Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Is the balansa spring planted? Last year fall planted? Or did it grow that much when you seeded this summer/fall?
The Sweet Clover Thread
- Thread starter SD51555
- Start date
Is the balansa spring planted? Last year fall planted? Or did it grow that much when you seeded this summer/fall?
SD51555
5 year old buck +
I'm pretty sure I didn't broadcast any balansa this spring, so what's out there had to have come back from last year. It just dawned on me... The one thing I did different this time was I had a clean slate when I planted and I left the topsoil in place. I sprayed and had the plot roto-tilled in July of 2022. Whenever else I've planted balansa, it was always after a construction project, and it had to go in six inches to three feet of dead clay. This plot actually has about 4" of topsoil before you get down to concrete.
I've got one more patch of new ground to fix next year that will get a total installation of a perennial plot. I'm considering dropping the sweet clover and just going with:
Rye
Balansa
Alfalfa
Chicory
Plantain
Black eyed susan
Purple coneflower
Ragweed
And then a mix of annuals to go along with it. But that would be the durable portion of the blend. And then from there just add rye and barley and mow it down. That first week of August seems to be the sweet spot for timing the mow in my area.
jsasker007
5 year old buck +
Lick Creek had some damn good combinations in his mixes.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
Oh man, I don’t know. I’m still working on building garden beds and perennial fruit production.
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SD51555
5 year old buck +
Year #3 of this experiment is here. Did I get volunteer YSC seed? Was my rye viable at mow time? Will the chicory endure for another season? Will I spend all summer hand pulling hairy vetch out of this plot?
The distribution looks really good. I’m wanting to see lots of rye, I want to see the chicory at least every foot or two, I want to see pockets of clover in all of it, and duff to keep the surface cool.
I’m very pleased with this so far. I have achieved getting rye to come up in an established clover plot via throw and mow. I may finally have a fighting chance of defeating the need to drill. The duff distribution still has some figuring needed.
The dead stalks here are chicory. I’ve never seen such a stand of chicory like I had out here.
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The distribution looks really good. I’m wanting to see lots of rye, I want to see the chicory at least every foot or two, I want to see pockets of clover in all of it, and duff to keep the surface cool.
I’m very pleased with this so far. I have achieved getting rye to come up in an established clover plot via throw and mow. I may finally have a fighting chance of defeating the need to drill. The duff distribution still has some figuring needed.
The dead stalks here are chicory. I’ve never seen such a stand of chicory like I had out here.
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Foggy47
5 year old buck +
I drilled lots of sweet clover last fall with my winter rye(late August) and a few lbs of white clover and some red clover too. Was a bit disappointed in some areas.....as the clover there is looking pretty sparse. I do need to spend more time just looking at what I got thru the various plots.....but at first glance the rye looks fine.....and the clovers are weak. Maybe it's a bit early to see anything new?
Got a question tho....regarding Imox. I have a plot that has nice rye, and I see some weeds coming too. Can I use Imox over clover and the Winter Rye.....or will Imox smoke that rye?
Got a question tho....regarding Imox. I have a plot that has nice rye, and I see some weeds coming too. Can I use Imox over clover and the Winter Rye.....or will Imox smoke that rye?
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
Imox will smoke the rye
It’s my understanding sweet clover is a biennial, so you won’t see it at peak until year two.
It’s my understanding sweet clover is a biennial, so you won’t see it at peak until year two.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
Yeah, hang tight on the sweet clover. Your rye is gonna fly past the sweet clover, and then the sweet clover is gonna fly past the rye. I thought the sweet clover was a total fail, and then by the time I mowed, it swallowed the rye. And I thought that was quite the feat.
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SD51555
5 year old buck +
It's just the timing of when they surge in height and biomass. The rye surges first in my area around the last week or May/first week of June. This is my June 12th picture and the rye is the majority of the picture with some sweet clover showing.
This is the July 2nd picture of the same plot. The sweet clover caught up in height and biomass and flew past the rye. By the time I mowed, it was I bet 80% sweet clover residue and 20% rye residue. The sweet clover residue was coarse, wet, and heavy. The rye straw was fluffy and chopped very easily.
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
Spent a few hours at my land on Saturday and did a closer inspection of my plots. I could not identify any sweet clover plants resulting from my planting in late August. Not sure what to think......and not sure what the new seedlings would look like? I do have some regular (red and white) clovers that are establishing......so there is that. Shown below are (1) my best areas (2) worst areas (3) Dandelion crop (4) lots of moles. My best rye is about a foot high now.....and lots of tillering is taking place.
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
Not that I am aware of. Bought my seed from Welters.....didn't know it required scarifying.
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
That is why I took this pic. Not sure what those plants are. Were getting good rains again on Tuesday......and the ground has warmed up. I suppose if that YSC is gonna grow.....it will do so pretty soon.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
Update on the big experiment.
My rye is definitely being affected in this plot. I’ve got rye on other parts of my land that is much farther along. I don’t understand what is happening, but it certainly isn’t thriving with the clovers.
The mix still looks good.
And here comes the hell that is hairy vetch.
I can’t identify any SC yet, or any specific clover at all. I’m hoping this is all balansa.
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My rye is definitely being affected in this plot. I’ve got rye on other parts of my land that is much farther along. I don’t understand what is happening, but it certainly isn’t thriving with the clovers.
The mix still looks good.
And here comes the hell that is hairy vetch.
I can’t identify any SC yet, or any specific clover at all. I’m hoping this is all balansa.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
