Yellow Sweet Blossom Clover

[Wind Gypsy]

I want it to be brushy and undesirable. I need road screen where I planted mine.

I'm tempted to plant it as the same in some open space near my road as something to replace the RCG that's there now but I'm a little worried about it spreading into my neighbor's hay field.

Edit: thinking about that more, if they cut the field twice a year for hay then maybe it wouldn't ever become a problem for them?

 

[SD51555]

I'm tempted to plant it as the same in some open space near my road as something to replace the RCG that's there now but I'm a little worried about it spreading into my neighbor's hay field.

Edit: thinking about that more, if they cut the field twice a year for hay then maybe it wouldn't ever become a problem for them?

It's everywhere already. If it was adapted to their hay field, it'd already be growing there. I tried a few times to just spread it into my quack grass over the last six years, and I never got a single plant. The only place it comes up wild around me is on road shoulders and driveways. In the Dakotas, it does come up sparsely in ditches, but that doesn't stop anyone from rolling it up for hay anyway.

I've seen elk in sweet clover in Montana when they had a good bloom. You could only see the head of the animal above the clover. I really think this could be an under appreciated source of quick cover with a whole host of extra benefits, without having to give up the ground permanently to something like spruce trees or NWSG.

 

[SD51555]

When do you plant sweet clover?

Spring? Fall?

Thanks

bill

Yellow is a bi-ennial like rye (I think that's the right word). I planted mine 8 weeks before first frost. White is an annual, I'd plant that in spring or early summer.

 

[BrushyPines]

Anyone planted this is sandy soil?

 

[Barndog56]

Anyone planted this is sandy soil?

Yep, loves it.

 

[Shearwood Forest]

I don't mean to piggy back but this thread got me looking at yellow sweet clover as well. with it being a biannual could this be planted in spring with sunflowers? having sunflowers as the sweet clover establishes and the clover would dominate in year 2. I have an old fescue pasture I've thought about putting in switch for cover or corn for food/cover. its not a high priority field to my hunting but I want all my old fields out of grass if I can help it. The idea of having something offer more structure and possible food even if its more appealing to birds and bees than deer for a year or two while I pay attention to other areas with something that can smoother out the cool season grasses that I can come back to and plant switchgrass or corn after the clover has run its course.

For curb appeal to the wife a sea of yellow clover and sunflowers would make her happy.

 

[SD51555]

I don't mean to piggy back but this thread got me looking at yellow sweet clover as well. with it being a biannual could this be planted in spring with sunflowers? having sunflowers as the sweet clover establishes and the clover would dominate in year 2. I have an old fescue pasture I've thought about putting in switch for cover or corn for food/cover. its not a high priority field to my hunting but I want all my old fields out of grass if I can help it. The idea of having something offer more structure and possible food even if its more appealing to birds and bees than deer for a year or two while I pay attention to other areas with something that can smoother out the cool season grasses that I can come back to and plant switchgrass or corn after the clover has run its course.

For curb appeal to the wife a sea of yellow clover and sunflowers would make her happy.

I don't see why it wouldn't work. I'd give it a shot.

 

[BrushyPines]

With it being biennial, would it be worth planting in an annual summer plot? I've had a hard time finding a legume that does good in sandy soil and drought summers.

 

[Barndog56]

With it being biennial, would it be worth planting in an annual summer plot? I've had a hard time finding a legume that does good in sandy soil and drought summers.

Red clover does great during dry spells in my sandy soil. It didn't seem to bother the sweet clover either, but I don't know how well it'll germinate during the summer.

 

[Bowman]

I just got my first big attempt at yellow sweet in the ground last summer. It's mixed with rye and hairy vetch and a bunch of other lesser species, but those are the big 3. I hope to see the big yellow jungle this summer. I want this to be fawn cover in the summer and road screen in the fall.

Skip to the 1:13 mark to see it up close.

My vetch looked great blooming and growing up the sweet clover. I want both to reseed. What else is in your mix?

 

[SD51555]

My vetch looked great blooming and growing up the sweet clover. I want both to reseed. What else is in your mix?

Rye, plantain, chicory, and balansa.

Did your clover hold up the vetch all the way through? If it did, that would be outstanding! (no pun intended)

Any pics of that by any chance?

 

[Bowman]

Rye, plantain, chicory, and balansa.

Did your clover hold up the vetch all the way through? If it did, that would be outstanding! (no pun intended)

Any pics of that by any chance?

Yellow blossom is more visible in one, vetch is not too visible in the other, maybe shading the picture more. Sweet clover stood all season and the vetch did climb it.

 

[SD51555]

Yellow blossom is more visible in one, vetch is not too visible in the other, maybe shading the picture more. Sweet clover stood all season and the vetch did climb it.

That is awesome! How tall did your clover end up getting that season?

 

[Bowman]

That is awesome! How tall did your clover end up getting that season?

Various heights, max was 4-5'. The field was a landing for some logging this year. So, I don't what to expect from regrowth. I would like the sweet clover and vetch to reseed, so we shall see.

 

[SD51555]

Various heights, max was 4-5'. The field was a landing for some logging this year. So, I don't what to expect from regrowth. I would like the sweet clover and vetch to reseed, so we shall see.

That’s good to hear. I really cannot wait to see mine wake up and grow. There’s only 24” of snow on top of it now. Should see green by June 20th.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TreeDaddy]

That’s good to hear. I really cannot wait to see mine wake up and grow. There’s only 24” of snow on top of it now. Should see green by June 20th.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I fully expect you to join us on the honey bee thread soon

bill

 

[SD51555]

I fully expect you to join us on the honey bee thread soon

bill

Can't say I've ever clicked into that one. I'll check it out.

 

[SD51555]

While we wait for the snow to melt, here are some pics of my sweet clover/rye/hairy vetch plot. I also threw in collards, fixation balansa, flax, phacelia, jap millet, sunflower, chicory, and plantain. I'm not sure what is fixation, and what is sweet clover. Regardless, it all got eaten by the deer in the late fall. They pounded that plot hard.







I grow the best trophy flax in the whitetail world. Also one of my favorites for compaction remediation.