volunteer clover seed germination

[cowboy43]

In tx the temp. is 70 nite 90 day. I have a lot of volunteer burr clover laying on ground it has not sprouted after a 4" rain 2 wks ago. Does the temperature dictate when the seed germinates, does the weather have to cool off?

 

[novatech]

Mine hasn't started yet either. I don't know if it is cool weather or number of daylight hours that gets it going. I do know that burr clover (medic) grows in cycles. One great year followed by some not so good. Last year for us was outstanding so i suspect this year will not be so good.

 

[calfbuyer]

I was questioning the same thing yesterday as I was checking the cows. Last year, we had a bumper crop of burr clover and I was wondering when all of the seeds laying on top of the ground would sprout after the 3in rain we just had. I got to looking real close at a bunch of very small green sprouts and got my pocket knife out and dug some up and sure enough, they were burr clover seeds that had sprouted. We got an inch on sept. 15 and 3 inches last fri. im guessing the sept. 15 rain got them started.

 

[cowboy43]

The clover in my plowed ground where I planted wheat, has now sprouted and has 2 leaves, the seed laying on top of the ground across the fence where it was not plowed has not sprouted. I have read the burr has 4 seeds inside, only one germinates, if something happens to that one , then another will germinate when conditions are correct, if it turns dry it may be the next year or longer before germination, natures way of survival.

 

[calfbuyer]

That burr clover must lay in the ground for years because this past winter and spring there was burr clover in places where I had never seen it before.