a field. I'd say that clover is good, but you'll get more use if you establish a perennial plot of multiple species. Similar to annuals, I think that the more species you have in one spot the more use it'll get. My neighbor planted buckwheat, oats, and soybeans in half acre plots. In August/July the soybeans weren't even the first choice for those deer, it was the buckwheat. Then they ate the seed heads, and then the soys. I was amazed that there were any beans at all!

I would say that it is a pretty valuable source of greens in the spring, and then again in the fall, but I wouldn't say it's the best. Besides corn,alfalfa and beans, I'd say in the summer buckwheat is #1, and oats,rye,peas,brassica#1 for fall.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Ran 4 deer off this clover plot driving up the hill. Must like the variety as picked corn and soybean fields are close by which have wind swept areas and are almost open compared to this. Turkeys seem to be only working the corn fields while the deer wander and dig a little more. This end of the plot was the thickest with white dutch and ladino clovers planted with WW as cover crop a few years ago. Last storm had lots of wind and flat areas have a little less snow. Maybe 5" or so here. They will still work this until it gets to about a foot or so of snow or we get those freeze thaws and get some crust that is really hard to get thru.

 

[rocksnstumps]

This lack of heavy snow cover has been making it easy for the critters this winter. This small clover plot had lots of use all winter so far. Just a little different spot than earlier in the month from above. Might be a little harder after Tues storm they have been talking up all last week, but come on its Feb.....winter is really half over.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I think deer in different regions have different favorites for food. Having a good variety of things planted covers many bases - good rain or not, hot or cool, variation in soils, etc. Plus deer like to browse/graze on a variety of greens/grains as their body nutritional needs warrant. Aim for year-round supplies of good food. I think that's the best draw for better deer numbers.

My camp planted corn, buckwheat, oats, brassicas, soybeans and we have 2 plots of perennial white clovers ( Ladino, Alice, and Kopu II mixed ). We didn't have enough acreage of soybeans and they got eaten to the ground. No beans for late fall/winter feed. Having the perennial clover plots are the bedrock for all the other stuff we plant. They're good for 7-10 years with some care. That allows us to focus on other annual things that are also very good to have in the ground.