Mowing clover?

[Christopher3]

I started a clover plot in the middle of the woods a few years ago. This is the 3rd season and it has filled in really well. I was at the land on mid May and the clover looked good with a few bare spots and it was about 3-4 inches high. We have had unseasonable weather this year, it was below freezing at the end of May and has been in the high 80's to upper 90's much of this month (June). I thought the clover would have been stunted and looking dry but it was really green and full and stood about 12-14 inches high (evidentially I have just enough mix of sun and shade to have kept it from frying?) . I have read that when the clover gets that high it is no longer palatable to the deer and should be cut but we are officially in dry/drought conditions and I am afraid if I cut it back to about 4-6 inches before the end of summer that it will die off in the heat without rain.

Should I cut it now and spray to kill the grass that has gotten into it this year or should I spray it to kill the grass but wait to cut it until the end of August and can I use a regular walk behind lawn mower set to the highest setting (about 4 inches)?

 

[yoderjac]

First, clover is a cool season crop and it was established which is why the cold snap didn't bother it. Like any plant, clover has different growth stages and some are a bit more attractive to deer than others. Most deer use will be driven by what else is available. Weeds and grasses don't bother deer at all. I typically don't mow my clover in the summer since many of the broadleaf weeds are great deer food and the grasses can help shade the clover reducing the summer dormancy period. Once established, I usually mow my clover once before the season in the fall. The fall rains and cool nights begin to favor the clover over summer grasses. Unless you get in the field and push grasses and weeds out of the way, you won't even know there was clover in some of my fields in the summer. After the fall mowing when conditions are favorable, it overtakes the field once again. Perennial clovers will fix N into the field over time making more and more attractive to grasses. Depending on the variety, you can get 7 to 10 years out of a clover field. Eventually, it will need rotated into an N seeking crop. Brassica and WR work well when rotation is needed.

If you only have a lawn mower, I would not mow clover in the summer. I'd wait until fall when there is a good rain in the forecast. Rain will help the clover bounce back quickly.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[rocksnstumps]

I dont mow clover based on height and all the perception of palatable and all that hype. I mow clover based on keeping the noxious weeds in the clover from setting seed, mowing as high over the clover if possible. That might mean I mow a plot several times a summer, maybe less. I have a clover plot that is thick and looks great right now. Several years ago it really looked like an onslaught of pigweed was going to take over half of it. Timely mowing that year really knocked it back and the following summer the clover really thickened up.

Mowing to me is alternative to herbicides not about all the deer hype they wont eat stuff. My viewpoint is from up north and tonnage is good for harsh winters over succulent new growth that is soon browsed to dirt when that growing window is past. Management in different parts of the country maybe.........well different.

 

[yoderjac]

I dont mow clover based on height and all the perception of palatable and all that hype. I mow clover based on keeping the noxious weeds in the clover from setting seed, mowing as high over the clover if possible. That might mean I mow a plot several times a summer, maybe less. I have a clover plot that is thick and looks great right now. Several years ago it really looked like an onslaught of pigweed was going to take over half of it. Timely mowing that year really knocked it back and the following summer the clover really thickened up.

Mowing to me is alternative to herbicides not about all the deer hype they wont eat stuff. My viewpoint is from up north and tonnage is good for harsh winters over succulent new growth that is soon browsed to dirt when that growing window is past. Management in different parts of the country maybe.........well different.

Really good points! I should have mentioned it. My timing for my fall mow also considers when weeds go to seed. Many "weeds" are great deer food but some are noxious and need to be dealt with. In my case it is Marstail. I try to mow after it flowers but before it goes to seed. This is only somewhat helpful with Marstail as it can regenerate from the root system next year as well.

 

[BrushyPines]

I agree with rock, mow to manage unwanted weeds, but mow when a rain is in the forecast. Especially in the summer with how hot it can get. Heat, no moisture and mowing clover can stress it pretty bad. I have a problem with dog fennel in my clover plot, dont think I'll ever get rid of it. Only thing I know to do is mow it and hopefully it will stunt it enough to the let the clover take over.

 

[Christopher3]

I dont mow clover based on height and all the perception of palatable and all that hype. I mow clover based on keeping the noxious weeds in the clover from setting seed, mowing as high over the clover if possible. That might mean I mow a plot several times a summer, maybe less. I have a clover plot that is thick and looks great right now. Several years ago it really looked like an onslaught of pigweed was going to take over half of it. Timely mowing that year really knocked it back and the following summer the clover really thickened up.

