terminating rye/clover lc mix

[Powder]

This was the first year I tried planting the lc mix. I started this fall with the rye/oats/clover portion and next spring will go with the brassicas. It looks like the clover did quite well in at least one of the plots and I am expecting it to come back strong in the spring along with the rye.

Terminating the rye isn't difficult but what is the best way to get rid of the clover? Gly? I've heard clover can be hard to kill with gly. Do I need to go with a heavier dose? I'd rather not disc. My hope is to be able to get a good kill so I can drag the whole thing, get a little dirt showing, broadcast brassicas and then roll. I'm concerned if my clover is too thick and still growing I won't be able to get the brassicas to take over.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Personally I would just let the clover be and spread the brassicas into the clover and mow it down low. It will set the clover back, and then you will have a plot with clover and brassicas growing.


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[Bill]

This was the first year I tried planting the lc mix. I started this fall with the rye/oats/clover portion and next spring will go with the brassicas. It looks like the clover did quite well in at least one of the plots and I am expecting it to come back strong in the spring along with the rye.

Terminating the rye isn't difficult but what is the best way to get rid of the clover? Gly? I've heard clover can be hard to kill with gly. Do I need to go with a heavier dose? I'd rather not disc. My hope is to be able to get a good kill so I can drag the whole thing, get a little dirt showing, broadcast brassicas and then roll. I'm concerned if my clover is too thick and still growing I won't be able to get the brassicas to take over.

Heavier gly or a better option might be to use 2,4-D. It's what's in weed and feed to kill clover in a lawn and a good dose will smoke it. tractor supply sells it as https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/gordons-lv-400-2-4-d-weed-killer-solvent-free-1-gal?rfk=1 but there are other places to get it as a generic. Just look for 2,4-D.

A side note. really clean your sprayer well after using it. It tends to leave some residual chemical and I have had it swell O rings so bad it causes leaks. Triple rinse the tank and hoses.

 

[Powder]

Thanks for the ideas. Mowing low would be problematic. My plots are not the cleanest and I have some rocks that would be an issue. I might have to go with 2,4-D.

 

[Honker]

I plant into clover every year by spraying it with gly, broadcasting seed and cultipacking. You may or may not get a kill on the clover but it will be set back long enough to get your brassicas established.

 

[Peplin Creek]

Gly should set it back enough to atleast give the brassicas a good head start and if some clover still grows... a little variety never hurts.

 

[Diesel5610]

I usually just spray and broadcast brassica seed at the same time. The Gly kills everything and knocks the clover back to almost dead until well after the Brassicas get started. The clover will start to come back and will just add to the plot, deer love them both. Do this every year on different plots with great results. Don't over think this one, it is an easy rotation to make work.

 

[Smallplot]

Don’t think I read this, what type of clover did you plant? That will make a difference on the best method to terminate. Also how are you planting your next crop? No till drill, throw and mow, or conventional planting?


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[S.T.Fanatic]

I tried my hand at TNM brassica in a clovery chicory plot this year. I sprayed it twice and killed most of the plot. I'm glad that the clover and chicory didn't all die though because the patches of it that survived is the only thing seeing any use. Where there is patches of clover and chicory it is mowed to the ground.

 

[Powder]

Don’t think I read this, what type of clover did you plant? That will make a difference on the best method to terminate. Also how are you planting your next crop? No till drill, throw and mow, or conventional planting?


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About a third each of Alsike, Medium Red and White Dutch.

I'd like to do more of a throw n mow. I'd spray, make sure to get a decent/total kill, maybe use my drag to get a little bare dirt loosened, broadcast seed and roll with a homemade cultipacker/roller. I haven't locked in to the mix yet but I'm planning on going with Rutabaga's first. After they've been in for a month or so I will fill in bare spots with turnips and/radishes. I planted a small amount of turnips and radishes this year and they hammered them immediately after the first frost. My area doesn't have a crop field for 40 miles so they were all over the brassicas and rye I planted. Next year will be my first 'full' year planting these plots.

 

[Smallplot]

About a third each of Alsike, Medium Red and White Dutch.

I'd like to do more of a throw n mow. I'd spray, make sure to get a decent/total kill, maybe use my drag to get a little bare dirt loosened, broadcast seed and roll with a homemade cultipacker/roller. I haven't locked in to the mix yet but I'm planning on going with Rutabaga's first. After they've been in for a month or so I will fill in bare spots with turnips and/radishes. I planted a small amount of turnips and radishes this year and they hammered them immediately after the first frost. My area doesn't have a crop field for 40 miles so they were all over the brassicas and rye I planted. Next year will be my first 'full' year planting these plots.

Med red is by far the easiest to terminate while the whites (Dutch and Alsike) are going to be hard to kill. Use 2-4-d on them and if coming back in with a broadleaf planting give it at least 7 days after spraying to replant. Med red can be taken out with a small dose of GLY and provides the most Nitrogen fixed to return back to your next crop (just something to keep in mind from now on when using a clover for a cover crop).

Dutch white is a shorter variety and once established can thicken back up quickly effectively starving young plants from sunlight. The best time to try planting anything into white clovers is when the clovers are beginning to thin AND during a time they are naturally summer dormant. The whites will likely look better on year two so you may just let them be and see how they respond/look next season. Add some potash this fall/winter and your plot is already taken care of for next year. Being you don’t have ag in the immediate area I would suspect that deer will hit about anything hard. Sometimes it is better not trying to over complicate things. Just need to mow a couple of times next year and keep it fertilized.


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[Powder]

Med red is by far the easiest to terminate while the whites (Dutch and Alsike) are going to be hard to kill. Use 2-4-d on them and if coming back in with a broadleaf planting give it at least 7 days after spraying to replant. Med red can be taken out with a small dose of GLY and provides the most Nitrogen fixed to return back to your next crop (just something to keep in mind from now on when using a clover for a cover crop).

Dutch white is a shorter variety and once established can thicken back up quickly effectively starving young plants from sunlight. The best time to try planting anything into white clovers is when the clovers are beginning to thin AND during a time they are naturally summer dormant. The whites will likely look better on year two so you may just let them be and see how they respond/look next season. Add some potash this fall/winter and your plot is already taken care of for next year. Being you don’t have ag in the immediate area I would suspect that deer will hit about anything hard. Sometimes it is better not trying to over complicate things. Just need to mow a couple of times next year and keep it fertilized.


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That's all good to know. I might try planting less white clover in the future knowing it's harder to terminate and the red gives better nitrogen fixation. Especially since the goal is not a long term plot of clover and it will be terminated the next spring. The question is if the red will make it through my winters. Even if it doesn't I'd still have the rye there in the spring.

I've got one small plot with 100% clover and they are in it during the summer but come the middle to end of September they totally abandoned it. So I'm trying to keep the clover in the plots to a minimum because come fall they don't eat it. Your comment about not over complicating things is also accurate. That's why I'm sticking with small seeds that grow under most conditions and will be fairly reliable/bullet proof (if there is such a thing). I believe I can get away with minimal to no tillage by spraying, broadcast before a rain and roll.

I will say the rye was a huge hit this fall. I was very happy how that worked out. I just need to get it fertilized better to optimize growth.