Fall Foodplots with Some Height

[omicron1792]

Hoping the peas climb everything else and make it a 5' tall buffet.

Oh. They will.

 

[omicron1792]

My clover always out competes the chicory so I go pretty light on the clover to get a few more years of a mixed plot. Clover always wins here. Eventually have to disk things up and start from scratch again. A 50/50 mix of clover and chicory will be almost all clover in a couple of years in my plots. Minnesota

I get the same results here in south. Problem is summer kills most of the clover, but not the chicory. So by end of summer I have lots of bare spots.

Honestly don’t know why I keep fooling with clover plots. Ha. You can see above how my summer crops do.

This is next few days at my farm….in June.

 

[jsasker007]

I get the same results here in south. Problem is summer kills most of the clover, but not the chicory. So by end of summer I have lots of bare spots.

Honestly don’t know why I keep fooling with clover plots. Ha. You can see above how my summer crops do.

This is next few days at my farm….in June.

View attachment 65576

Do your spring plantings get good growth before the heat kicks in? You'd think a thick tall plot would do better in the heat. At least the taller stuff can provide some shade for the rest. That's just too damn hot man.

 

[jsasker007]

Thought strawberry clover had some pretty deep roots. Farmer Dan could probably help you find some clover that can grow in hot weather. The man knows his clover.

 

[omicron1792]

Do your spring plantings get good growth before the heat kicks in? You'd think a thick tall plot would do better in the heat. At least the taller stuff can provide some shade for the rest. That's just too damn hot man.

I plant in May. Summer plots do awesome here. My winter plots do great through the spring. But trying to manage one plot through whole year almost impossible. Double planting (summer and winter) is the way to go.

 

[jsasker007]

Winter rye has worked great with my clover and chicory providing shade and helping retain moisture but I sure don't have to deal with the heat you have.

 

[SD51555]

I get the same results here in south. Problem is summer kills most of the clover, but not the chicory. So by end of summer I have lots of bare spots.

Honestly don’t know why I keep fooling with clover plots. Ha. You can see above how my summer crops do.

This is next few days at my farm….in June.

I can't remember if you've got a drill or not, but if you do, could you drill sorghum right into your clover about 30 days before it gets fried? The Dakotas get sorghum to go when it stays hot and doesn't rain for most of the summer.

 

[omicron1792]

I can't remember if you've got a drill or not, but if you do, could you drill sorghum right into your clover about 30 days before it gets fried? The Dakotas get sorghum to go when it stays hot and doesn't rain for most of the summer.

I do, and I did that last year. It worked great. But then I’m basically just double plotting like all my other fields and I don’t have a “perennial plot.” First world problems I know.

 

[SD51555]

I do, and I did that last year. It worked great. But then I’m basically just double plotting like all my other fields and I don’t have a “perennial plot.” First world problems I know.

Did the clover hold under the sorghum?

 

[SD51555]

I must be doping something wrong. My chicory doesn't ever get 12" tall.

That's a good indicator you're getting pinched for food in the summer. Pinched isn't a bad thing, or a problem, it just means they're missing something they'd prefer over chicory. I don't know what that is, but if I had to guess it would be summer browse. I'm far enough ahead of the deer in my area that they're not eating chicory or dogwood hard enough to slow it down.

 

[omicron1792]

Did the clover hold under the sorghum?

I have one lowland clover field and it held up ok. The other one had almost no clover by August 1. I planted every type of legume and clover known to hold up well to heat this past year. Birdsfoot trefoil. Seeet clovers. A ton of heat tolerant whites. And a bunch of chicory. They look good now but we will see.

I didn’t spray or cut the rye in them, but it is brown and almost all wasted away by now.

 

[SD51555]

I have one lowland clover field and it held up ok. The other one had almost no clover by August 1. I planted every type of legume and clover known to hold up well to heat this past year. Birdsfoot trefoil. Seeet clovers. A ton of heat tolerant whites. And a bunch of chicory. They look good now but we will see.

I didn’t spray or cut the rye in them, but it is brown and almost all wasted away by now.

View attachment 65590

Your rye matured and finished already?

 

[omicron1792]

Your rye matured and finished already?

Yeah. It was mature by May 1.

 

[Westwind]

Chicory mentioned in this thread- Green Cover just had a super short video on it and she mentioned that it has de-worming properties that are desirable for livestock producers. That had my attention.