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Re: sweet clover control

>Sweet clover is really bad in our area (near St. Louis) this year.
>Mowing it to the ground while it's in full flower will reduce seed
>set for future generations of this biennial plant.
>
>It has been suggested that an early burn to stimulate germination,
>followed by a late burn (after green-up) the following year, will
>help control it, but I don't know of any documentation of this. This
>treatment will also reduce the showiness of perennial forbs the
>second year, but since they're perennial, there should be no
>long-term damage to them. If anyone has used this two-year method
>successfully, let us know.
>
>James C. Trager
>Shaw Arboretum
>P.O. Box 38
>Gray Summit MO 63039
>PH# 314-451-3512
>FAX 314-451-5583
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Burning has been used here in Iowa, in Minnesota and in the Dakotas by TNC
and the state DNR's for many years to help control sweet clover.  Generally
it is practiced in late spring after the second year shoots have reached a
height of perhaps about 8 inchs to 1 foot in height.  This kills the second
year plants, but also scarifies other seed on the ground and often produces
a very large number of new seedlings for the following season.  Thus the
procedure needs to be repeated the following year, or perhaps several years
in succession to get really effective control.  Obviously timing is
critical.

Here in central Iowa we have also used this method on our prairie
reconstructions coupled with hand-pulling or mowing all seed bearing plants
and have reduced sweet clover infestations to near zero.  The importance of
getting every plant cannot be overstated since a single large plant can
produce up to 350,000 seeds. We generally dig large plants with a narrow
modified shovel as pulling them in dry soil is nearly impossible.

Burning on an every other year or every third year cycle really favors
sweet clover.  Cutting very large plants below the branches effectively
kills the plant.  As a result mowing can be very effect as a control
measure and you generally find little sweet clover on prairies which are
hayed annually.

A paper on this method of control was published by Mark Heitlinger from
Paririe, a Multiple View-1975 University of North Dakota Press.


Carl Kurtz
515-477-8364
cpkurtz@netins.net 


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