Pasture Clover Mix for Waterfowl Food Plots

Pick low or wet areas that stay moist but are not under standing water for more than 2-3 days at a time during the growing season.
Choose spots where you can walk without sinking deeply; clover roots need both moisture and air.
Mow existing vegetation short or spray with a nonselective herbicide 2-3 weeks before planting.
Let the sprayed vegetation fully brown out before you work the ground.
Rake or drag off heavy thatch so you can see at least 5070% bare soil.
Disk, till, or drag lightly to break up the surface without creating deep ruts or holes.
Aim for a seedbed that looks like coarse crumbs, not powder and not big clods.
Avoid working the soil when it is muddy; wait until it is moist but not sticking heavily to your boots.
Test soil pH if you can; clover grows best at pH 6.0-7.0.
Apply lime several months before planting if pH is below 6.0; you will not see full benefit right away, but it sets you up for future seasons.
Apply phosphorus and potassium only as your soil test recommends.
Skip or minimize nitrogen fertilizer; nitrogen will push grasses and weeds instead of clover.
Firm the seedbed with a cultipacker, roller, or by driving over it with an ATV or tractor.
Check firmness by stepping on the soil; your boot heel should sink about 1/4-1/2 inch and no more.
Refirm any areas where your heel sinks deeper than 1/2 inch; loose soil will bury small clover seed too deep.
Stop working the soil once you see a mostly smooth, firm surface with small roughness to prevent washing.

Plan to plant in early spring or in late summer/early fall when daytime temperatures are mild and soil stays moist.
Avoid planting right before a hard freeze, extreme heat, or heavy flooding.
Measure your plot size as accurately as possible so you can apply the right amount of seed per acre.
Use about 6-10 pounds of this pasture clover mix per acre if you are drilling the seed.
Use about 8-12 pounds per acre if you are broadcasting the seed on top of the soil.
Mix the seed with a carrier such as pelletized lime or clean, dry sand if broadcasting so it flows evenly through your spreader.
Set your ATV or tractor spreader to a low opening and make multiple passes rather than trying to spread all the seed in one pass.
Spread seed on a calm day to prevent wind from blowing seed off target.
Overlap your passes slightly so you do not leave bare stripes; you should not see obvious unseeded streaks when you are done.
Avoid driving through standing water; focus on wet swales, levees, pond margins, and exposed damp soil.
Do not spread seed directly into water; clover will not establish under standing water.
In shallow impoundments, seed on exposed mudflats when they are just firm enough to walk on without sinking deeply.
Plan to let water rise slowly later in the season after the clover is established.
After seeding, lightly cultipack or roll the area to press seed into the top 1/8-1/4 inch of soil.
Check depth by scraping the surface; you should see seed just under or right at the soil surface, not buried deeper than 1/4 inch.
Avoid dragging with aggressive harrows after seeding; this often buries clover seed too deep and reduces emergence.

Keep the seedbed consistently moist but not under continuous standing water during the first 4-6 weeks after planting.
If you control water levels, keep new plantings mostly dry or with very shallow water (less than 1-2 inches) during this period.
Check the soil every few days in the first 2 weeks; it should feel damp when you press it but not soupy.
Expect clover seedlings to start appearing within 7-1-4 days in good conditions.
Look for small, twoleaf seedlings evenly scattered across the plot; this tells you you have a good stand starting.
Avoid driving ATVs, trucks, or running livestock across the plot during the first 4-6 weeks.
Stay off especially soft or wet areas; tire ruts and hoof prints can crush young plants and compact the soil.
Watch for weeds starting to outgrow the clover in the first month.
Wait until the clover is 4-6 inches tall before mowing any weeds.
Set your mower high enough to just clip the tops of the weeds and leave most clover leaves intact; usually this means mowing to about 6 inches.
Do not scalp or cut into the clover crown; if you see a lot of bare soil after mowing, your mower is set too low.
Avoid applying nitrogen fertilizer during this establishment period; it will push weeds and grasses.
By 4-6 weeks, aim for clover 3-4 inches tall and covering most of the soil surface.
Once the stand is 6-8 inches tall and looks thick and even, begin introducing shallow flooding in nearby or lower zones if desired for ducks.
Keep at least part of the clover area on slightly higher ground out of prolonged water so the stand survives long term.

Manage water so clover plots stay moist or shallowly flooded in cool seasons but are not under deep, continuous water during the main growing months.
Avoid holding more than a few inches of water over clover for long periods; extended deep flooding will thin or kill the stand.
Walk the plot several times each growing season and look for thin or bare spots.
Overseed thin areas in late winter or early spring at 35 pounds of clover mix per acre onto a firm surface.
Cultipack or roll after overseeding so seed makes good contact with the soil.
Mow the plot once or twice a year to a 6-8 inch height to control weeds and stimulate fresh clover growth.
Time mowing after clover has grown up and before weeds go to seed; this keeps the stand cleaner.
If you use livestock, graze lightly and briefly, and remove animals before they graze clover below about 4 inches.
Test soil every 2-3 years and apply lime as needed to keep pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
Apply a lownitrogen fertilizer with higher phosphorus and potassium only as your soil test recommends.
Avoid routine nitrogen applications; if you see grasses taking over, you are likely using too much nitrogen.
Watch for invading grasses, sedges, or woody brush throughout the year.
Spotmow, spotspray, or lightly disk narrow strips where these plants start to dominate.
Leave most of the clover area undisturbed when you treat problem spots so birds always have cover and food.
Rotate or rest sections of the plot some years by reducing mowing or grazing pressure to let clover flower and drop seed.
Adjust water drawdowns in some years to expose soil and encourage natural clover reseeding.
You will know your management is working when you see a mostly solid clover cover 6-10 inches tall with few tall weeds and regular bird use.