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Yellow Sweet Clover/response to Peter in Dakota

Hi Peter:
     I'm responding to your request for additional information on our
strategy for the control of Yellow Sweet Clover.  Hope this will be of
value to you.
We (my wife and I) are transforming a 26 acre old corn/soybean field in
south central Michigan (on land which we live and own) to native grasses
and forbs (tallgrass prairie).  When we began, this field was saturated
with Yellow Sweet Clover, White Sweet Clover, Canada Thistle, Bull Thistle,
Queen Anns Lace and an array of alien grasses (mostly C3).  We began in
1993, we plant 3 1-acre plots only each year.  Our strategy is as folows:
We treat with Roundup in the fall (September), the following spring we
plow/disc (late April) and sow by hand native C4 grasses (i.e., Big
Bluestem, Indian Grass, Switch Grass, Little Bluestem, Side Oats Grama)
(early May).  These grasses are our bio-matrix.  That summer we mow 2 to 4
times.  The following spring, before our native grasses have emerged (all
are warm season grasses) (mid April) we treat again with Roundup.  Come
summer (July), we treat with Mec Amine-D (a 2,4-D derivative that only
kills broad leaved plants, does not hurt our native grasses, Gordon Corp.).
We only mow the second year if Foxtail is a problem.  The next year, if
necesary, i.e., if there are still signs of the above aliens, we repeat the
Roundup/Mec Amine treatments.  Importantly, we do not sow the forb seeds
until the above mentioned alien forbs are virtually all absent.  When we
plant our forbs, we do so in the fall, first by mowing the field then disc
(lightly), then had sowing.  We mow (sometimes) the following springWe burn
in the spring at the beginning of the 3rd or 4th year of growth (April).
Beginning in the 3rd or 4th years (after field spraying with a tractor is
cpmpleted) we spot spray using a 2 gallon hand sprayer with Roundup or Mec
Amine-D.  Since we do all of our plantings in 1-acre plots, we have had an
opportunity to compare a number of strategies; the one described above
works best for us in the control of the above mentioned aliens.  Many of
our 1 acre plots are now completely free of Yellow Swet Clover!  After
viewing many restored tallgrass prairies in the midwest and noting how so
many of them are "loaded" with the above aliens, especially Yellow Sweet
Clover, I feel strongly that an early vigorous approach to elimination of
such is well worth the effort.
     If you would like additional specifics, please feel free to contact me
via phone (517-626-6996) or E-mail (welsch@pilot.msu.edu).  Good luck!
Clifford W. Welsch, Ph.D.


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