Last Year's Standing Rye and Clover

[westonwhitetail]

Hi All, I have a plot that was planted last year in clover, brassicas and overseeded with winter rye. This year the rye and clover have come back and looks great. I like the standing rye for the cover this summer. The clover has filled in nicely in about 50% of the plot. I am thinking about leaving the half of this plot as is in standing clover and rye for the fall. The mature standing rye adds vertical cover and my hopes is it will reseed itself. I don't want to mow it because I like the cover (its 4-6' tall in areas). Will it reseed itself if left standing?

The other 50% of the plot that the clover didn't take well (I believe this was due to poor seeding coverage in this area), I plan to broadcast brassicas, spray and mow. I know it will do fine with some timely rains. I would mow this brassica part of the plot in a pattern to encourage more edge with the taller rye surrounding it .. WIll the mature rye hold up for a part of the bow season to keep that vertical cover or will it start to fall over later in the summer?

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Hi All, I have a plot that was planted last year in clover, brassicas and overseeded with winter rye. This year the rye and clover have come back and looks great. I like the standing rye for the cover this summer. The clover has filled in nicely in about 50% of the plot. I am thinking about leaving the half of this plot as is in standing clover and rye for the fall. The mature standing rye adds vertical cover and my hopes is it will reseed itself. I don't want to mow it because I like the cover (its 4-6' tall in areas). Will it reseed itself if left standing?

The other 50% of the plot that the clover didn't take well (I believe this was due to poor seeding coverage in this area), I plan to broadcast brassicas, spray and mow. I know it will do fine with some timely rains. I would mow this brassica part of the plot in a pattern to encourage more edge with the taller rye surrounding it .. WIll the mature rye hold up for a part of the bow season to keep that vertical cover or will it start to fall over later in the summer?

My presumption is that the rye will out compete the brassicas. How big of a plot is it and what was your seeding rate of rye?

I only ask because sise now that it is mature you will more than likely have about 10x the amount of rye that is recommended per acre. Nothing is going to be able to grow when mixed in with that.

But then again The Great Jeff Sturgis claims that brassicas will out compete the rye.

Just give it a go and see what happens.

I will also presume that a good amount of that rye will be on the ground by bow season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bigboreblr]

Here in NY, they harvest rye end of july usually. I get my bags of rye in a small 1 to 2 week window before they sell out. Early August, just have some plan B seed incause you do the whole thing.

Thinking maybe more than 50%, leave the last 15 feet or so for "brushy" edges. I'd mow that up in the spring though.

If the feed is good, the does will bring the bucks. Bowhunt downwind of the field maybe 20 yards in, 10 if your not that great of a bow shot. 500 yard wide fields of soybean or corn, they just cruise the edges of the field where I hunt farmland.

Long term, thin out some trees on your common staging sides, like downwind prevailing winds, where they exit the field and go elsewhere. Make it brushy with brush. Down 3 or 4 less desireable trees on the field edge every year. Could even leave the tops there to add to the thicket.

 

[westonwhitetail]

My presumption is that the rye will out compete the brassicas. How big of a plot is it and what was your seeding rate of rye?

I only ask because sise now that it is mature you will more than likely have about 10x the amount of rye that is recommended per acre. Nothing is going to be able to grow when mixed in with that.

But then again The Great Jeff Sturgis claims that brassicas will out compete the rye.

Just give it a go and see what happens.

I will also presume that a good amount of that rye will be on the ground by bow season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The plot is 1.5 acres. I overseeded 2 bags of rye last fall over the plot.

Do you think the rye seed is already viable for reseeding? I guess I was assuming if I mowed the area for a brassica planting now, there wouldn't be any germination yet.

Maybe I'll mow it now and wait 2 weeks, then spray and broadcast the brassicas then. That might take out some of the reseeded rye

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

The plot is 1.5 acres. I overseeded 2 bags of rye last fall over the plot.

Do you think the rye seed is already viable for reseeding? I guess I was assuming if I mowed the area for a brassica planting now, there wouldn't be any germination yet.

Maybe I'll mow it now and wait 2 weeks, then spray and broadcast the brassicas then. That might take out some of the reseeded rye

I am assuming it has been viable for a good 2 weeks or more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Diesel5610]

I have done exactly what you are talking about. The deer loved the standing rye and would spend a lot of time feeding and bedding in it. Mine was full of deer beds. I have had straight rye that they did not use this way, I think having the clover in it is what makes the difference.

The rye will reseed itself and you will be good this year. The rye will be very thick the following year because it is really way above the recommended seeding rate but there will still be clover in there. I have only gone 2 years with this process so I can’t tell you how many years the clover survives doing this. I am actually getting ready to start a plot or two with this combo this year.

 

[westonwhitetail]

I have done exactly what you are talking about. The deer loved the standing rye and would spend a lot of time feeding and bedding in it. Mine was full of deer beds. I have had straight rye that they did not use this way, I think having the clover in it is what makes the difference.

