advice on rye please

[Cuervo]

OK, I finally actually got something to grow on my sandy soil in a wooded plot. the rye is now 3ft + high, and the clover I planted with it is looking good. Should I now mow the rye to kill it and let the clover go, or just flatten the rye? The fact something actually grew has me mystified now.

Thanks

 

[bueller]

I would do nothing. The tall rye will shelter the clover and the soil.

 

[bueller]

This was my clover a few weeks ago. Planted in 2012 and let the rye stand all last year. I also have very sandy soil.

 

[Cuervo]

Thanks Bueller,

That makes my decision easy...I'll do nothing!

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

OK, I finally actually got something to grow on my sandy soil in a wooded plot. the rye is now 3ft + high, and the clover I planted with it is looking good. Should I now mow the rye to kill it and let the clover go, or just flatten the rye? The fact something actually grew has me mystified now.

Thanks

Looks good. I have a sandy section that I would like to plant some clover/chirory/alfalfa type blend and your plan looks good. When did you plant the rye and clover?

 

[bueller]

Looks good. I have a sandy section that I would like to plant some clover/chirory/alfalfa type blend and your plan looks good. When did you plant the rye and clover?

Mine was planted around August 10th.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Did you plant the winter rye and clover at the same time on August 10th?

I'm going to plant some soybeans in a few weeks for a good early season food source, but I have some ground in between my apple trees that would probably be easier to keep in a clover/chicory/alfalfa mix, but I really like the rye cover crop idea. My soil is pretty sandy in that area, but it sounds like others have had good luck with rye/clover in those situations. I'm just a little concerned that the clover couldn't take the drought in the summer, so I may add some chicory or alfalfa as a little drought insurance.

 

[bueller]

Yep planted them together on 8/10/12. The medium red clover stayed green under the standing rye during the late summer drought last year. While I do have very sandy soil I should mention that prior to planting in 2012 I added the recommended amounts of lime and fertilizer from a soil test.

 

[Cuervo]

I also planted last year around the middle of Aug. Everything then sat for a month while we got zero rain. The rye came in ok last fall and provided a nice attractant. This is what it looks like now. I have sandy soil, this is in the woods in a small clearing and soil is marginally better here because of the years of leaf litter etc.