When to mow Rye (as cover crop to clover).

Kwood

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We fall planted a clover plot last year with 40lb/acre if rye. Clover looks good and the rye is also strong. How long to allow the rye to grow before mowing down for first time. Rye is probably 12-18" right now and will probably double that in a few weeks.


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We fall planted a clover plot last year with 40lb/acre if rye. Clover looks good and the rye is also strong. How long to allow the rye to grow before mowing down for first time. Rye is probably 12-18" right now and will probably double that in a few weeks.


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I have found that if I let my WR just self terminate I end up with the most lush clover plots...this is my backyard at my house planted into a flint hillside...Durana white clover and Barduro red peeking out of that at you and that clover is waist high in places and thigh deep in the rest...

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Your rye doesn't look thick enough to hold back the clover. I'd let it go for fawning cover. If at a later date you feel like it is hurting the clover then just mow. I like to mow my perennial clover once or twice early and late summer to keep it lush anyway.
 
I assume this was for me?

I mow it once the rye grain has died off on its own and I mow it high. As dogdoc said I like leaving it for fawning and turkey nesting cover...


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X3 - Leave it grow into fawning/turkey cover. The clover will still grow just fine and the wildlife will still have it available for forage, but your tall rye may save a fawn from a coyote.
 
Yep don't mow let it grow. Besides what said it's also still working to impede ur weed base and add nutrients to soil. Here's WR WW RC WC mix. Waist deep grain knee deep clovers. Wouldn't help anything unless grain very thick to mow.

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Another benefit of letting it go is deer will feel more comfortable using in daylight because of added cover. It will also help shade and protect clover in the case of draught. If you feel compelled to mow, I'd wait till August or even later. Game birds will really go nuts on the grain. Deer will also feed on grain heads.
 
When (or if) you mow the winter rye that you planted as a nurse crop for clover depends on your goals and how densely it is growing. Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether or not mowing is of benefit in your situation:

1) Do you have a lot of predators and a lack of tall grasses/early successional growth for fawning cover?
*Does keeping fawns near houses is a sign of this problem.
2) Is the rye thick enough in most of your plot that it's going to keep your legumes from thriving?
*Did you take a picture of where the clover is doing best to show us, while in other spots is choked out?
3) Are you planning to disc or till for the next planting?
*Too much volunteer seed can be a huge problem, but if you are going no-till/throw-n-mow, this isn't a worry.
4) If you mow or flail the seed, do you have turkeys to come in and clean up for you?
5) What are you wanting to plant next?
*Did you plan to convert the clover and nitrogen it sequesters to brassicas mid-summer?
7) Were you wanting to put corn in and crimp/roll the rye down on top to conserve moisture and control weeds?

Once you figure out what your needs and goals are, determining when or if to mow will be a decision you are uniquely qualified to make. :)
 
Jason, I really haven't thought that through. These plots are back in the timber and hard to get equipment to. One is 3/4 acre and the other is 1/3 acre. The goal was to establish clover stand that we wouldn't have to do too much with for the next several years other than mow and potentially treat with cleth.

We have turkeys all over (in fact this 3/4 acre plot is our "turkey plot). Killed 6 toms in last 3 years in this plot.

Certainly don't want to wipe out turkey or fawn by mowing.


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Jason, I really haven't thought that through. These plots are back in the timber and hard to get equipment to. One is 3/4 acre and the other is 1/3 acre. The goal was to establish clover stand that we wouldn't have to do too much with for the next several years other than mow and potentially treat with cleth.

We have turkeys all over (in fact this 3/4 acre plot is our "turkey plot). Killed 6 toms in last 3 years in this plot.

Certainly don't want to wipe out turkey or fawn by mowing.


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See, that's perfect! You have a goal and a purpose for these plots, so now all you have to do is follow through, using that knowledge.

When we are mowing rye in June, we walk the field to push out any birds or fawns. All of the seed will get gobbled up and the clover will take over. If you have any other troubles with grass, a dose of cleth might be in order, otherwise broadcast 6-24-24 in Sept. and mow for the final time. After 3-5 years you'll probably have more grass than is worth fighting and enough N banked to make a great mixed brassica plot. Follow that up with another fall-planted grain/clover mix and you're back to where you started. :)
 
That is one option Jason ... and pushing the fawns and turkey poults out ahead of the mower is a great strategy for mowing early. Here is another option Kwood.

You are not going to be turkey or deer hunting during the summer anyway so unless the rye is so thick that it is stunting your clover, I wouldn't mow it at all until August. You can mow around the first of August and not worry about killing fawns or turkeys. As somebody mentioned previously, if we have a drought summer the rye will shade the clover and help it along. Also, you will keep your fawning cover through most of the summer. By August, the rye seed will have matured and will germinate itself when you mow it - that is if the clover isn't so thick that it prevents the seed from contacting the soil. After mowing you will have a great perennial clover plot - plus some cereal grain (rye) to supplement the clover. I like to drill cereal rye into my clover plots in August but in your case you will get some free rye from seed.

Here are some photos of a small food plot which I planted to rye only the previous fall. I decided to leave it for fawning cover during the summer months and this is what it looked like on July 31st;



Keep in mind - I didn't drill or broadcast any more seed. I didn't cultipack. I didn't fertilize. I didn't do anything but mow the mature rye around the first week of August. Here is what it looked like on Sept 8th:



And here is what it looked like on Sept 24th:



Your rye should not come in this thick, of course, because you have the clover growing as well, but you should get a little free rye to with your clovers. The following spring you can terminate the rye and mow your clovers as planned.
 
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Does anyone let the rye terminate on it's own then drill brassicas through the standing rye with good results or is germinating rye too much competition?
 
If the rye isn't really thick you can easily drill (or broadcast) brassicas in rye thatch:



Brassicas come up where they are broadcast into standing corn as well:



Probably not many places brassicas won't come up as long as they can get seed to soil contact.
 
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Does anyone let the rye terminate on it's own then drill brassicas through the standing rye with good results or is germinating rye too much competition?
The danger of letting winter rye set seed is if you then disc or till the seed into soil...if you do that, you'll get way too much germination.
 
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