Fall Oat/Clover planting - best timing for you?

[farmhunter]

Ive had trouble getting rye the last couple years - so I've gone to feed oats to plant with my fall clovers. The oats are like $11 for 100 lbs and I was real happy the way it worked with my fall planted clover last year. The deer really liked it as well. So last year - 2 plots were planted 8/1. One plot seemed too early - and the other seemed fine.

I was also able to add a very few turnips to the mix and got some nice ones here and there.
Two of my plots are all sprayed and disked and ready to go - when would you guys plant - the goal is to get clover established with minimal weeds - and have the oats offer some fall food as well.

mowed early June - 1st Spray 6/15.

Sprayed again early July -
Disked on 7-17 after a very much needed rain!

so I'm all ready to plant - the field had been fallow for two years and allowed to grow up into thick grasses for cover. We will disk in the oats then roll - then seed clover then roll again.

When would you all suggest, and why? This section of the field is a measured acre if it matters.

 

[HoleHopper]

Farmhunter, What state, part of the country are you? That will help us understand what kind of growing conditions you have so that I or someone else could possibly help. Assuming that you get freezing temps in the winter I would highly suggest that you reconsider using winter rye as well to help establish your clover. If it is weeds you are woried about, Winter Rye is your best friend and You will be glad you did! As far as timing goes, I like to plant my cereals in MN about the third week of august. But that will differ depending on your location, and always is debatable depending on your goals.

 

[Jason Broom]

Ive had trouble getting rye the last couple years - so I've gone to feed oats to plant with my fall clovers. The oats are like $11 for 100 lbs and I was real happy the way it worked with my fall planted clover last year. The deer really liked it as well. So last year - 2 plots were planted 8/1. One plot seemed too early - and the other seemed fine.

I was also able to add a very few turnips to the mix and got some nice ones here and there.
Two of my plots are all sprayed and disked and ready to go - when would you guys plant - the goal is to get clover established with minimal weeds - and have the oats offer some fall food as well.

mowed early June - 1st Spray 6/15.

Sprayed again early July -
Disked on 7-17 after a very much needed rain!

so I'm all ready to plant - the field had been fallow for two years and allowed to grow up into thick grasses for cover. We will disk in the oats then roll - then seed clover then roll again.

When would you all suggest, and why? This section of the field is a measured acre if it matters.

With your stated goal, that plan should work just fine. Personally, I'd add a little more to the mix, like you did last year. I include chicory in most of my fall grain/legume plots because it still grows fairly well if there is a drought the next year.

 

[dogghr]

Some areas of the country have trouble buying certain grains. You might try adding WW instead of the WR. It does very well and I've used it often and works as a great cover crop and deer browse it well. I prefer the WR especially the following spring as it greens up before anything and you get less tillering than WW if you allow it to mature into the summer. Not sure where you are, but anywhere within 100 miles north or south of the Mason Dixon line I would plant early Sept. which is when I do clover /grain plantings. Brassica mixes I tend to plant by early Aug. Good luck.

 

[Elkaddict]

We are in zone 4b which will add perspective on our weather. Firstly, I'd get to it when you can (I know how hard it can be to juggle priorities with weather you can't control). I've planted from mid August to the first week of September with good results. I would say ideally, the last two weeks are optimum to coincide with the October 1 opener of bow season. The danger of plantin early is mature grains become less attractive to deer.

 

[NWWI]

The past couple years I have been planting forage oats the second week of August in northern Wisconsin. Two of my variables are that my plots do not get full sun and get heavily browsed. But they are definitely attractive to deer when prepped right.

 

[farmhunter]

Thanks guys - We are in central NY - just SE of Syracuse. Its the in the snowbelt 1650 ft elevation and our average 1st frost is Sept 21-30.
I'll check again to see if I can add winter wheat of find some rye.

 

[Paradise725]

Thanks guys - We are in central NY - just SE of Syracuse. Its the in the snowbelt 1650 ft elevation and our average 1st frost is Sept 21-30.
I'll check again to see if I can add winter wheat of find some rye.

You aren't too far from Chainsaw or Chummer. They can probably tell you exactly what they would do.



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[Tater]

When I used to plant clover/oats in the southern tier mid August was ideal. I now am plotting in Wayne county with different soils and deer populations and that date is way too early. For my current location early/mid September is better.

 

[davidhelmly]

Ive had trouble getting rye the last couple years - so I've gone to feed oats to plant with my fall clovers. The oats are like $11 for 100 lbs and I was real happy the way it worked with my fall planted clover last year. The deer really liked it as well. So last year - 2 plots were planted 8/1. One plot seemed too early - and the other seemed fine.

I was also able to add a very few turnips to the mix and got some nice ones here and there.
Two of my plots are all sprayed and disked and ready to go - when would you guys plant - the goal is to get clover established with minimal weeds - and have the oats offer some fall food as well.

mowed early June - 1st Spray 6/15.

Sprayed again early July -
Disked on 7-17 after a very much needed rain!

so I'm all ready to plant - the field had been fallow for two years and allowed to grow up into thick grasses for cover. We will disk in the oats then roll - then seed clover then roll again.

When would you all suggest, and why? This section of the field is a measured acre if it matters.

I'm not sure what part of the country you are in but if we are getting decent rain (very rare) here in Georgia I try and get my brassica in around late Aug and my clover/cereal grain about 1 month later. In really hot and dry years like this year it will be totally rain dependent and both planting dates could be moved back by a month or so.

 

[farmhunter]

Updating you guys -

I decided to plant earlier than later. Since my goal is an established clover plot for the next couple years. I knew I was going to be gone away the last two weeks in August - and I didn't want to get into September - SO - I planted 8/13/16 - about a week or two early,

right after I planted we had a HUGE rain - like 4 ". and it rotted some of my oats out - go figure - the last thing I expected!!
I went back over it with clover and a few turnips in case the clover also was drowned out -

Growth is a little uneven due to that big rain event - but I'm confident that I'll have a good summer clover plot next year! And hopefully something to attract and keep deer close this fall

 

[Jason Broom]

I love that green haze in the fall.