New food plot

[Ridgewalker]

I'm putting a small food plot on some land I recently bought.
I want to grow clover and chicory on about 1/4 of bottom
land. It's currently covered by leaves and a few weeds, small
trees.

What's the best way to ensure success? Should I treat with
12/12/12 now to give the soil a boost?

Also, what is the best time of year to plant the clover? I am in
Missouri near STL.

TIA!

 

[super55]

First thing is you need to do is to get a soil test. Clover will benefit from fertilizer not so much from the N because it produces its own from the atmosphere. If you have an extremely low or high PH all the nutrients you add will be locked in the soil and the plant won't be able to utilize them so it makes sense to amend the PH before dumping $$ in fertilizer that the plant may not be able to utilize.

 

[AaronS]

Get a soil test now. Mow the area asap. Lime asap according to what the soil test recommends and work it into the soil (lime takes several months to "work".) Seeds that laid dormant in the soil will sprout, so you'll want to kill them once or twice this summer. You can either hit the area with glysophate (generic Roundup) a couple of times as the area greens up, or if you want to provide food at the same time, you can plant Roundup Ready soybeans in the plot and spray a couple of times. This will give your cover a weed-free start and provide a much nicer plot down the road. Plant your clover and chicory with a nurse crop of winter rye this fall around Labor day. Add the recommended fertilizer at that time. The rye will die out next spring and you'll be left with a thick weed-free plot of clover and chicory.