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| I'm no expert, so what I say , you should back up from a reputable source before you take it as good info. However, I have seen a few folks somewhat successfully run a 3rd year clover field. Our problem is "clover root borer". That's slang for stupidous damnbug. http://www.oregonclover.org/seedproduction.html Funy thing, or not so funny depending on your sense of humor, the harder you work to make your stand healthy, the harder the borer hits and kills it. If you have a camera, take a clover stem or two and cut the stem open down by the crown. (root borer is commonly known as crown borer too) Take a pic of the open stem and post it. Slice it at an angle if you can.
Our climate difference is going to confuse the info somewhat. Our normal practice on this farm in this direct area, is if we fall plant, it will be in the ground on or around the 15th of september. (october has raised some good stands though) Fall planting is done as a stand alone seeding. Spring planting will usually be done about 50% of the time as an underseed. Under oats is very common. Under sweet peas is common for the pea growers. Under wheat is'nt that common because of the high nitrgen application needed for the spring wheat. Again, weather dictates the timing and underseed or stand alone crop more so with conventional tillage. Some times seeded under oats can be put in in febuary. This usually gets a very high yeild oat crop and a well rooted clover crop, that if we're lucky, can be harvested later in the fall. Right now clover harvest in in full swing. We have a few small patches that we planted alone late behind some nursery ground. It is still in full pink bloom, so we'll likely flail it. The old timers around here that coincidentally have no foresight, will jump all over us if they see us flailing a clover stand in bloom. They will give us the old speech about back when they wuz farming they'd take the clover crop in december when on the frost. However, they all had livestock to choke the next years non-palletable weed mess to. Trying to take a seed stand too late in the fall will limit your herbicides abilities, so........
No comment on the.......*gulp* bbbbbrome grass.........eeewww!
Your labelled herbicide list will likely be different. Insecticide for the aphids and nets usually is something like lorsban. That gets applied in about 5 to 10% bloom. ( if you are next to a subdivision, use lost of odor mast in the lorsban, even low odor lorsban. Dont ask me how I know) New chems are coming out every year and we seem to end up with something new each year to spray for. We're spraying the fescue now days for bugs too if you can imagine that.
Most clovers here are planted on 6-7.5" spacings. Seeding rate:10-12lbs/acre. Not much call for chopped silage anymmore and the hay is too risky rain wise, so most of the first growth in the late spring is flailed. Like about may 1st or so.
Lots of debate about irrigation after the first growth is removed. Most newer generation farmers that have made their own "observations" including myself, have noticed a decrease in yield with water applied closer to bloom. It seems the plant needs a stress period to force the reproductive cycle.
Sorry for the rambling. I enjoy the visiting about crops and how they're raised in different areas. So tell us what you've been doing with your clover in your direct area.
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Clover question for the grass seed guys
