So many times I make a comment on a thread that is hopping.......then it stops. HAHA am I the thread killer?

I checked the plots yesterday and they all have a good bit of clover from my fall planting. What should I do in the spring (and when) to encourage the clover and give it the best chance to thrive? Should I mow the fields to keep it low enough so the clover doesn’t get shaded out and just not worry about spring planting?

Are these annual or perennial clovers? If they are annual clovers, then i wouldn't do anything. I would just let them run their course. If they are perennials then I would wait until early April and spray the plot with clethodim to kill any grasses that might choke out your clover. This will also kill any cereal grains that are in the plot. You can mow to keep broadleaf weeds in check. Don't use any nitrogen fertilizer during the spring or summer as this will promote weed growth. You can use 0-20-20 in lieu of a soil test. If it needs liming, then lime it.

Wont 2,4 DB work for the broadleafs without hurting the clover?

Yes, 2,4,db will kill broadleafs and wont hurt your clover. If you know what your doing, you can spray gly on your clover in April and kill the grass and the broadleafs, without killing your clover. Broadleaf weeds don't bother me, unless you have a lot of them. I even hand pull them, if there's not too many of them. Grass on the other hand will choke out clover.

So how do I learn how to "you know what your doing, you can spray gly on your clover in April and kill the grass"?

How does that work?

My sprayer takes about 18 gallons to spray an acre. When spraying clover, I mix 2 ozs., per gallon and spray it. It kills back most weeds and all grasses, but doesn't hurt the perennial clover. I'm not sure what it will do to your annual clover. Make sure the clover has taken off with that explosion of growth that comes during the spring and that the clover is not stressed in any way. It may brown the edges a little, but it always bounces back. Don't try this in the heat of the summer when most clovers are stressed. Clover is hard to kill, just ask landscapers. Why don't you mix a little up in a small handpump sprayer and test it on a small section, before you go full bore.

Thank you. 2 oz \gal is my regular mix. (2.5 gallons into 160 gallon tank)

I will try with hand sprayer first though. Thanks for the information.

I’ve sprayed gly on clover in the spring at 1 oz per gal and it worked great.

Prefer to use .5 oz cleth and 3 oz butyrac per gal now. Don’t have to worry about killing it.