Mowing to me is alternative to herbicides not about all the deer hype they wont eat stuff. My viewpoint is from up north and tonnage is good for harsh winters over succulent new growth that is soon browsed to dirt when that growing window is past. Management in different parts of the country maybe.........well different.

Rocksnstumps, Thanks for the feed back. My parcel is located just north of Lake Mille Lacs in MN and is likely on par seasonally with your area in WI. Here are a few progression pictures from the start 3 seasons ago to this month on the 12th. When I mow (based on expected rain fall) should I try to get in a mowing yet this summer and again in late August or early September or at this point just wait until the end of August and only mow it once? When I do mow, I have only 2 choices, I can use a weed whip and try to keep it 6-8 inches form the ground or a standard walk behind yard mower that will take it to about 4 inches on its highest setting (I do have some Jolt and Plot Max I could spray over it after mowing if you think that would be of benefit.)

 

[Christopher3]

Really good points! I should have mentioned it. My timing for my fall mow also considers when weeds go to seed. Many "weeds" are great deer food but some are noxious and need to be dealt with. In my case it is Marstail. I try to mow after it flowers but before it goes to seed. This is only somewhat helpful with Marstail as it can regenerate from the root system next year as well.

Yoderjac, thanks for the feedback. I replied to rock with a few other questions and posted some pictures. Please feel free to add any feedback on that as well.

 

[Bill]

I’m happiest when my clover is a foot tall. That provides lots of shade in the heat of summer and free seed for the Seed bank.

and they still eat it....

 

[yoderjac]

Yoderjac, thanks for the feedback. I replied to rock with a few other questions and posted some pictures. Please feel free to add any feedback on that as well.

Sounds like Rock is in your area which is a plus for providing advice.

 

[Someday isle]

This was some of my clover last week we’re in the middle of a hot dry spell (102 for Friday). I chose not to mow.

 

[yoderjac]

That is very nice for a micro-plot in partial sun. I would not touch it until fall if it were me!

 

[Bassattackr]

That is very nice for a micro-plot in partial sun. I would not touch it until fall if it were me!

+1! TnM some cereal grains into it and have a great fall spot!

 

[Someday isle]

+1! TnM some cereal grains into it and have a great fall spot!

Don’t want to hijack the OPs thread but that’s how I manage it every year. These two trails are about an eighth of an acre and have been in the process since we first planted them in 2016. They’ll get a little clover and overseeded with cereal rye in September. I’ve found after the first two years it’s easy to manage with occasional mowing.

 

[rocksnstumps]

I'm with others, why mow now unless you have broadleaf weed problem to contain in next few weeks. Mowing doesn't do much to control grass so no reason to mow for that either now or later.

Nature being nature tho and you will have take care of crappola broadleaf weeds at some point later this year and I'd rather mow higher than 4 inches late in the growing season just for more food stemmy or not, being around into winter. Quantity matters over quality when you live in the snow belt.

 

[BrushyPines]

+1! TnM some cereal grains into it and have a great fall spot!

I do this every year with wheat. I dont even mow it, just broadcast it right before a rain into the clover and it comes up like a champ every year!

 

[rocksnstumps]

Just had to mow one problem plot a second time this summer. This was a throw and mow type plot that did not really take off last year and showed some weed problems this year. Mowing #1 was an early flush of yellow rocket. First time I have really seen that on my land but common in some fields not too far from me early in the year. Mowing #2 was for the top three weeds on my hill. Thistle, thistle, and thistle. Coming in 4th place this year was some more pigweed. I held off as long as I could so the white clover that was there could bloom and hopefully set some seed. I do have an advantage over those with just lawn mower or swisher style equipment that I can set the brushhog style mower fairly high. Hardly chopped any of the clover heads but they were mostly brown anyway.

Did not mow the plot mentioned in Post #3 above. It has some grass but very little other weeds and the pigweed got smothered out by the vigorous clover growing. I'm sure there is still seed there but just not giving them the space to germinate.

We also just had a bunch of rain so not too worried about stressing the stuff I wanna keep growing.

