Going to try some Ladino Clover in N.W. Fl. PH is fine with fair soil. Question...should I use a cover crop to help it get started.

About 40-50 lbs of cereal rye per acre......Stay with a light rate so you give the clover plenty of space

Plant in fall, not spring

In the spring you should be able to get away without planting anything else. I planted clover, chicory and oats last fall. I over seeded more clover and chicory about a month ago and just sprayed last weekend. Should have to bush hog about in a couple weeks and let it roll for the summer.

The heat in late summer is what kills ladino. I have always planted it in the fall at 8.25 #s per acre with a bag of cereal rye to over seed. I don't think there is enough time for the roots to be established before August.

Clover does well with a little semi-shade to help protect it from the midday heat......it likes a little moisture and the semi-shade helps to conserve moisture and keep down on midday temps......A standing crop of cereal rye can help provide some semi-shade for the first part of summer if not mowed down ......

Crimson planted in the fall after you get your ground is ready would be a much better choice IMO . A weed free plot is much easier to maintain.

we've got tons of clover in our fields from fall planting and also tons of oats and brassicas. It's all getting pretty tall at this point. What is the best way to handle it in the next month or so to try and let the clover thrive? Will just bush hogging it with the cutter up off the ground a bit do the job or do I need to spray it with cleth and let it do it's thing before cutting?

Annual or perennial clover ? If an annual clover mow after seed heads have dried.

Once the grass starts growing fast and the deer quit eating it, around the first of March for us, spray.

If the wheat and oats aren't thick, do nothing. If you are worried about grasses overtaking your plot, spray with clethodim, but make sure grasses are growing and not fully mature. If mature, you prolly need to mow, wait a week, and then spray cleth.

Grows better in soil w more clay than sandy. Read dr. Craig Harper’s clover articles. Wealth of information.