"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."Mark Twain
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Cormorant Bird Overabundance in Wisconsin
Article intro:In the 1970’s, the Cormorant was nearly wiped out from existence when its habitat was loaded with toxic chemicals. With very little control with the use of toxic chemicals in that decade. The wildlife environment was being contaminated. The ...
Perfect Lawns, is it worth it?
Have you ever been driving down the road with the windows open going past a golf course or a field and then you get a strange smell? A chemical type of odor? Or go walking in the country and notice a large area, usually a field, all brown with dead grass. ...
The Unspoilt Wilderness in Paphos, Cyprus
I have lived in Paphos for a few years now and after the euphoria of living in the sun, going to the beach, seeing the sea every day and watching fabulous coastal sunsets every night, had settled to an acceptable level, I then discovered that Paphos has ...
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In today's markets most seed companies have what is said to be the best. Well what do you think? We all have been told or have read something about the white and red clovers, crimson and the white tail clover. High protein clovers as well as the 38 percent protein clovers. Every seed company say's that theirs is the best but only a few tell you in what regions that these clovers are the best. The trick to any planting is the region that these clovers are planted. In cool climates or warm climates some will do very well in the south in wet areas, sandy areas and some do well in the north wet and sandy areas as long as there is enough sun light to allow the photosynthesis process to work. No matter what people claim the trick is the seed that is suitable for your region. Take the time to correct ph levels that are suitable for the seed that is planted along with soil preparation, the preparation of the soil along with a good solid fertilizer program and adequate moisture will certainly help in the yields that follow. Clover is a high protein legume that benefits the animals that feed from it and contributes nitrogen to the soil.
When you plant clover always use the recommended inoculants for the seed that is going to be planted. When planting clover or any type of wild life planting I prefer to use Bio Stimulants like the RACKMAX brand because it is so cost effective for what it does. These are plant growth hormones that enable a plant to manufacture natural sugar that gives a plant more early season vigor, better stands, faster germination, more leaf area sooner, & much sweeter plants by increasing the starch and sugar production. This makes a plant resistant to freeze, drought, overgrazing, and errosion. It increases the root system up to 300% and has a positive impact on plant health. Most of us know a clover seed is very small and does not produce a very large root system when you can help a plant increase the way that it absorbs moisture and nutrients this alone will help the survival rate of the plants. One word of caution about using a Bio Stimulant on clover plant enough or the deer will decimate it. The inoculants for the type of clover that you purchase can be purchased in a packet by it self if you have a seed that has already been inoculated it will not hurt to add some more, this will insure that all of the seed has a good dose of inoculants on them. When planting clover try to plant on a good seed bed if you have a cult a packer use it if you don't then get the ground ready a week before planting, trying to get the ground even to avoid small shaded areas in the field this will let the dirt settle and tighten up a bit. Clover seed is very small, if you plant say 12 to 20 pounds to the acre it is hard for the birds to do much damage to it so put out the seed and let the rain bury it or
you can drag it in with a piece of chain link fence. The ideal depth is about ¼ to ½ inches this will provide sun light to penetrate for germination. If you have a seed drill learning how to use it will help in an even stand. A small seeder like the cyclone seeder will do very well. As many hunters know now by trial and error that planting clover seed to deep results in poor stands disking clover seed in 5 or 6 inches deep provides poor emergence in clover. Always try and use the recommended amounts of seed when the planting is done to eliminate competition of the seeds too many seeds will not let a plant reach its potential making the process expensive, and not enough seeds will make it easy for weeds to take over and the process will not be as beneficial for your time spent planting. Use herbicides in your clover fields when needed to eliminate the grasses that compete with the clover... Diversity is the key to any hunting area. A successful hunting area may have several types of clover in it this will help in feeding wildlife at different times of the year when one of the clovers matures and dies off then another will be ready. Here in Alabama I like the crimson and yucci Arrow Leaf, because of the cover and the insects that is produced for quail and turkey poutls in the spring as well as prime white tail forages in the fall and winter.
Clover is a safe bet on planting for forage crops. One of the really great things about clover is it makes it own nitrogen so when you plant other crops with clover this will help provide the nitrogen for other grasses in the area. Nitrogen is essential in the production of wild life forages when the nitrogen is present in plants deer prefer the nutritious plants. Two overlooked aspects about any clover is the need to refertilize several times during the year. Refertilizing will help to feed these plants for the growth process keeping it succulent.
Is the clover that is planted an annual or a perennial? Annuals will need to be planted every year and the perennial will reseed it self for several years if the fields are not grazed to the ground during the blooming stage.
A simple p/h test can be done every year or so at that time corrections can be made to the soil. If you would like some good solid information on clover in your area go to the extension office near you or just call they will be glad to help. You will be a better manager of the land that you are managing. So now you can see some of the benefits that clover has it will provide good solid forage for you wildlife. Always remember that our youth need to be involved with our time in the field. Ed Haas RACKMAX
About the author:
Ed Haas is the owner of the RACKMAX company and is heavily involved in issues affecting wildlife nutrition.
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PA Council Seeks Dialog on Hunting's FutureMarketWatch - 12 hours agoAccording to a recent study, "Fishing and Hunting Recruitment in the US from 1990 to 2005," by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, time constraints appear to ... |
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