pounds per acre cereal rye when using it to establish white clover in the fall?

[eclipseman]

How many pounds per acre of cereal rye is recommended when being planted with ladino clover to establish a new clover plot? I have fertilized and tilled a 1 acre food plot. The goal being a ladino clover plot. I will be spreading the seed very soon (next rain) and I have 1 acres worth of ladino clover. I am planting with cereal rye as I heard it is recommended when starting a clover plot but I am not sure on what is recommended for seeding rate since the goal is the clover and NOT the rye. Thanks!

 

[Tree Spud]

50-60 lbs acres would be good with using as nurse crop for clover.

 

[yoderjac]

How many pounds per acre of cereal rye is recommended when being planted with ladino clover to establish a new clover plot? I have fertilized and tilled a 1 acre food plot. The goal being a ladino clover plot. I will be spreading the seed very soon (next rain) and I have 1 acres worth of ladino clover. I am planting with cereal rye as I heard it is recommended when starting a clover plot but I am not sure on what is recommended for seeding rate since the goal is the clover and NOT the rye. Thanks!

The seeding rate is pretty flexible. It depends on your situation. If you are dealing with a lot of weeds, it can make sense to seed up to 100 lbs/ac, but that requires more timely mowing in the spring. This is especially true for a slow to establish clover like Durana. Ladino is a bit faster to establish but not as persistent or drought tolerant. For ladino, I would mow the WR back to about 8" each time it get above a foot the first spring. For Durana you can get away with mowing to 6".

If you don't have significant weed issues, rates in the 50-60 lbs/ac range will be fine. At that rate, you will be able to wait longer between mowing because WR will stand will be thinner. The main purpose of a nurse crop of WR is to keep weeds at bay while the perennial clover is expending its energy putting down a root system. The WR dies naturally over the summer making room for the clover to overtake the field.

There is no exact rate, if you are not sure about it, simply pick some middle rate. The higher rate you use, the more attention you should pay to mowing the first spring.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Peeps]

My situation might be different than others but I’ve had great luck seeding WR very heavy compared to what others are saying. This plot was seeded as high as 200 lbs per acre. Now I have sandy soil and the WR was broadcast not drilled. The pics show the WR at maturity with no cutting, then knocked down with my drag upside down, then the clover and chicory in August and September.

 

[Peeps]

Here is what the clover looked like the following fall.

 

[yoderjac]

Here is what the clover looked like the following fall. View attachment 20252View attachment 20253

Good point! There are lots of special conditions and other uses for WR like building OM in sandy soil and this can be done when it is used as a nurse crop. Rates can vary quite a bit to achieve the best results for a particular application. This post is a great example!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Joe Buck]

Looks Great , Just wondering what type of clover and how many lbs. per acre did you broadcast. Also see some chicory in there as well.

 

[Peeps]

Looks Great , Just wondering what type of clover and how many lbs. per acre did you broadcast. Also see some chicory in there as well.

It is Ladino clover and yes there is chicory mixed in. I can’t remember how much of each I used but it was on the high end of recommend amounts.

 

[Scarecrow]

That's a GREAT picture sequence! I like the way you rolled the spent WR rather than mowing it.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Peeps,

Do you recall when you knocked the cereal down? And for clarification, you didn't mow the clover/chicory at all the first year?

 

[Peeps]

I knocked it down August 1st and the pic of clover popping up thru the WR thatch was from August 15th and where it is completely growing thick was September 28th. No it was never cut. Only cut my clover once per year in late August after the blossoms are spent. I let my honey bees use the plots all summer.

 

[MojoRisin]

I have what is probably a dumb question in regard to cutting rye and clover. How high does the mower blade need to be? I'm guessing you all have special mowers for this because I look around and can't find mowers on a smaller scale that have a clearing of 6" or more. I don't have a tractor.

 

[scott44]

When using my brush hog I used to try and keep it about 6", I bought a DR brush mower this year and 3.5" is the height on the DR and it seems to work good. I did all my throw and mow with it and released some clover from rye/grass.

 

[MojoRisin]

When using my brush hog I used to try and keep it about 6", I bought a DR brush mower this year and 3.5" is the height on the DR and it seems to work good. I did all my throw and mow with it and released some clover from rye/grass.

Thanks Scott. I just looked at a DR yesterday and saw their max height was 3.5" and then thought people cut much higher than that. If 3.5" is OK, then I will be considering a DR. My plots are all under an acre and we've cut them with my weed whacker and brush cutter but that is a time consuming PITA.

 

[scott44]

Thanks Scott. I just looked at a DR yesterday and saw their max height was 3.5" and then thought people cut much higher than that. If 3.5" is OK, then I will be considering a DR. My plots are all under an acre and we've cut them with my weed whacker and brush cutter but that is a time consuming PITA.

I didn't have trouble this year with it being dry and cutting it at 3.5" but I'd watch how dry your plot is and is there rain in the future when cutting it this short.

 

[Tap]

My ever present turkey flock seem to like grain seed. I usually broadcast 80-100 lbs of rye. The areas of less thatch get picked over more so than the areas of heavier thatch.
In my case, predicted rain has an effect on seeding rates. I try to not seed until rain is immenant. The longer ungerminated seed lays on the surface, the more the birds get. I usually err on seeding heavy.
Whats the worst that can happen? If the rye is a bit too thick next spring, then I can always terminate it with cleth or mowing.

 

[yoderjac]

I have what is probably a dumb question in regard to cutting rye and clover. How high does the mower blade need to be? I'm guessing you all have special mowers for this because I look around and can't find mowers on a smaller scale that have a clearing of 6" or more. I don't have a tractor.

In general, if you are trying to establish perennial clover like ladino or durana, we shoot to mow each time the WR hits about a foot the first spring. We mow it back to 6" to 8". If I'm sure it is going to rain soon, you can get away mowing ladino as low as 6". To be save, I shoot for 8" for Ladino. For Durana, I'm comfortable mowing Durana back to 6" most of the time. The idea is to "release" the clover from the WR. The thicker you plant the WR, the more important timely mowing is. You want the WR to take up space that weeds would otherwise use but allow enough light in so that the clover grows well. Let the WR die naturally.

When you mow clover, it stresses it. For the first couple mowings you will be mowing above the clover and simply clipping WR. As time goes on you will be mowing more clover.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[MojoRisin]

Thanks Jack. I'm not sure I can find a small mower that will allow for such height. Maybe there is an ATV tow-behind version out there?

 

[yoderjac]

Thanks Jack. I'm not sure I can find a small mower that will allow for such height. Maybe there is an ATV tow-behind version out there?

If you are mowing lower than 6" consider lower growing clover like dutch white. Also, only mow when you have good rain on the horizon. Clover can clearly survive lower mowing as my yard is full of it, but if you mow ladino that low you will end up with just stolons.

Most finish mowers can be adjusted high, but for small equipment like an ATV it is hard to find a mower like that. I have seen some guys modify them with larger wheels. That is fine for a tow behind finish mower but can be dangerous for a push mower where feet can slip underneath.

Thanks,

Jack