Hey guys, I just got a 10 lbs. bag of seed from Merit Seed via the Ohio Deer Expo. It's a mix of Clover/alfalfa/chicory. when is the the earliest this spring to plant this stuff cause i want to get it rollin as soon as I can.
thanks

Around the first of April would be the safest bet, because of the Alfalfa. The clover and chicory can tolerate cold soil better than the alfalfa.

Which one of those blends did you get from Merit Seed?

It's the 12 point Mix without turnips. Last year at the Expo one of their salesmen gave me a free 3lbs. bag of straight clover mix. I planted it and the stuff did great and the deer seemed to enjoy it as well, so this year I bought some new stuff.
Also here is a few pics from the location of my plot, lemme know if you think it's to shady, it gets a decent amount of sun but I'm still worried about when the leaves come that it will be a thicker canopy.

I thought maybe it was the Platinum Ultra blend, which looks like a good one also. The 12 point should work well for a spring planting, especially minus the turnips.

You should still be OK with that location, clover in particular can tolerate shade fairly well. Soil acidity could be an issue there if no lime has been applied. The tree's could impact the plot more in dry weather, the roots can pull moisture in a major way.

You might want to consider sowing some oats along with that mix to help with weed control until the clover and other seeds can become established.

Have you ever used Arrest on your plots?

Haven't used Arrest, but I've used something similar called Poast Plus. I've since started using Arrow, which seems to get a better kill on most grasses. Broad leaf weeds might give you more of a problem at that location, and with chicory in the mix, there's not many herbicide options. Also, if the clover and alfalfa in the 12 point blend isn't pre-inoculated, you might want to consider using it this time. With a new plot, inoculate is very beneficial and its fairly cheap insurance.
POAST PLUS GRASS HERBICIDE - 2.5 GAL (Same as ARREST


ARROW GRASS HERBICIDE - 1 GAL (Same as SELECT or TRIGGER)


Alfalfa/Clover Inoculation (INTX-Prevail)

The Seed had some orange colored powder with it. I dont know if its inoculated or not. It doesnt say on the bag other than the fact that the seed has been coated with something.

Sounds like it's pre-inoculated. Sometimes the coating also contains lime and other minerals as an added benefit.

Well good luck on this plot, if the weather or other things don't cooperate this spring and summer, you can always try again late summer/fall. That area looks like an ideal place for a kill plot, especially for bow season!

Yeah, thanks haystack, I have never seen as much deer activity as i have seeen i'm pumped to see what happens this fall!!!