Getting ready to buy the seed for planting a 4 acre plot. I' m going to plant Imperial Whitetail Clover and can' t decide how much to plant. They say 8 lbs./acre which would be 33 lbs. Would it be better to buy the 50 lb. bag and plant more than recommended or get the higher priced smaller bags. I think I read someplace that you can plant too heavy and not get as good results. Have done everything the soil test said so far and don' t want to mess up now. Thanks for any advice.

JKT
If it was me, I think I' d go ahead and get the 50lb bag anyhow. It will be cheaper. 8lb per acre will work, when I did my plot (which is only about 1/2 acre) I did about 6lbs...which is more than they suggest. It worked out fine. If I was planting 4 acres, I' d probably use most of the 50lb bag anyhow...and save some to overseed with in the spring if you get any areas that don' t take well...but that' s me. There are alot of other folks that have used IWC and on bigger plots, so they may be able to give you some better input. I think your success(no matter how much seed per acre) really depends on how well your plot is prepped and how good of soil contact you get(and rain of course). If you can get the seed pressed into the soil, rather than covered...it will do better. Should be a nice plot, you will be happy!

FH, you' re the big clover plot master...tell him what would be best.

If the savings is worth it, buy the 50lb. bag. Then if you end up with open spots in your planting, you can use the remaining seed to overseed. If you still have seed left, just look for a spot to utilize the remaining seed. My plot had spots that did not get fully covered, and I did not have enough extra seed to go over these spots.
Russ

I always go a little heavier than recommended. If it says 8 lbs per acre I will use about 10 to 12 lbs.

The others who have already posted have given you excellent advice = I like WV Hunter' s " save some" - its like gold when you need it - over seed any bare spot larger than the size of a car - hopefully you won' t have many of them.

My first plot was a 5 acre field, and we used a 50 lb bag of IWC. I saved about 5-6 lbs out for over-seeding bare spots and a for couple test plots around the property (learned alot by doing that - more than I read anywhere) - so I guess it worked out to about 8-9 lbs acre - and it was a good plot. We had planted in early August - the next spring is when it really took off. Be sure to check the inoculant date on the bag - if in doubt - go to the local co-op and buy the 4oz package of inoculant for clover (white/ladino) - in fact go any how - and buy a pound of red clover, and a pound of alsike clover. Within your plot pick a couple spots, mark them and try different mixes with the IWC - again you will learn alot - the deer will let you know what they like (red & alsike are not in IWC).

Save the extra seed - over 10lbs/acre probably doesn' t help you much.

Be sure to fertilize, especially try to make sure some P is very available - it helps the root development and disease resistance of seedlings.


Good luck, take pictures, and keep us pdated.

I ordered my seed yesterday, got the 50lbs and will hold 10 lbs for fill in planting as suggested. It' s still too hot in KY to plant now, think I' ll wait two or maybe three weeks.Thanks for the advice, will post pictures if all goes as planned.