Fall planted rye/clover, do you need to mow?

[eclipseman]

I planted a rye/clover plot on September 6th of this year. It is coming in very nice. I was told come next spring both the rye and clover will continue growing and I will need to mow the rye back when it starts getting close to a foot tall to allow the clover to grow and start to take over. My question is, do I need to mow it this fall as the rye is currently approaching 8inches tall in some areas. The deer are loving it which should make for great hunting but they are not keeping it short and my concern is the clover will die from lack of light. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[scott44]

I planted a rye/clover plot on September 6th of this year. It is coming in very nice. I was told come next spring both the rye and clover will continue growing and I will need to mow the rye back when it starts getting close to a foot tall to allow the clover to grow and start to take over. My question is, do I need to mow it this fall as the rye is currently approaching 8inches tall in some areas. The deer are loving it which should make for great hunting but they are not keeping it short and my concern is the clover will die from lack of light. Thoughts? Thanks!

I wouldn't mow it this fall, wait till next spring/summer to terminate it.

 

[wiscwhip]

If you get any amount of snow in your area at all, and I am assuming you do, definitely DO NOT mow that rye. The taller it is, the easier it is for them to access it when they need the food the most.

 

[jsasker007]

Unless your rye is extremely thick the clover will be fine.

 

[bigbendmarine]

I've had crimson growing within stands of 3' tall triticale. Not saying it wouldn't have been more productive with the triticale cut back, but still some present nonetheless.

 

[eclipseman]

Thanks for the advice everyone. The goal of the plot is ultimately a clover stand and the rye would just be a bonus for the deer this fall and winter. Last thing I’d want to have to do is start over next year. That being said it sounds like I’m likely ok with leaving it as-is

 

[wiscwhip]

Yup, leave it for the winter and either mow it a few times next spring to release the clover or spray it with a grass selective herbicide like clethodim to kill the rye and release the clover.

 

[Bill]

If it makes you feel better on September 22nd I sprayed off an acre plot. Broadcast 100lbs soy beans(old seed) 100 lbs rye and 10 lbs mixed white and red clover. Kind of late for clover but if the clover doesn't winter kill because it's to young to survive I won't mow until late June. If the clover is thick I may not mow until the rye matures.

 

[wiscwhip]

Nothing wrong with some free volunteer rye seed!

 

[eclipseman]

If it makes you feel better on September 22nd I sprayed off an acre plot. Broadcast 100lbs soy beans(old seed) 100 lbs rye and 10 lbs mixed white and red clover. Kind of late for clover but if the clover doesn't winter kill because it's to young to survive I won't mow until late June. If the clover is thick I may not mow until the rye matures.

I did not know white clover could winter kill because it is young? It has always been suggested to plant in fall for me?!? What is young anyways? The clover I see growing is between 3-4inches tall right now with petals the size of maybe dimes in size.

 

[wiscwhip]

It "should" be fine for you. The conditions that create severe winter kill in white clover are the same as the ones that create winter kill in alfalfa. Extreme cold spells with no, or very little, snow cover to insulate the root systems/root crowns. Extended periods of weather like that will even kill winter rye, which is almost indestructible under normal winter weather conditions, even in the farthest northern climates. White clover root systems, due to their stoloniferous growth habits, remain close to the surface, which means that it can be killed if winter conditions vary to the extreme side of bitter cold and no snow.

 

[Bill]

Wiscwhip answered it.

Fall plating is good but I am a bit late in the season. If it were dry and my clover only gets to a two leaf stage before going dormant for the winter....it’s toast. worth the risk to me for only 10lbs of seed.

 

[yoderjac]

I planted a rye/clover plot on September 6th of this year. It is coming in very nice. I was told come next spring both the rye and clover will continue growing and I will need to mow the rye back when it starts getting close to a foot tall to allow the clover to grow and start to take over. My question is, do I need to mow it this fall as the rye is currently approaching 8inches tall in some areas. The deer are loving it which should make for great hunting but they are not keeping it short and my concern is the clover will die from lack of light. Thoughts? Thanks!

No, I wouldn't bother mowing this fall. The clover is just beginning to germinate. Starting next spring is when the clover will take off. That is when mowing comes in to play. Some guys don't mow in the spring but I do. It really depends on your situation how critical it is. If summer weed competition is an issue in your area, you will want to plant with heavier rates of WR to help keep weeds at bay. If you choose a slow establishing clover like Durana, releasing it becomes more important, especially with heavy rates of WR. However, all of this apply to next spring, not this fall.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[MickT]

Yup, leave it for the winter and either mow it a few times next spring to release the clover or spray it with a grass selective herbicide like clethodim to kill the rye and release the clover.

This sounds like a winner to me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[yoderjac]

This sounds like a winner to me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I prefer not to kill the WR. I want it to grow as long as possible to battle weeds. Since it is an annual, it will die on its own during the summer. With faster establishing clover you may not need all this time, but with slower establishing clovers like Durana, I do. It may also not be an issue in areas were summer weeds are not problematic.

Thanks,

Jack