coolbrze0

I was down at the farm the week before last and planted some red clover and Imperial buck growth clover. How long should it take for this to develop? Lasy year it got burned b/c a buddy put waaay too much fertilizer on it

farm hunter

Should take about 6 weeks to get 2-4" for both - the Red might grow a little faster - but the plants will be very " fraile" until next June - Then it really will take off.

coolbrze0

thanks for the heads up. It should be up just before deer season. We planted according to the Fall directions on the back, but do you think we planted a few weeks too late?

Also, do you think that fertilizer left on there from last year will have an adverse affect on the clover? I' m not planning on fertilizing it this season due to that.

lunchbucket

There is probably no other clover blend in the world that can come close to the Imperial Whitetail Clover for wildlife
if you follow the directions and
if you have the right type of soil and
if you have done proper soil preparations and
if you have some good fortune...
What we have found is that if the directions are not followed with a pinch of good luck you may well have problems.
Soil samples are an example of an area where problems may appear. Ridding the area of weeds and grasses is the next and so on... The IWC requires a good quality sandy loam with a soil pH of 6.5 or betterto reach it' s potential. If the product does not have 30-60 days on the germinated seed and there is a extreme hot or cold spell the product may die. The same is true of most products that are of any quality, you must follow the directions and have some good fortune!!!
We no longer sell the Imperial Whitetail products.

lemond33

rain and sunshine will have the imperial up in no time. it usually greens in a week. that is some good stuff. try the 30/06 + protein. the deer love it...trust me

coolbrze0

Well, I went down to the farm this weekend for some dove hunting. I checked on the clover plot and got a few pics that I' ll post once I download them. Anyways, it seems most of the clover is under an inch now and coming along.

I did however, notice that it is sparse in some areas and thicker in others. Maybe I spread too much, but it seems where it' s thickest is actually in the shadier spots. Does this make sense?

Russ otten

It makes sense. The shady spots held their moisture while the sunny spots dried out much more. That little difference can affect the growth. If you might have noticed the damper soil if you looked closely. I' ve seen the same thing in some of my plots.
Russ

lawnfarmer

I have 3 acres of clover on a power line right-of-way that is cut through a stand of red pine. It flourishes because of the shade and moisture retention. The rest of the clover did not do as well because of the lack of moisture in the open field. I may test some secret stuff from Lunchbucket there in the Spring.[&:]terry

farm hunter

Sounds like its right on schedule.

Russ is right about the shade/moisture thing. You see the same thing for high spots and/or soil type - the heavier soils stay moist longer than the loamy type soils. Look at this picture of my plot - the picture was taken about 30 days after planting (planted 8/15 - Picture form 9/20). . The closest part in the foreground is higher, and the soil not as claylike. In the distance, the soil is heavy and almost never really dry - the clover there is 2-4" 4-6 weeks after planting, and almost non existant on the high soil in the forground.

You' ll maybe see another inch or two of growth this fall, the deer will really beat it back though. I' m not sure how dormant your clover will go in VA - but next spring it will really gome on strong. Also - Remember that so will many annual weeds. Most broadleaf weeds cannot compete with a young vigorous clover plot, and you should mow a couple times to top them off before they seed out - thats whats important.

lunchbucket

Yes... Be sure to put an exclusion basket in the plot or you will not have an idea what is not growing and what is being eaten by the wildlife...