clover
 

I recently attended the Ohio deer and turkey expo, while I was there a guy from Merit Seed meritseed.com who was kind enough to give me a three pound bag of assorted clover seeds just to see howI liked it and I was want to plant this stuff ASAP. So is right now too early for here in southwest ohio?

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Moss 93, No, its not to early. You can plant clover much earlier and get good results. Planting to late is what will get you. 3lbs should plant about a half acre +/- Good luck and let us know how it does.

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Thats pretty cool, definitely let us know how it turns out. I spent the weekend at the farm getting a new clover (with alfalfa) plot ready... x2on what haystack said.. Right now is fine to plant. Some people even "overseed" in the late winter with clover.

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Thanks guys Im gonna plant it tommorow after school.Ill gonna get a few pic up of my progress.

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im planning on planting clover as well; but this fall (august) how long will it take it to fully grow when i plant it in august?

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moss11, It is going to depend on the amount of rainfall your plot gets of course. But if everything works out when you plant, you should have a good looking stand in 4 to 5 weeks. It will keep growing in the fall till a hard frost hits it. It should last 3,4 or more years depending on the variety clover. Keep in mind clover is slow to get started but once it starts growing it grows fast. IMHO Good luck!

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Also I am planning on planting some purple turnips and also some essex rape which I haven't purchased yet. I was wondereing when is best to plant those?

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Moss93, Late august-september is the best time for those, they dont like the heat to well. But can take frost and freezing well. I grow the purple turnips in my garden and try to plant them 1st of august to give them more time to get some size, but they dont taste good until frost hits them. They are easy to grow and should do good for you.

Good luck!

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Thanks a million haystack, you really know what your talking about!:D

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Moss93, I enjoy helping people! I had allot of good mentors and people helped me. Thats why I feel compelled to help others. We all had to start somewhere and ask questions and I still have many questions that I dont know either.

Thanks

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Around here its a little late for planting clover(NC). Always did better for me planting in September. I dont know anything about Ohio's weather.

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so if i plant it in early august, when do you think deer will start coming to it and eating it?

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Moss11, If your plot is in an area the deer is already traveling, they will be in it the day you plant Lol, But on a serious note they will start using it as soon as it is tall enough that they can graze it, not necessarily a good thing. In fact if you have allot of deer they can/will destroy your clover before it gets established. If that is the case then planting additional forage on the outside of the clover is recommendable. Maybe your ultimate question is will they be habituated to coming to your plot before bow season if you plant in early August..IMHO yes most likely.

Good luck!

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I planted my clover this afternoon and it went a lot farther then I expected now all i got to do is wait. Rain on wensday:D

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Be careful planting clover too early in August. You are trying to get it established before freeze up, at least 6 weeks of growth. If you plant too early, the soil will be too dry for good germination, and weeds will get a jump on you. If the forecast says rain, that is good. Moist and coolare ideal for clover. If you can mow the plot for at least 1 year, consider kura clover. It can live for over 10 years (rumors say 30+), but needs 1 year with little weed pressure.

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i completely changed my mind on this plot thing. here in ohio it is always dry as hell in august and im not going to get anything growing then and it gonna be a waste of money; so i think im gonna plant my 1/2 acre imperial clover, 1/2 acre shot plot, and 1/4 acre winter pz, and corn this and next weekand becasue were getting good amount of rain now and i need that. what do you think?

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Moss11,
It is going to be a gamble either way and always will be Lol. You could plant the clover now and corn a little later. But I would not plant the peas or shot plot till late summer/early fall. Those plants are cool/cold weather plants and will not do good in the heat of summer. Plus if you plant one in spring and late summer you could increase your chances of success. Might be a drought this spring/summer and wet fall or vice-versa nobody knows and probably never will. In your area it is recommened to plant clover from AUG 1-SEPT 15. It is your call.
Good luck what ever you decide and glad to help!

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Evan Go to www.meritseed.com their in ohio and they are really cheap compared to the other guys.

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Haystack is correct. It is a crapshoot on the weather in spring or fall. I didn't mean to imply not to plant in August, I was just pointing out that timing and weather are important. If your soil is sandy, spring may be the best time plant clover (if you get spring rains).

