Where Did All This Clover Come From ?

[Terrific_tom]

Went up to my land Saturday to Spray a plot with glyphosate. When I got there it was too windy and starting to rain so I canceled the spraying. Got to looking at the plot and noticed a very health clover crop growing amounst the weeds and volunteer brassica. I had sprayed this plot in early July last year before planting with brassica The only thing that I can figure is that 3 years ago I tried to revive this plot which was an old clover field with frost seeding and it didn't work real well as there was to much grass in it and the clover seed sat dormant until now. Any one have any thoughts on this?

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/Terrific_tom/IMG_1785.jpg


http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/Terrific_tom/IMG_1786.jpg

[lyndon46]

Did you till or plow before planting brassicas?

I had this happen on one my plots. Was 2 yr old seeded clover
that I had put to deep ( 1st attempt at food plotting ).

When I tilled this field 2 years later, ended up with a great clover catch.

[bishs]

That clover is there from seeds from the "old clover field". Clover dumps hundreds of seeds. Your soil is apparently full of clover seed. My land is the same way. I can start mowing an area, and by summers end clover fills in. The broadleafs die from the mowing and the clover responds to it. Aslike seems to be the dominant clover on my place.

[gunfun13]

Bish your comments have me thinking. When using Ed Spins glyphosate method of controlling weeds in clover plots, do you think its the living clover coming back, seeds germinating that have built up in the soil over time, or combination of the two?

Tom, great looking plot as usual, especially for being unintentional!

[bishs]

After I spray, its always been the existing plants that come back. Any openings get filled in with new seeds germinating. I have been lucky and have never had a dry spell after spraying.

[Ed Spin04]

TT, the clover growing appears to be white clover or ladino. This is the variety that can best take a hit from RR spraying. TT, what type or variety of clover was originally planted? We did a lot of RR spraying this year, (50 acres) in late May in an old CRP feld that was planted in 1997 with a variety of perennials for cover. None of the old clover, chicory or alfalfa suffered more than a temporary setback. They didn't even turn brown. They stopped growing as evidenced by the much shorter plants versus the ones that were missed by the sprayer, but stayed green, while the grasses and weeds turned brown and dead. This can happen when there is much moisture and boy do we have the moisture. In fact my guidelines for success when spraying RR on clover as a maintenance procedure is. 'do it when there is good moisture'. Normally I advise to spray in May, but with the moisture we have been getting, it is more than safe to still spray RR on clover, chicory, birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa as a maintenance practice and see it come back thicker than before the spray but without the weeds and grass. For those still not convinced that RR does a much better job than Poast, Pursuit, Arrest or slay and for much less cost to maintain a clover plot forever without any tillage, do just a small part of your plot using RR and see for yourselves. The key is adequate soil moisture and growing vegetation. We had a cool spring that suppressed the early growth of forage, then we had a dry warm spell in late May, followed with the recent two weeks of rain. All vegetation is now growing like mad. My corn is growing at least two inches per day and the older kura clover plantings are two feet tall. It was six inches in late May. Note; now is the time to broadcast additioanal fertilizer, (urea at 100 lbs / acre) on your corn

[Honker]

Ed thanks for the insight on spraying the clover. At what rate would you spray your clover (oz/gal)? I have some in a low spot that always has water that is getting a quite a bit of grass in it. Thanks.

[Ed Spin04]

Consider a 2% solution. Most sprayers apply 12-15 gallons of water per acre. This comes to one quart of RR per 13 gallons of water.

[Honker]

Thanks Ed, 2.56 oz/gallon it is!

[Terrific_tom]

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TT, the clover growing appears to be white clover or ladino. This is the variety that can best take a hit from RR spraying. TT, what type or variety of clover was originally planted?

Ed when I bought the land it was mainly Red Clover. The next spring I frost seeded some Ladino, White Dutch and Alsike into it. Had a really good clover plot. Just starting out I had nothing to cut the clover with so I asked the neighbor farmer if he could cut it. He did but green chopped it in the middle of August during a drought. All that came back was grass. The following spring I again frost seeded with more Ladino, White Dutch and Alsike hoping to regenerate it, but all that came up was grass. This brings me to last summer where I decided to plant something else so I sprayed with Glyphosate which gave me a good kill and planted a Brassica mix in late July which grew very well. Now to the present where I have this good clover growth. I was amazed how thick it came in. Real good info on the RR spraying on clover plots Ed:). Thanks