adams

Last year I planted a 1-4 acre clover plot. It came up and thrived through the season but now after I've started my spring cleaning I'm finding a few spots that I feel would benefit for additional seed. I used a blower to remove last years leaves and am curious what the best method is for reseeding. Can I just broadcast the seed and let the clover that is already there protect the seed and seedlings or do I need to "prep" the soil. My fear is that I will do more harm to the corrent clover growing by attempting to prep the soil for seed.

I'm curious what methods have been used by anyone reseeding an active clover plot and what the results were. I appreciate any help you can provide.

greg-dude

Go ahead and broadcast the clover seed on top of the bare areas without working the soil. Frost seeding is the best way to go and you may still have some time in your part of the US. Spread the seed a little thicker (about 25% more) then what you would in a tilled field. This will work with clover, but not alfalfa. Some years, you will have more success then others due to weather conditions. If it doesn't work this spring, you can try again in the Fall if moisture is adequate a month to 6 weeks before the first average frost. For me, it general works better in the Spring.

adams

Thanks greg-dude. I was beginning to think no one had ever done it before. I'm attending a QDMA seminar on food plots on the 29th but really want the seed in the ground by then.

I appreciate your responce.

RonM

Take a garden rake and scratch the soil or a York rake and then seed . then roll it to give the seed good contact with the soil or else rake over it again to get soil on it.

farm hunter

Frost seed is best for thin plots in the north - otherwise - broadcast 3-4 lbs/acre - then go over the plot with your disks - near straight. Or use a cultipacker - with dimples - to push the seed into the clover/soil.


Don't just broadcast it - unless you can see alot of bare soil.

FH

adams

I can see bare soil in a few sport but the soil is not real loose. I fear by raking I will destroy the clover that is already growing and that is definately not what I want to do. From what I've read about clover it establishes quite a root system before it thrives above ground. My concern is that when I start bearking up the "bare" soil I'll discover that I'm actually ripping up the root system.

I guess I'll have to give it a go and see what happens.

greg-dude

Sounds to me, that you may have a better stand then what you think. If the bare ground is only a few inches, you are find. If it is over a foot or so and/or is bare in many areas over a few inches, you may do some good by overseeding. No stand of any type of vegetaion will have 100% (or even 90%) coverage of the ground. In winter and early spring, stands may look worse then what they actual are due to the height of the plants and that they don't cover all the bare ground.

What the others are saying is that the seed will have a better germination rate on ground that is bare and even a greater germination rate on ground that has loose dirt on top. However, if you damage the existing stand, you may not help yourself out much. There is some point of your plot's life when the plant density is low enough to where you can lightly tilled the ground to get better germination rate and still do minimum harm to your existing stand.

Anyway you go, broadcasting some seed will likely not hurt much outside of spending your money. If the clover is thick enough, the older plants will out compete the new seedlings that do grow (Weeds will do the same.). If the clover is on the thin side, some of the seedlings will survive and help fill in the plot.

Good luck.

Parrot Head

I did 2 things. I tried frost seeding just to many leaves to get the seed to soil. On one piece of ground a farmer charged me $8 per acre to drill it in for me. By my house they were small plots and I knew a farmer wouldnt touch them. I call a landscaped guy and he had a silt-seeder just like a drill the farmers use but about 6 feet wide. He came out and did it for me. A lot more expensive but I didnt want to take the chance and wasting the seed.