PILOT

Do to the heavy rains I still havent got a 1 acre clover plot planted that I wanted to get in this spring. Im in NE IN do you think its too late?

farm hunter

I don' t think its too late, as long as its wet - I' ve planted clover in July with good results before. - it all depends on how much water you get/or not. Rape planted know will go to seed by fall, you may want to cut it once.

PILOT

I think Ill go ahead and give it a try, maybe these cool temps and rain will stick around in June. Got all you plots in farmhunter?

farm hunter

Thanks for asking Pilot - No not all, but probably 3/4. I' ve still got 2 acres of soybeans to plant (1st year trying them) - the feild is ready but too wet to plant. Also 1.5 acres of corn in " the Maze" , the wet sections, I haven' t even been able to disk yet, it looks like I might end up replowing some of it - the low sections in the distance and to the left, still have standing water, and the clover is going nuts on the plowed ground.

Otherwise - I' m ahead of schedule on the other 10 acres. I will say that next year - I will not plant as much corn - to much plowing/disking for this soccer dad. I hope to get " the maze into sections of fall/spring, and perenial plantings..

bow27

farmhunter,
can you mow rape, how will it do after you mow it. Would like to use it in my clover plots but they get mowed a couple times a year. thanks

farm hunter

Bow27,

Rape makes a good cover crop for clover - especially in dry weather beacuse it offers shade to the young clover starting out. Mowing tends to thicken the stalk, making it stiffer than if you had let it grow.

As long as you mow rape before it flowers out, it will come back fairly well. Rape is 90% an annual - so for the most part you only have to deal with it the first year of planting.

Remember too, to only plant 1/3-1/2 the normal amount for Rape when planting with clover. To much Rapeseed can crowd out a good clover plot, rather than offer protection.

bow27

Thanks Farmhunter,
We added some rape to existing clover plots this year. We frostseeded it with clover. Haven' t been back to see how it is doing. Going to put some smaller plots of just rape in for the fall. Isn' t biologic rape and clover? How do they get the rape back every year.

lunchbucket

Plant it...

wigmap

The Biologic premium perennial has both clover and rape in it but the rape does not come back the second year. The clover does come back. I am in the second year of a plot and my clover looks great. Back in April we lightly disc the plot just to disturb the ground enough to open some holes. Then we over seeded some more rape and rolled the plot with a lawn roller. As of last weekend none of the rape and come up. The clover is probably 8 inches high and at this point I doubt if I get any rape.

NorthJeff

The premium perinnial has 5 or 6 brassicas in it. Some are designed to have increased summer palitibility, and some for hunting season. It' s always great to plant variety in brassicas, not just 1 seed. The premium perinnial does it right. You can frost seed in a brassica mixture such as Biologic' s Maximum to offer another year of the combo.

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan