Frost-seeding clover in PA is a late Feb through mid March type of thing.
Couple questions though....what is the current status of the plots and trails? Bare dirt? Grasses? Weeds?
Do you plan to spray the clover to help with weeds and grasses?
What equipment do you have at your disposal?
Spring plantings are tough (main issue is weeds). Depending on the answers to the above, you may be best to prep the plots and trails for a fall planting of clover with some oats/barley/wheat/rye for a lush clover plot/trail for the spring of 2021.
Butyrac (2-4DB) will kill broadleaf weeds(not clover)Since it is less than a 1/4 acre, I have no problem spraying it for weeds, but I'm not sure what to spray to kill the weeds, but not kill the clover.
RGrizz gave you good info on the spray to use on the clover. I have not used Imox, but cspot has had good results with it. I have used Butyrac 200 and Clethodim separately with good results on our clover.OAWC-It's technically the backyard of the cabin. Right now it is a mixture of grasses, clover, cover crop and weed. I planted a mixture seed last year, but it got overtaken by weeds until we mowed it and then the clover and see took over. The clover didn't get much time to establish before the deer took over.
So far we have raked the ground to break it up and remove all of the dead growth from last year. Since it is less than a 1/4 acre, I have no problem spraying it for weeds, but I'm not sure what to spray to kill the weeds, but not kill the clover. I also want to plant clover on our trails which are just bare dirt at this time.
My equipment consists of a mower, hand rake and backpack sprayer.
Imox is what I have been using. It kills grass and weeds. Here is the thread about it.Planted clover last fall & want to frost seed mid March. I tried butyrac for weeds no luck. Is there an alternative I could use?
Make sure you read the label. If the weeds are too tall, it will be inefficient. Also, make sure you're using the proper adjuvants. I think Butyrac calls for a surfactant. Applying at proper rates is also key. Too little, and it won't work.Planted clover last fall & want to frost seed mid March. I tried butyrac for weeds no luck. Is there an alternative I could use?
Yes. Imox requires nitro-surf along with it. I try to spray mine about a week or 2 after I mow. By then everything is greened back up and is starting to grow.Make sure you read the label. If the weeds are too tall, it will be inefficient. Also, make sure you're using the proper adjuvants. I think Butyrac calls for a surfactant. Applying at proper rates is also key. Too little, and it won't work.
CSPOT-Thanks for the information. I was trying to read the label yesterday and I really couldn't decipher what to mix up with the nitro-surf and Imox. What is the mixture for an acre if you don't mind helping me out.Yes. Imox requires nitro-surf along with it. I try to spray mine about a week or 2 after I mow. By then everything is greened back up and is starting to grow.
So if I understand correctly, if I have a 1/4 then I should use 1 oz of IMOX and 2 oz of Adjuvants? I only have a 2 gallon sprayer.Sprayer calibration is the real trick. There's no "mixture" per say. You'll see a lot of guys say stuff like 2oz/gallon. Beware of the advice from these people. I can fill my 25 gallon sprayer with a "mixture" like that. Am I supposed to drive 1 mph or 10mph while spraying? You'll get a much different coverage rate. The general goal is to know how much ground you get out of a full tank of your sprayer. Then add enough herbicide for that acreage.
The Raptor label is much better. (Imox is generic Raptor)
http://www.keystonepestsolutions.com/labels/Raptor.pdf
For clover - (grown for seed per label)
4-5 oz /acre (chicory 4 oz/acre)
25 gallons of spray - 4 oz Imox - 30,000 sq ft (5.3 oz/acre rate)
Apply when weed leaves are 1"-3" tall, when clover is NOT in bloom
USE Nitrogen (Nitrosurf OR AMS) AND Adjuvant AND Basagran(if necessary, sedge)
Adjuvants
0.25% surfactant (1 cup/25 gallons)
OR 1 pint/acre crop oil
OR high surfactant oil concentrate (0.5%v/v) (1 pint/25 gallons)
Imox is labeled for use once a season. Spraying it too close together might cause issues. Full disclosure. We've sprayed it early June and again in late August with no problem.
Really appreciate the help guys! Still trying to learn all this stuff. I did find out my in-laws use Raptor on their farm for Alfalfa so I may be able to sneak a few ounces off of them since they buy it in bulk. I did think about buying a backpack sprayer so that would up it for me. Its a lot of work to make your backyard look nice and plot worthy, haha.If you missed a spot then you never sprayed it the 1st time. :grin2: I read that somewhere to about 1 time per year (maybe Raptor Label?), but I also read that you can do it twice per year on the Imox label. See link below. Look on page 2 under terrestrial restrictions
http://www.keystonepestsolutions.com/labels/IMOX.pdf