tim03b

Hey guys,

What weed killer can I use that will kill grass and weeds but not harm my clover? I would like to plant no later than 2 weeks from now. Or at this point should I not even bother killing weeds? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim

Soilman

Poast or Poast Plus will kill grass and hurt the clover. You can get pint sized quantities for about $25 from Bonide (Grass Beater), or similar product online. Mowing the plot will kill or keep most broadleaf weeds from becoming too big of a problem. Butyrac used to be labeled for broadleaf weeds in clover, but is not labeled as such anymore.

MUZZY 100

If this is a new field that just has weeds nuke it with 41% glyphosate. Done spent the money on round up brand .Go to a local farm store and get big and tuff or another brand that has 41% gly. Big &tuff =$24 at farm&fleet round up $170 at farm 7 fleet same thing. If your not planting for 2 weeks you fine with the gly... I have sprayed gly and planted the next day with no problems...

MZS

Yes, you will want to kill the weeds. Otherwise they will choke out your food plot. Just tilling merely chops up the weed roots a bit but after a good rain or two they will be back in full force. And by next year your plot will be taken over. If you treat it now, you can till and plant in 4 days.

Note that any glyphosate product (Roundup) will nuke your clover too. But if you go this route, get it from an Ag supply store as mentioned previously - it is indeed 8 times cheaper. I use 8 ounces per gallon of mix. A backpack sprayer with pump handle and spray wand works great unless you are doing huge areas more than 1/2 acre. Got my sprayer at Northern Tool for about $50.

Mojotex

We established a perrenial clover field in the fall of 2010. We bushhogged the field in early March 2010. We hit the field with two doses of generic Round-Up (Big & Tuff) at a rate of 2 oz./gallon and about 12-15 gallons per acre. First app was in first week of May. Second app was in late July. Then we planted in mid-September 2010 using a one pass tiller/drill type machine. We mow it 2-3 times a year, about 2-3 months apart. Cutting it about 50% of its height. This will promote new, tender growth. There are herbicides that you can spray the clover with that will not kill the clover but will kill the weeds. We fertilize this field 2X a year with 0-20-20 at a rate of about 250#/acre. You can expect 3-5 years of a decent clover crop if you stay on top of the weeds.

If you are doing annual clover, such as Crimson ..... correct for pH. Kill the weeds. Plant in the fall. Will be no need to mow because the crop will die off late spring. Plan to plant again in the fall.

We have had excellent use of both the annual and perrenial clover fields by both deer and turkey.

maitland25

This is my first time making a food plot and I just planted some chicory, clover, and turnips a few days ago. I forgot all about using weed killer so I was wondering if there was anything I could use right now to prevent the weeds from growing, but won't hurt the chicory, clover, and turnips. Please help! Thanks.

Soilman

Poast or Poast Plus, will only kill grasses, not broadleaf plants like you have listed. You can find smaller quantities of the same active ingredient sold as "Grass Beater".

North22

I haven't had the guts to try this myself, but Ed Spinazolla says you can spray a light mix of round up (I only use generic - glyphosate) on clover fields. It will kill the weeds, but clover is tough enough to withstand it. I'm not sure of the rate. I have noticed that when I kill off a field by spraying with regular strength often times a lot of clover fails to die off. One of these years I'll man up and try it. Too scared to kill it off for now tho. Lol

Soilman

1 qt/acre will kill most weeds and only stunt the growth of most established perennial broadleaf plants (clover, alfalfa, etc.). It will kill seedlings.

North22

Soilman, Have you tried this yourself? How did it go?