Spring Appearance of Fall Planted Clover

[Joe Buck]

We are in Central Sands Area in Central Wis. We planted clover last fall with a cover crop of forage oats. We planted Labor day weekend and had no rain for 2 weeks. Rains came and we had very good germination and continued to grow till the first week in Nov.. We had good growth and it was quite thick but the deer kept it from growing very tall. We had some snow cover but that melted and the plot was completely bare for all of Jan. and most of Feb.. Jan. was extremely cold and by the middle of Feb. the frost was at least 1to 1 1/2 feet deep. The plot was just bare dirt with no sign of even shriveled up clover. Our fear is it all may have winter killed. My son was there last weekend and no sign of any clover. There was some growth starting but only some grass and a few low growing weeds. The clover we planted was Aberlasting, Jumbo Ladino and some Med-Red. My questions.. First- should we be seeing any clover by now or is it still to early to tell if it all died?
Secondly - if it is all dead do we try to replant this spring yet.? Thirdly- do we just forget the clover altogether and just do winter rye or winter wheat every fall and forget the clover altogether. We have been trying to establish clover on this 11/2 acre of sand for a number of years with limited success. lack of Rain being our biggest problem in this very sandy soil. The landowner plants about 30 acres of corn every year which is right next to the clover plot we are trying to establish. He has trouble with the corn in dry summers as well. Thanking you all in advance for your advice.

 

[SwampCat]

It wouldnt surprise me. I have had durana - suposedly one of the most drought tolerant clovers - drought killed in our hot dry summers - where almost no clover came back in the fall. I fall plant wheat into my existing clover plots every year and I always include a couple lbs per acre clover - just in case

 

[RGrizzzz]

Too early

 

[Stubborn1VT]

I would keep trying, because clover is awesome and clover seed is relatively cheap. I'd mess around with a number of varieties (ladino, alsike, and medium red are my faves) and plant a blend. Winter kill is a fact of life in the North.
It sounds like you did everything right as far as planting time and nurse crop. Sometimes Mother Nature is tough to work with. Good luck with it!

 

[Mortenson]

Too early

I'd agree at least for now. Buck S is slaying fish thru 12" of ice just a state over. Gotta be pretty cold yet in central WI

 

[SD51555]

I’d throw in more seed just in case, but focus on high biomass seeds and try to grow a blanket of biomass first. Id try spring triticale first, oats if you can’t get trit. I’d also throw in some white sweet clover, chicory, jap millet, ragweed, and black eyed Susan. If you can find some thistles with seed heads, spread that in there too.


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[omicron1792]

I’d throw in more seed just in case, but focus on high biomass seeds and try to grow a blanket of biomass first. Id try spring triticale first, oats if you can’t get trit. I’d also throw in some white sweet clover, chicory, jap millet, ragweed, and black eyed Susan. If you can find some thistles with seed heads, spread that in there too.


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Thistles? You are man dedicated to your craft. Well done.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Hmmm. Thistles and white sweet clover?

Sorry but if wanted that would put down 12" gravel in that plot and pretend it's a road. That chit grows great all by itself in those conditions and don't even need to spread seed for it to show up and thrive.

Sorry about being a bit harsh but see that crap along way, way too many roads already to promote. At least around here

 

[matinc]

SD the thistle whisperer. Don't tell me your planting it now loll

 

[SD51555]

Hmmm. Thistles and white sweet clover?

Sorry but if wanted that would put down 12" gravel in that plot and pretend it's a road. That chit grows great all by itself in those conditions and don't even need to spread seed for it to show up and thrive.

Sorry about being a bit harsh but see that crap along way, way too many roads already to promote. At least around here

The main theme I’m trying to convey is, if the ground won’t grow what you want, grow what it can first to fix the problem, then switch it over.


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[rocksnstumps]

Sorry but tend to go into coprolalia mode when dealing with invasives due to my intense dislike of jap barberry. Damn nurseries still sell the crap to homeowners.

White sweet clover is an invasive in WI. Planting it in an area where it does not already exist is ill advised. If my fool neighbor wanted to plant it in his food plot just so "something" could grow would be kinda pissed.

But guess I could go over there and offer stuff off my land that my neighborhood has so generously let spill over on to me. Here have some jap barberry, jap honeysuckle, buckthorn, autumn olive, and a good dose of prickly ash. Psst. Want some yellow rocket? And thistles, damn. Have those too. But the idea that thistles burn themselves out and go away is not a truth in my mind. They are aggressive bastards and only give way when something else kicks their ass. Either some big shade forming cover or the real Dr Evil .... Sod forming grasses. Ok end of rant

Gawd I hate invasives.

 

[rocksnstumps]

But back to the OP. Have you done a soil test and tested ph? Bet it's rather low. Find out how much lime to spread and try to find some low moisture needing plants and build organic matter that way. But native ones not invasive crap. Bet if you could get a big load of manure spread and mixed in would go along way to jump start things. But know what you are talking about. Have family land in Marquette and Waushara counties. It's mostly pine plantation and scrub oaks except by a creek. Food plottn dry yrs would be tough without pivot irrigation like the farmer neighbors do. Spuds, cabbage, even corn.

 

[matinc]

Rocky I get it. After years drought I am happy to see anything green sometimes