White Clover Seeding

Fall is a good time to establish white clover in your Christmas tree or ornamental fields. Below are a few tips to get your clover started off right.

▪ Seeding dates are August 15– September 15.
▪ Apply a herbicide 1-7 days before seeding. This is to cut down on the competition once the seeds germinate.
▪ Find and purchase white Dutch clover ONLY. Figure on a rate of 15 lbs. per acre.
▪ Inoculate Clover - You will need to inoculate the seed by following this process: Measure out one gallon of clover seed with measuring cup, pour into 5 gallon bucket. Add 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of soft drink to the bucket of clover seed and stir well. Measure 1/4 cup of inoculant and add to the wet clover. Stir again, mixing well to coat all the seed with inoculant.
▪ Using the Spreader: Pre-set a Earthway 3100 spreader between the #6 and #7 setting, then close the trigger. Empty the one gal. of inoculated seed into spreader. Walking at a comfortable but steady pace, open the trigger and start down the second row in the field. The spreader should throw a 12-foot wide pattern, covering three rows, one to your left, the one you are walking in and one to your right.
▪ Calibration: After you empty the spreader with the first gallon of seed, stop and step off the area you have just seeded. Get the length and width footage, then using your calculator, multiply one by the other and get the square footage covered. This first gallon of seed will weigh between 8 & 10 lbs. and should cover somewhere between 20,000 & 25,000 sq. ft. This would put you between 15 and 20 lbs. per acre and that is close enough. If your square footage covered is not between 20,000 & 25,000 sq. ft., adjust lightly the setting on the spreader and do another gallon of seed until you are satisfied. Periodically, recheck
your calibration.

Fall seeding should result in emergence within three weeks and growth of 3-6 inches before cold weather sets in. If the pre-seeding herbicide treatment was successful you shouldn’t have any weed competition at all during the remainder of the fall season. You can begin chemical mowing rates, 8 oz. of Roundup, in the spring when needed.