The rye will reseed itself and you will be good this year. The rye will be very thick the following year because it is really way above the recommended seeding rate but there will still be clover in there. I have only gone 2 years with this process so I can’t tell you how many years the clover survives doing this. I am actually getting ready to start a plot or two with this combo this year.

Thanks Diesel I will continue with the plan. I'm hopeful the added height increases the plots usage this year. Hoping to still broadcast some radishes in the areas where the clover did not come in as thick to add to the draw.

Did you spray to terminate the rye then after the second year and start over or what did you do?

 

[Diesel5610]

I did spray it and drilled in Green Cover Summer release on most of the plots I used it on. I have been playing with the release system. There was enough clover that I didn’t dare plant without killing it, so I think there would have been no problem having enough clover in the standing rye to keep deer in it. My observation with the combo is the deer like bedding in it and being able to just get up and feed a bit and then bed again. I am rotating about half of the plots back to the rye/clover and continuing with the release experiment in the other half.
The rye/clover combo is cheap and leaving it standing the following spring/summer leaves those acres that I don’t have to spend time on. Between the deer usage and the time and money savings it has a permanent place in our rotation.

 

[Foggy47]

I do the rye and clover combo as the prime basis for my plotting. Also will put some brassica in the plots in July.....after roller crimping my rye to terminate......at which point the clover thrives. Then I will plant more clover along with 2 bu of cereal rye about Sept 1. Rinse and repeat annually.

As you say the deer like to bed in the rye and it affords the fawns some cover when they are vulnerable to predators. I think the deer also like to escape some of the bugs and deer flies in July.

This year I am adding a little NWW Sorguhm to get a little taller" structure" going into fall. Too early to know if it will work.....but I hope so. The hope is that the structure will afford some day time use by the deer into fall.

 

[Brian662]

My presumption is that the rye will out compete the brassicas. How big of a plot is it and what was your seeding rate of rye?

I only ask because sise now that it is mature you will more than likely have about 10x the amount of rye that is recommended per acre. Nothing is going to be able to grow when mixed in with that.

But then again The Great Jeff Sturgis claims that brassicas will out compete the rye.

Just give it a go and see what happens.

I will also presume that a good amount of that rye will be on the ground by bow season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've never seen Jeff Sturgis claim that brassicas will out compete rye, I thought he said to never plant them at the same time because the rye will out compete the brassicas?

 

[Foggy47]

I've never seen Jeff Sturgis claim that brassicas will out compete rye, I thought he said to never plant them at the same time because the rye will out compete the brassicas?

I think there is a big difference in competing.....based on timing here. If you would plant brassica and rye at the same time in fall......I think the brassica would compete well with the rye through the fall as the rye will only get 12" to 15" high. But if you were to plant them both in Spring.....the rye would perhaps overtake the brassica as summer set in (?). Same goes for clover with the brassica. I think the rye will do well under most timing scenarios.

I do get all three (1. legume, 2. grass, 3. brassica / clover, rye, brassica) to grow together in fall. My farmer / Brother-in-law says to keep a balance of those three crops in order to compllment each other via the roots and fertilizer benefits.

Here is a pic of all three in October '23.

 

[Brian662]

I think there is a big difference in competing.....based on timing here. If you would plant brassica and rye at the same time in fall......I think the brassica would compete well with the rye through the fall as the rye will only get 12" to 15" high. But if you were to plant them both in Spring.....the rye would perhaps overtake the brassica as summer set in (?). Same goes for clover with the brassica. I think the rye will do well under most timing scenarios.

I do get all three (1. legume, 2. grass, 3. brassica / clover, rye, brassica) to grow together in fall. My farmer / Brother-in-law says to keep a balance of those three crops in order to compllment each other via the roots and fertilizer benefits.

Here is a pic of all three in October '23.

View attachment 67016

All good for soil health principles etc, however in order to get the "tonnage" that some desire from fall planted brassicas, I believe it is best to plant them alone and mix clover/rye in a month after brassica plantings. JMO.

 

[jsasker007]

If you pay attention to the ratios of each you can get them all to grow together. Some things planted too thick will become a smother crop.

 

[Tree Spud]

All good for soil health principles etc, however in order to get the "tonnage" that some desire from fall planted brassicas, I believe it is best to plant them alone and mix clover/rye in a month after brassica plantings. JMO.

Thats what I do.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

All good for soil health principles etc, however in order to get the "tonnage" that some desire from fall planted brassicas, I believe it is best to plant them alone and mix clover/rye in a month after brassica plantings. JMO.

Agree, only I can’t help but adding a bunch of peas and a little oats with the brassicas. I wouldn’t think clover would be too competitive in the fall but I could be wrong on that. I don’t get much clover growth on fall planted, next spring is a different story.