 

[yoderjac]

Just had to mow one problem plot a second time this summer. This was a throw and mow type plot that did not really take off last year and showed some weed problems this year. Mowing #1 was an early flush of yellow rocket. First time I have really seen that on my land but common in some fields not too far from me early in the year. Mowing #2 was for the top three weeds on my hill. Thistle, thistle, and thistle. Coming in 4th place this year was some more pigweed. I held off as long as I could so the white clover that was there could bloom and hopefully set some seed. I do have an advantage over those with just lawn mower or swisher style equipment that I can set the brushhog style mower fairly high. Hardly chopped any of the clover heads but they were mostly brown anyway.

Did not mow the plot mentioned in Post #3 above. It has some grass but very little other weeds and the pigweed got smothered out by the vigorous clover growing. I'm sure there is still seed there but just not giving them the space to germinate.

We also just had a bunch of rain so not too worried about stressing the stuff I wanna keep growing.

Some of your problem weeds tend to resist gly. One of the things I found was that the more gly I used, the less weed diversity I found. It was most evident in my RR soybean fields where gly was used multiple times per year, but even other fields where gly was just used for burn-down, I noticed it. Mowing can be an answer for some noxious broadleaf weeds but less so for others. I seem to be finding that it is good to vary the burn-down herbicides. I now use generic liberty some times and gly with 24d sometimes for burndown. I no longer plant beans, so I don't need the liberty-link system but just using it for burndown kills some weeds that gly does not.

This approach, along with mowing when needed, seems to help. I still get weeds and have a high tolerance for weeds in general when there is a good diversity as many are good for deer and other wildlife.

 

[rocksnstumps]

As I explained above I dont like to spray much and rarely do and would rather mow. The thistle around here was well established from decades of cows running the pasture and woods by previous owners.

Cant really mow more than 5% of my land though because of rocks, boulders, and trees so the crap weeds are always there to spread to plots.

Sorry but talk about cute and cuddly weeds are just great and loved by deer everywhere I read just like the line "Hi I'm here from government and I'm here to help". In some cases maybe true but mostly I have crap hooligan weeds that have decades in the seed bank.

Dont even get me started on the invasives. Man I really hate Jap barberry

 

[yoderjac]

As I explained above I dont like to spray much and rarely do and would rather mow. The thistle around here was well established from decades of cows running the pasture and woods by previous owners.

Cant really mow more than 5% of my land though because of rocks, boulders, and trees so the crap weeds are always there to spread to plots.

Sorry but talk about cute and cuddly weeds are just great and loved by deer everywhere I read just like the line "Hi I'm here from government and I'm here to help". In some cases maybe true but mostly I have crap hooligan weeds that have decades in the seed bank.

Dont even get me started on the invasives. Man I really hate Jap barberry

I don't blame you on avoiding herbicides. They have their downside just like tillage. As for weeds, it takes a deep dive into specific weeds and deer use. "Weed" is a funny term. What is a weed to a farmer (which is what most folks think of as a weed), might be a weed to a deer manager or a nutritious native food. One great example is Pokeweed. It can be toxic to humans and livestock, but it is a great deer food. It can have up to 32% and low detergent fiber in the 12% range making it highly digestible for deer. I can certainly understand how someone cursed with thistle can develop and "anti-weed" perspective. There is no doubt some weeds are noxious and need to be dealt with.

I don't know if your issue with herbicide is absolute or a matter of degree. You may have already considered this, but I wicking bar might be an option allowing application directly to your problem weeds rather than general spraying.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[BrushyPines]

I don't blame you on avoiding herbicides. They have their downside just like tillage. As for weeds, it takes a deep dive into specific weeds and deer use. "Weed" is a funny term. What is a weed to a farmer (which is what most folks think of as a weed), might be a weed to a deer manager or a nutritious native food. One great example is Pokeweed. It can be toxic to humans and livestock, but it is a great deer food. It can have up to 32% and low detergent fiber in the 12% range making it highly digestible for deer. I can certainly understand how someone cursed with thistle can develop and "anti-weed" perspective. There is no doubt some weeds are noxious and need to be dealt with.

I don't know if your issue with herbicide is absolute or a matter of degree. You may have already considered this, but I wicking bar might be an option allowing application directly to your problem weeds rather than general spraying.

Thanks,

Jack

Deer hammer poke salad at my place. I leave it standing when I see it. I agree that weeds for a deer manager are beneficial. 1. Some weeds deer will eat and are very nutritious for them. 2. Weeds that are not beneficial to deer in a plot will become organic matter once it is mowed. Just have to keep a watch on the plot and not let the weeds take over.