(quoted from post at 04:56:42 09/01/18)
(quoted from post at 17:14:19 08/31/18) We had some clover show up on a field one year
that must have came from something my uncle
planted long ago
Clover can come from seed being passed through the cows. If the animals ever ate hay with clover in it, it can sprout.
My father also claimed that clover was a "hard seed" and that it could wait dormant for many many years (he claimed twenty); until you had the right conditions. According to him, the "right conditions" consisted of a field that had its first cutting removed and then an abnormally wet midsummer to soak the seed.
Not sure if he's right about those conditions. BUT... I do have a recipe for promoting clover. It consists of getting some clover hay for your animals and spreading their manure.
Once it's out there, you can promote it by getting your first cutting early and your second cut late. Getting the first cut off early removes the competition so that the clover can dominate in the heat of midsummer; when grasses struggle.
Then let that clover go to seed by taking your second cut late... or not at all, if the field needs a rest.
I find that many people underestimate the feed value of excellent, early first cut hay. Here in NY, the cool, long day conditions of May promote the growth of hay with very digestible Neutral Detergent Fiber and high brix. Your second cut may have higher protein, but the fiber may not be as digestible from the hot growing conditions.
If I could feed nothing but first cut taken in the first week of June, I would be a happy camper. It's excellent hay, better than most second or third cut.