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im not saying your wrong but for as long as ive known we have had wet springs and bone dry summers and falls. that is why i want to plant this spring.
i know for a fact im planting clover and corn and i really want to spring plant everything but if i have to fall plant something, i can.. so in addition to clover and corn what would be another plant, that is good, that i could plant in the next few weeks with my corn and clover?

jake ill check them out

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Soybeans is good, fairly cheap option. Chicory, Alfalfa, Oats or a mix you put together. Try to determine what is being grown around your property and grow something the deer dont already have. The clover is hard to beat. But deer do like variety. If you decide to plant soybeans, keep in mind not to plant till frost is no longer likely. You probably already knew that, I had to mention it. All of the other plants I mentioned can be planted now. Maybe these other guys have some ideas to help also. It pays to get lots of opinions.

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im positive im planting clover. there arent many corn or bean fields around me, but there are a LOT of hayfields. 100 yards away from where im planning to put my plot is a hayfield. i think it alfalfa? what are hayfields usually?
i thought you plant oats in the fall.

RE: clover
 

In many areas including mine and yours, you can plant oats in spring or fall. Oats are good forage for deer or any animal really. Hay fields can vary, if the one located near you is dark green and not much, if any grass in it, could be alfalfa. If you had a picture of it, could tell you for certain. Just a thought. If the fields are mostly grass, it could be a multitude of things. Sounds like you are in a place where food plots will work good.

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it probably is alfalfa then, becasue it is dark green.
im not sure if im coming off clear. i want a food plot that has clover, oats corn, and brassicas (shot plot) if i plant all of these next weekand or so, how long will each plant last (what i mean by that is, how long will the deer eat them) and will i have to replant any of them in the fall?

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The clover is going to live many years if everything goes as planed. The oats will only last till June. It is still to early for corn in your area I would think. Trees should be leafing out before you plant corn. You wont gain nothing planting to early. The deer wont need/use the corn until fall, which is something I think will work good for you. The shot plot will most likely be done by late June also. If you plant the Brassicas in late summer/fall it will last most of the winter. I had kale live all winter this year and it got down to -4. Kale is one of the seeds in shot plot.

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Clover is very easy to grow just make sure you keep it cut (about 6") to eliminate weed growth.
RC

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I planted my clover on monday i got rain today when should i expect to see it sprout BTW its in the low 60's right now

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evan when you plant the clover be sure to pack the ground down cause those seeds are tiny and if they fall down a crack in the ground your never gonnna have them sprout.

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Jake,
You should see some sprouting by Sunday, maybe sooner if it stays that mild. Not all of the seed will sprout at the same time, its normal. You are right about packing the ground after planting.

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i think im gonna plant clover in next few weeks, then plant the other stuff later. becasause i want the plants to be there during hunting season. and the deer will have clover and buckwheat over summer so i think im in good shape. can i plant shot plot and oats in late august at the same time?

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You could plant both at the same time. If it were me, I would plant the shot plot in August, right before a good rain.
And plant the oats in Sept. I have planted oats here 1st of Oct with good luck. Planting those in late summer/fall is the way to go. You should get your moneys worth and provide forage for the deer most of the winter. Try not to wait to long before you plant your clover. IMHO.

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since you guys are on this topic, question.. I've spent the last couple weekends getting a small1/2 acre plot ready that is tucked back in a corner surrounded by cedars and overgrown hay. I brush-hogged most of the hay to allow fresh regrowth as far as edge cover (and I'm also using your guys' honeysuckle suggestion). I'm using Alfaclover (and Delt-Ag seed coat to give it a head start).. Ok so the question is, can I use my atv tires to pack down the seeds. Ive used a roller in the past but its a pain taking out to the farm sometimes, so can I just use the atv? Its a pretty light Polaris 250 Trailblazer, so I was thinking it won't push the seeds down too far.. What do you guys think???

Thanks,

Mossies..Good luck to both of you with your plots, its fun watching stuff grow:D

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Bowman, An ATV will do an excellent job, might take a little longer, but better than a roller IMO. I have/will use a farm tractor to do the same thing in rocky ground. Never had any problems and the tractor weighs over 6000lbs.

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Nice, good to hear!
Thanks very much..

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Anytime Bowman.....Hey I like your signature

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Ha, good song

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x2 good song:)

is a roller that is filled with water better than atv?

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Yes I think it is for small or hard to get to food plots. A roller/cultipacker is better for large plots and fields of course. But I use a tractor or atv some times, with success. JM2C.

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I packed my ground down but i didnt pack my seeds in, should I have packed them in?

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Jake, If you got some rain, you will be OK. The main reason to pack your soil is to ensure seed to soil contact. You will get more uniform sprouting/germination, and the quicker the clover starts growing the less likely weeds will over take your plot. Plus I have rocky ground and packing, pushes them back down, so I dont make little rocks out of big rocks when I cut/mow. (LOL) Jake I would not worry about it.