Last year there was a poster here who spent big $ on a herbicide for clover plots, I do not recall who the poster was or the product used. I want to invest the $ to have the plot be all it can be.
2,4 db is what I am going to use this year. I have used it in the past on alfalfa and it works like a charm. Whitetail Institute sells an overpriced version called Arrest Max, it's about half that at the Co-op. I also overseeded my entire yard in Dutch White Clover this year and will be using it there to kill off the remaining bermuda and whatnot.
OK just checking. In central WI sand country in the middle of an oak flat that we had clear cut due to the wilt; all we did was round up, disc maybe an inch and half deep, and lime the crap out of it and we got clover super thick. This was "soil" in name only - only maybe a half inch of leaf litter and top soil over sand. This land had never been planted with any ag. And the clover came from the co-op, we didn't use anything fancy. Lasted 3 seasons, last year was season 4 and we finally started to get thin areas. Going to do it again this spring. Can't beat it for cost-effectiveness and it's nearly idiot proof (neither me nor my buddy had any experience at all.) We only mow it 1x per season.
Sota I asked a lot of people about this and most said apply Clethodim for grasses and mow 6-8 inches tall to regulate broadleaf. Some did report success with 2-4-DB, a popular brand is Butrac 200. If you apply it make sure temperatures are moderate, say around 70s. Also if you can use a foliar fertilizer. This helps to ensure that you don't burn the clover. Above is a pic of my clover plot this year. The guy I refer to as the Clover King is Robie Pruitt at Antler King. The dude has the clover plots to prove he knows what he is doing and he is a stand up guy to boot. Good luck brother an let me know how things work out for ya.
My clover plots have always thrived and I'm the clethodim and mow 4-6 inches as well approach. I lightly overseed even good clover plots every frost seeding season as well.
I hopefully will be around more this summer to tend to the plot. I probably will not be hunting I will be setting the table for my son.
First year with it looks better than second year without it. I over seed a bit because I broadcast and mow twice to 5-6 inches.
Dang.. that's pricey. I think if I had over five acres of clover that would be my go to but my plot is only an acre.
I need to find a couple of friends like that! I swear if the wife sees another deer hunting purchase she is going to kill me. Who needs a roof done and is willing to pay cash!? Lol!
Honestly outside of really wet years I have more years than not mowed the thing twice and clethodim hit only once a year sometimes same day as mowing.
that seems...crazy big. How the heck are you going to decide where to set up? I've been feeling, and now reading, that smaller is better when it comes to food plots. Even on TV, I freaking hate watching a shooter buck mill around out of bow range for extended periods of time. Don't think I could ever hunt a food plot that wasn't 100% in range at all times. Would drive me crazy. Ag fields are different bc when/where/how they get planted is not up to me.
Well.. my main perennial plot is a clover and alfalfa mix and it's just right at an acre. It's also where my feeder sits, I have hunted over it in the past but am mainly hunting the trails that lead to it now. I have four plots that probably total 4 1/2 acres. The other three or primarily summer plots but I will plant one with oats or cereal rye in the fall. I have no ag fields anywhere close so I have to plant a few larger plots or they will mow them down before they ever really take off. The first year I had the place I planted a buckwheat and sunflower mix where my clover plot is now, it was at about 8" one afternoon and bare ground less than a week later. I replanted buckwheat and clay peas and it was a repeat cycle. So instead of fencing off plots I just turned over more ground and spaced them out with planting and variety.
I am trying a different approach this year, partially facilitated by not sitting at the fire base all weekend. I raked the plot off yesterday and this morning in past years I would have over seeded clover, I decided since I am two weeks ahead of schedule that I would treat any weeds and grass and then rerake in a couple of weeks. I will see what clover comes up and then retreat for weeds then reseed. I have a roller that you will with water to roll over the seed I don't need the frost to get seed soil contact.
