Advice on Cover crops to White Clover

[MNbuckhunter]

I currently have a smaller field enrolled in the Dbltree mix. The brassicas last year are now planted into oats and annual clovers and the cereal section in fast growing rye with red clovers underneath.

Well just this week I decided it is too much of a pain to get to this field to continue the rotation so I want to put it into white clover instead (much easier to occasionally spray and mow).

SO...how would you go about getting to that point from where I am at currently? Basically I'd like to plant the whole field in the cereal mix with white clovers in late August, which in turn will end up a white clover field the following year. My question is how should I manage the cover crops in the meantime? Do I still need to spray the rye soon and then mow it? What about the oats?

 

[skyleralan]

I currently have a smaller field enrolled in the Dbltree mix. The brassicas last year are now planted into oats and annual clovers and the cereal section in fast growing rye with red clovers underneath.

Well just this week I decided it is too much of a pain to get to this field to continue the rotation so I want to put it into white clover instead (much easier to occasionally spray and mow).

SO...how would you go about getting to that point from where I am at currently? Basically I'd like to plant the whole field in the cereal mix with white clovers in late August, which in turn will end up a white clover field the following year. My question is how should I manage the cover crops in the meantime? Do I still need to spray the rye soon and then mow it? What about the oats?

I frost seeded white clover into an old rye plot and just got done mowing it. I was amazed at how well the plot stayed weed free and lots of clover growing underneath the tall rye! Something to think about. I am sure I could now just spray the rye and the clover would Take over.

 

[Sligh1]

Lot of ways to "skin the cat" if all u want is white clover next yr and a mix this fall to get em thru.... Well, skimming thru what u said... U have clovers in Both spots now.... One way to do it (rye or oats) is just mow it all summer. If u don't like clovers there later- Nuke it all and plant to ur mix after u been mowing all summer. U could spray the rye and oats with clethodim now but I'd just keep mowing it. Not gonna be a big deal either way. Basically- just keep the plot u have now "clean" without a billion things going to seed. By August- u will have a nice mowed area u can do whatever u want with. Obviously u could spray it and work it up or even no till. Another viable solution is to put RR beans in now and transform later. Like I said- lot of ways to do this. Fall plots and seeding clover late summer is a great and easy way for u to have dynamite spring clover next yr. heck, if u REALLY wanted to be ambitious with more risk (weeds, etc) - could Nuke it all now and seed to white clover and oats. It's late but likely would work fine.

 

[skyleralan]

I frost seeded white clover into an old rye plot and just got done mowing it. I was amazed at how well the plot stayed weed free and lots of clover growing underneath the tall rye! Something to think about. I am sure I could now just spray the rye and the clover would Take over.

Here is an updated shot after I mowed the rye down. The plot is much bigger, but wanted to give you an idea of how the rye looked.

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View attachment 2965