Terminating WR

[birdog]

What is the best way to terminate WR as a cover crop if I don't want it to go to seed?

 

[wiscwhip]

Spray it with cleth before it bolts and the seeds mature. Or mow it after the seed heads form but before the seeds mature, about the same results

 

[Bill]

Gly will kill it. I’ve never had much luck with it reseeding itself. Not to a
Thick stand anyway

 

[Someday isle]

Last year I mowed mine after it had all fully headed out and was several feet tall. The rye terminated but I think it shaded my red clover out too much even though we had a very early spring last year. This year we had a late spring and I mowed it as soon as it started to head out at about 18 inches to two feet tall and the clover just exploded after mowing. That’s a sample size of 2 seasons with two completely different spring weather patterns so probably not much help. The rye terminated both times.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

I’ve mowed early, I’ve mowed late and I’ve left standing...all scenarios resulted in a good stand of MRC planted with WR. What seeding rate of both clover and rye did you use in those cases?
I think there are quite a number of variables at play on how that all plays out. It definitely is one of those things where observing the conditions and then the results ultimately will give the best practical decision making guide!

 

[birdog]

I over seeded an existing clover/chicory plot last fall to help with weed control this year. The rye has really taken off this year so I've been mowing as suggested in another thread to keep it going a little longer so it can continue to do it's job. I will mow one maybe two more times and then let it go to seed and terminate on it's own. I was just wondering what the best way to terminate in case I get over run with volunteer WR next year. It sounds like I won't have to worry about that from what you guy's are saying. It has completely blown up since I started my last thread, had me a little worried.

 

[yoderjac]

What is the best way to terminate WR as a cover crop if I don't want it to go to seed?

Nothing to worry about. Don't terminate it. Let it die on its own.

 

[Someday isle]

In my case it was 50 lbs per acre of rye in the basic LC mix with a mix of red and white clovers. The weather conditions couldn’t have been more different each year though so there’s not enough information to develop a trend.

 

[birdog]

I also went with 50lbs acre in a plot that sits in a low area next to a creek. The rye just blew up and in my head I'm thinking a crap load of seed will be on the ground when I give it it's last hair cut and I'll be completely smothered in rye next year. Like I said previously it looks like my fears are unfounded and I have nothing to worry about come spring of 2019. Yoderjac helped me on my previous thread and I listened. I will listen again to him along with everyone else who took the time to reply. Thank you all for putting my mind at ease!

 

[pointer]

Winter rye establishment into established clover was mentioned in another thread. It will establish, but not as thick in clover as in a new seeding. What I'm seeing on one of my plots this spring is backing that up. I have a plot that's been seeded with WR/clover for 3 straight years in the fall. Last year I expanded the plot by spraying and seeding. The new portion has a much greater amount of WR than the old. I guess that's the long way of saying, once the clover is established, you'll get some WR to come up, but I do not think you'd ever be "smothered" in rye.

 

[Peeps]

Let that WR go and terminate its self. Then knock it over with a drag. Your clover will love the extra shade while getting established over the hot dry summer. Here are some pics of one of my plots when I knocked it down and what it looked like the next year. This plot was really thick with WR as a cover crop. The clover was actually frost seeded in the spring after the fall WR planting.

 

[Peeps]

Here was the clover and chicory growing in the WR.

 

[BobinCt]

FYI- don’t try and put lime down with a tow behind fertilizer spreader (120lb) through high cereal Rye. It kept getting caught in the gearbox of the spreader and had to keep stopping to get it out. I managed to get 85 bags down, but what a lesson I learned. I even ran my Cultipacker over it first but it didn’t help so much. Don’t want anyone else to go thru what I did so do it before the Rye gets too high. Just passing along something NOT to do.

 

[birdog]

Good info guy's! Thank you all for your reply's. I have been following yoderjac's advice to mow the rye to keep it going. I will give it one more mowing and then let it go until it dies on it's own.