Box Scraper White clover for my honey bees & wildlife

[MD3]

Next spring I want to sow about 2 acres of white clover on my field roads for my honey bees and the wildlife. I plan to scalp the field roads with my bush hog and then disturb the ground enough to improve seed to soil contact. I do not have an attachment to do this yet. I was thinking about starting a search for a used cheep disk.

An attachment that I will own some day for other projects is a box scraper. I have never used a box scraper so I am not sure exactly how they work. Could I use a box scraper to scratch the field roads for my clover. If I could it would save me from buying 2 attachments. Or do any of you TBN brains have a better idea?

I have a 45HP JD with extra hydraulic valves.

 

[grnspot110]

I would prefer a disk or field cultivator!

 

[nybirdman]

You might want to look at Tractor Supply...their three point cultivator for $249.00,I puchased one last year...not bad for the money...no moving parts to break.
You may want to brush-hog and round-up first.Cultivators don't go too deep;if you plowed(over-kill) you bring up all the dormant weed seeds.
Box blade is the wrong tool for this job.

 

[TripleR]

While admittedly not "ideal" a box blade will work.

We have actually had good luck just broadcasting; before a good rain works best.

 

[Baby Grand]

I recontoured a poorly drained area & planted with red & white clover this Summer using my FEL, a Rear Blade and a KKII Tiller. The area had been too wet to drive the tractor on for 2 years (don't ask how I know), but dried hard as old buscuits during this Summer's drought. The tiller loosened the surface enough to move it around with the rear blade. Once I had some slope and a drainage channel I hand broadcast the seed. I would think anything that will turn the turf under to some degree would work well enough. Clover is pretty hardy stuff.

 

[jbooth]

I think a box blade with the ripper teeth would do fine for ground prep for clover. You may need to make 2 passes due the spacing on the ripper teeth. A lot of people will use a cultipacker after speading the seed. I have used a cultipacker, but never noticed much difference from when I didn't use the packer.

 

[Ford tractor]

Scalp cut the grass now. Spread a lot of lime (soil test is best - but add a rate of 2 ton / acre if you don't test). Then in spring (late winter) when the ground is frozen at night but thaws during the day -- broadcast spread the seed. It's called "Frost seeding" -- you can google it up.

Then after the ground firms up (as soon as you can without rutting) spray a product like POAST or POAST PLUS that contains sethoxydim to kill the grass but leave the clover. You probably will be ok with just cutting it every month to keep the grass down and the clover up. Cut it to about 10", much lower and it harms the clover and allows the grass to spurt up.

 

[MD3]

Scalp cut the grass now. Spread a lot of lime (soil test is best - but add a rate of 2 ton / acre if you don't test). Then in spring (late winter) when the ground is frozen at night but thaws during the day -- broadcast spread the seed. It's called "Frost seeding" -- you can google it up.

Then after the ground firms up (as soon as you can without rutting) spray a product like POAST or POAST PLUS that contains sethoxydim to kill the grass but leave the clover. You probably will be ok with just cutting it every month to keep the grass down and the clover up. Cut it to about 10", much lower and it harms the clover and allows the grass to spurt up.

Thanks Ford Tractor I like that idea a lot. I am a little confused on when to apply the Post. Are you telling me to wait until I see grass growing before I use Post. I will research the Post product next. Maybe I will understand better when to apply. About how many years will I wait until I need to over-seed? Will I over-seed the same way?

 

[TripleR]

We use Poast on actively growing grass and it works really well; doesn't have any effect on broad leaf plants.

For broad leaf control and leave the grass, we use Cross Bow.