Help Identifying this plant growing in my Minnesota NWSG

F

Freeborn

Member
Hi group,

I need help identifying this plant. I have NWSG in its second year of growth and I have a 2 acre spot where I have allot of this plant growing. I’m thinking of mowing it as it is taller than my NWSG. The temperatures are cool and it’s still early in the season so my NWSG hasn’t taken off yet. Any ideas on what it is? It looks like sweet clover to me.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

2012-05-27_10-59-02_353.jpg
 
Without being able to smell it, my guess would be wild alfalfa. Which is different than alfalfa that is growing wild. I hope that makes sence.
 
I think so, are you saying there is a good chance that this is alfalfa from seed when there was alfalfa planted in this field before.

Is there any benefit to it and can I just mow it to stop it from shading out my NWSG?

Thanks for all the help.
 
I think so, are you saying there is a good chance that this is alfalfa from seed when there was alfalfa planted in this field before.

What am I looking for when I smell it compared to the other alfalfa you mentioned?

Is there any benefit to it and can I just mow it to stop it from shading out my NWSG?



Thanks for all the help.
 
Freeborn said:
I think so, are you saying there is a good chance that this is alfalfa from seed when there was alfalfa planted in this field before.

Is there any benefit to it and can I just mow it to stop it from shading out my NWSG?

Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...

What I am saying is that if it is wild alfalfa it is a different species than cultivated alfalfa. It would be beneficial to have the diversity of a forb. If it is sweetclover like was suggested that is a biennieal and will be dead next year. If you pick a few leaves and crush them between your thumb and forefinger, then smell your finger you will know , if you know what sweetclover smells like. You could wait and see if it gets tall and has blossoms on it. Wild alfalfa will only get a foot or so tall.
 
I think I would leave it. Weather its clover or alfalfa wildlife would like it. Grass should take it over anyway in time. I have about a half acre of alfalfa in mine from the old hay field and the deer and pheasant seem to like it. Let us know what you going to do.
 
This stuff gets tall and takes over. Pheasants and rabbits love it. It's good for chicks, dusting, lofting and tends to keep the ground below it open. Bugs are attracted to it too which is another benefit to chicks.:)
 
Last edited:
Thanks group, I'll be at my place this weekend and take a full assessment of the area. If the sweetclover is good for pheasants I will leave it.

Here is a a picture that shows a small part of the field with the clover and grasses mixed.

photobucket-20961-1338471109104.jpg
 
Unless you're looking to establish warm seasons I would just leave it then.:)
 
Sweet Cover.
It's hard to imagine better pheasant cover then Sweet Clover mixed with Grasses. It will also add N to the soil to benefit the grasses. Will tend to suppress weeds, stands well to snow, seeds and leaves are good wildlife feed.
Once you have Sweet Clover seed in the soil it will be there forever. The right weather and soil conditions cause it to germinate late Summer or Fall then shoot to seed the following year.
 
mnmthunting said:
Sweet Cover.
It's hard to imagine better pheasant cover then Sweet Clover mixed with Grasses. It will also add N to the soil to benefit the grasses. Will tend to suppress weeds, stands well to snow, seeds and leaves are good wildlife feed.
Once you have Sweet Clover seed in the soil it will be there forever. The right weather and soil conditions cause it to germinate late Summer or Fall then shoot to seed the following year.
Click to expand...
Suppress weeds? It is a weed itself. ;)

A nicer word is "forb". Then people don't feel they have to mow it like they would "weeds". :cheers:
 
There are good weeds and there are bad weeds.
Sweet Clover would be a good weed.:)
 
Like the others have said, I'd leave it alone. Makes an awesome bug attractant for quail and pheasant chicks.
 
Thanks group, I left the Sweet clover, it does look great. I also have plenty of other weeds to deal with, particularly Canadian Thistle and Ragweed. I spent the weekend spot spraying and mowing. I can't believe how fast that thistle grows.

The Pheasants did well this past winter near my place as there are allot roaster roaming and calling. Hopefully we have a real good hatch this year!

Thanks again for the help.
 
DO NOT kill the raweed. Quails number one food source. Thistles yes, if they are getting out of hand. Ragweed is a good thing to have, and plenty of it.
 
Thanks Jaytee,

I would do that but I have never heard of quail this far north and the patch I had was getting out of hand.

If I see or hear of a quail in my area i would keep the ragweed. ;)

Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top