Spring Appearance of Fall Planted Clover

[SD51555]

SD above posts by Buehler of why his clover is not germinating or filling in. Thank you

I'm new to red clover, so I can't offer anything more than a wild guess. I never purchased red clover, but got a plot full of it when I opened up my road plot. Into the full second growing season, I produced a massive crop of red clover and it went to seed and browned down on it's own. I also had balansa do the same. I rolled it down thinking I'd have 100x the clover seed I needed from what grew and matured.

The following year, which is now, I'm not seeing a ton of clover. It's still very early up by me. Things will go fast now over the next 6 weeks, especially as we barrel towards the summer solstice. I spread a rescue seeding in September to see if I could keep the crop going, but again, still too early to say what I'm going to get.

My theory was the clover seed was stuck in dried seed heads and never contacted the soil because it was gently pressed flat.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I'm new to red clover, so I can't offer anything more than a wild guess. I never purchased red clover, but got a plot full of it when I opened up my road plot. Into the full second growing season, I produced a massive crop of red clover and it went to seed and browned down on it's own. I also had balansa do the same. I rolled it down thinking I'd have 100x the clover seed I needed from what grew and matured.

The following year, which is now, I'm not seeing a ton of clover. It's still very early up by me. Things will go fast now over the next 6 weeks, especially as we barrel towards the summer solstice. I spread a rescue seeding in September to see if I could keep the crop going, but again, still too early to say what I'm going to get.

My theory was the clover seed was stuck in dried seed heads and never contacted the soil because it was gently pressed flat.

With no rolling, pressing, self-seeding (because it wasn't there before), or even trying to grow clover in lawns and other places we don't want it - I'd like to know how it gets there. Clover in lawns around our neighborhood is considered an eyesore. I'd love to have it pop up like that in food plots with no effort!!!

 

[omicron1792]

With no rolling, pressing, self-seeding (because it wasn't there before), or even trying to grow clover in lawns and other places we don't want it - I'd like to know how it gets there. Clover in lawns around our neighborhood is considered an eyesore. I'd love to have it pop up like that in food plots with no effort!!!

I was at our local baseball field and an area around the batting cages was the thickest, most lush white clover I have ever seen. I was thinking man sometimes it grows better as a weed than when I want to cultivate it.

Heck there wasn’t even any other weeds or grass in it. Just pure flowering clover.

 

[matinc]

Another thought what does the group think if you just mowed your fields at 4 inches and kept planting more ladino every year. Basically a grass plot with any number of different plants growing. Maybe mow the field twice a year.

 

[omicron1792]

Another thought what does the group think if you just mowed your fields at 4 inches and kept planting more ladino every year. Basically a grass plot with any number of different plants growing. Maybe mow the field twice a year.

Mowing makes grass get thicker.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Another thought what does the group think if you just mowed your fields at 4 inches and kept planting more ladino every year. Basically a grass plot with any number of different plants growing. Maybe mow the field twice a year.

^ ^ ^ Years ago, before we started planting clover and other food plots at camp, deer would commonly come into the lawn of the cabin itself to eat the white Dutch clover that was in the lawn. Ever since we started planting food plots, the deer pretty much stay out of the lawn for foraging purposes.

 

[SD51555]

With no rolling, pressing, self-seeding (because it wasn't there before), or even trying to grow clover in lawns and other places we don't want it - I'd like to know how it gets there. Clover in lawns around our neighborhood is considered an eyesore. I'd love to have it pop up like that in food plots with no effort!!!

Some natural seeds have amazing staying power in the soil. They can resist germination for decades waiting for just the right time to go. Think thistle, dogwood, clovers, jackpine.

All kinds of events trigger changes in organic acids in the soil, and that can be the call.


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[SD51555]

If you see a pile of scat full of seeds, if you don’t want to pick it up and move it, give it a kick, because those are all ready to go.


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[matinc]

SD watching white clover explode in a yard without being planted would it take over a plot if it were mowed and reseeded every year