I have a food plot of Imperial Whitetail Clover. The recommended herbicide for grass control in the clover is Clethodim. Over the past 2 years the clover has been dominant until about July when the grass seems to come on strong. Last year the Clethodim worked fairly well on the grass but seemed to have no effect on it this year. Perhaps I have controlled the grasses affected by the Clethodim and what remains is immune. Both years the treatment seemed to stunt the growth of the clover and allowed the remaining grass to thrive, not at all the desired effect. I am wondering what others have experienced if you have dealt with the same situation. I am not discounting the possibility that the reduced rainfall in mid and late summer is what is stunting the clover but perhaps affecting the grass to a lesser degree. At this point I am considering burning the plot down with glyphosate in the spring and starting over.

It's best to get the grasses when young.
Do it mid day after dew is burned off.
Did you use a surfactant. That's important when spraying grasses.
Clethodim is prefered.

How many years do
you want from one planting?
I get two with no spray.
White Dutch does better than deer clover
BUT,
not a controlled test.
Mine is not "for" deer but they eat it.
Rabbits n groundhogs too.

All my clover lanes are surrounded with foxtail and other crap grasses. Guy from the AG services was out inspecting our crop fields and made a suggestion to me on clover. Ditch all the "food plot crap" and just order Dutch White clover. For the first three years, keep mowed at 2-3 inches and the clover will choke out the grass. 4 years later I have thick lush clover lanes and the critters are happy. I maintain it at about 5-6" now and very pleased with the results and lack of spraying more chemicals

I’d just turn it under and start over to feed the soil some but I’m no farmer. Rain seems to be the key to success with food plots and grass in general. Our first year plots have exceeded our expectations because of the rainy weather.

I do use a surfactant and wait to spray until the dew is gone. Perhaps I need to spray earlier to kill the grass when it is younger. I have been reseeding via frost seeding every year in March. That may not be necessary but my clover looks fabulous until July. The recommended mowing height is 8" and I have usually mowed twice by then. I will investigate the Dutch clover.

I’ve mowed small plots of imperial whitetail clover very low, with a regular riding lawnmower, with very good results. Not sure it is an option for you, but something to consider trying before starting over.

Personally, I would not do white Dutch.

It's kinda a " black sheep" clover.
If you used Imperial Brand, they mix that with an (annual) clover. It may look good the first year.
Overall, my best plots are straight Ladino.
Alot depends on your soil conditions
. But as to your grass killing technique, Cleth,surfactant and timing should be fine.
Clovers are purty tough. Even if you set them back, with decent rains, they usually bounce back.
Side note, white clovers do better in moisture soils , red clovers can tolerate a bit drier soils.
My opinion from planting clover plots for about 15 years.

When in the year are you spraying? It needs done when the grass is actively growing. If you wait until mid summer, its going to have little to no affect. The grasses you see are warm season grasses, so they thrive in warm weather, though growth is minimal. Clover is a cool season plant, so it’s always going to “die back” in mid summer. But it fills back in with cooler fall temps and rain. Lack of rain this summer probably has most clover looking poor. There’s nothing you can do to fight mother nature.

Imox ( imazamox ) May help you better, use a heavy dose 8-12 oz per acre, Clover is tough to kill. Keep on the grass, spray as soon as you can see it. I’ve been doing Clover plots for myself and two other landowners for hire, for 14 years now. I also got away from using clethodim.

On another note, try this. Plant a small area of Frosty Berseem Clover. It’s an annual, but I’ve had excellent results with it. Grows fast, and creates more tonnage for Forage than traditional white clovers.

Bucksnbears have you ever tried Frosty Berseem? I know you have knowledge of food plots, I would certainly try it if you haven’t. I’m glad I did lol

This is the worst year for both red and white clover here I've ever seen. Clover does seem somewhat cyclical. Hopefully it starts coming back. A lot of it probably depends on when it and the competing plants are mowed.

Keith

No. Just heard about it recently.
Where do you buy the seed.?

“Frosty” is a brand name. Its just a variety of berseem clover. You can find out dealers on their website, but you have to fill out a request form for some reason.

Thanks for the help and good suggestions folks.

Seed Barn online is where I get my Frosty Berseem, and don’t have to sign anything as Magis suggested.

https://seedbarn.com/products/frosty-berseem-clover-seed-25-lbs?variant=12534664134756

( from the label )

“Frosty, while preserving its Mediterranean genetics, has been bred for later maturity, cold tolerance, productivity, and nutritional value. Deer love Frosty's palatable and nutritious yields. In Mississippi food plot trials, Frosty was grazed by 4x more deer than other competing clovers. “

saw we had a new red clover available this year in Missouri that was 2,4 resistant..........made me consider it

Q Medium Red Clover is a high yielding, short-lived perennial legume developed using traditional breeding methods (non-GMO)
to provide tolerance to the broad spectrum herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D).

If you are waiting until the grass shows up in your clover you will have a very hard time getting the appropriate amounts of your grass herbicide through the clover and thu marginal performance. Also be sure you are doing this when temperatures are in tlhe range for the recommended application. You stated that you have damaged the clover both years and that is not surprising to me either. Are you trying to kill cool or warm season grasses? That can make a difference as to when applications should be done. Most clover types are not really not that long lived and spraying them later in the season when trying to put carbs in the roots and their older stands will cause the stand to weaken and thin in my opinion.

Bryce

I didn’t say you had to sign something. I said that the website has a form to be submitted to find dealers. Its right there if you want to check.