Now spring planted nurse oats or not?

[Northbound]

I have some micro woods plots I cleared this spring, planted clover and oats. I've planted clover with oats many times in fall but never spring so mowing the nurse crop of oats wasn't necessary in past experience. At what height should I mow this spring planted crop them to avoid killing out the clover? Will they keep growing like a grass if clipped a few times prior to seed head?

 

[yoderjac]

The issue in my area with spring planted perennial clover has been weed infiltration during that 1st year when perennial clover is putting most of its energy into developing the root system. You may not have that issue in your area if you can plant clover in the fall without a nurse crop of WR. The mowing height depends on your clover variety. When I plant clover in the fall with WR, I mow the WR the following spring. I typically mow when the WR gets much over a foot because that is when it begins to shade out the clover for me. I typically use low growing clover. For ladino clover, I shoot for about 8". I can go down to 6" but if we don't get rain for a while after I mow it stresses the clover. For Durana, I can mow to 6". With WR, and I'm sure oats work the same way in the spring, if you just mow and don't spray, it will keep growing after mowing and die naturally in the summer.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Bill]

If the oats are not thick enough to shade out the clover. And I think they would have to be very thick to do that.
Leave it stand. A little shade in the heat of summer will actually help.

I leave rye stand in new clover and it’s a lot taller than oats.

But if you get weeds, you may have to spray.

 

[Bill]

This was last summer on fall planted rye and clover. I didn’t mow the field until late August.

 

[yoderjac]

If the oats are not thick enough to shade out the clover. And I think they would have to be very thick to do that.
Leave it stand. A little shade in the heat of summer will actually help.

I leave rye stand in new clover and it’s a lot taller than oats.

But if you get weeds, you may have to spray.

True. It does depend on how heavily you seed the nurse crop. I seed it pretty heavily. That is because my biggest problem is weeds and a thicker nurse crop, especially WR, means fewer weeds for me. Mowing allows me to release it when conditions are favorable for clover and less favorable for weeds. Lighter seeding the nurse crops reduces the need for spring mowing release but offers up space and nutrients for weeds.

Thanks,

jack

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Farmers plant alflfa all the time in the spring with oats. It is common practice to let it ride through maturity then combine the oats and bale the straw. The Alfalfa takes off after that and you are left with a nice solid stand of alfalfa. You will be fine for a while yet i'm sure. I dont think it would hurt a thing to let it go until it seeds out. You could mow it around Sept 1, thicken your stand of clover and have volunteer oats come up for fall bow hinting.

 

[Dukslayr]

This was last summer on fall planted rye and clover. I didn’t mow the field until late August.

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Bill, out of curiosity what perennial clover do you seem to have the best success with at your place? I’m assuming we have similar soils and conditions. I’m putting in a few acres this fall and deciding what to put in.

 

[Bill]

Bill, out of curiosity what perennial clover do you seem to have the best success with at your place? I’m assuming we have similar soils and conditions. I’m putting in a few acres this fall and deciding what to put in.

I use ladino white and whatever red clover MDA has in stock. Nothing fancy.