RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

All of my 6.5 fields have a " no-recommendation" for lime for clovers and brassicas. I' d just give the fields some time. You may find that during the cooler months, and even afters some frost, your clover will be a better draw. I wouldn' t worry about it too much.

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

It' s nice to see you' re back Lunchbucket. Is there anything new in food plots that we should be trying?

Dan O.

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

Dan has a point... I was taking for granted that the deer were not using the clover as much as the alfalfa from the begining. Often during the summer months the deer need different nutrients and the alfalfa may just have what is needed at this time. Is the clover stemmy?
Good to be back DanO... There are some interesting things in the food plot/seed world.

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

Lunchbucket, the clover is not stemmy. I just planted in late May and it is about (3-6) inches in height and appears to be succulent. I planted it with a nurse crop of oats which are about (1-2) ft high now. I did see a doe and fawn grazing in it yesterday so maybe things are going to improve. On a side note, when is the best time to mow it for the first time? Some of the oats have developed seed heads but they are quite green yet.

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

WI Steve; if you were a commercial farmer you' d be harvesting the oats and straw as a crop when were ripe. This would open the clover up to the sun. It' s your call when you want to take off the oats. But when you do, the clover should take off and the deer should move in on it.

Dan O.

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

Did you put an exclusion basket in the clover?

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

No I haven' t.

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

Try the basket... Give it a week or two...

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

I thought I would post an update on my clover plot situation. I am finally noticing some significant deer use. However, a couple things have changed recently and may have something to do with it. For one, I mowed the plot for the first time a couple weeks ago and new growth is coming in nicely, and secondly the neighbors alfalfa field hasn' t been cut for a while and is probably getting a little beyond prime stage. Anyway, I' m just happy to finally see some results for my efforts. Hopefully it will continue or even become better as we get closer to deer season. The only negative is when I mowed it with my brush hog it left some narrow swaths of mowed vegetation that I thought would decompose soon enough to not be a problem. However, I noticed that some of it is still there and if I remove it the vegetation underneath looks rotten and is almost black in color. Will this eventually come back or fill in? I guess it wouldn' t be the end of the world if it doesn' t come back in these spots because it is only a small percentage of the total plot. Also, on a side note. I had a discussion with a deer farmer in the area and based on his experience with his deer they always preferred alfalfa over any clover. Just thought I would mention that for discussion purposes.

RE: clover vs alfalfa
 

Steve,

I' ve noticed around my house that some of the local grasses and such are turning a little brown. I' m wondering, even though we havn' t had a frost yet, if the deer are losing the palability of various food sources right now to maybe help you clover utalization take another jump here in the next few weeks. It wouldn' t surprise me if that clover begins to really outcompete that alfalfa in the near future.

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan