Daver
PMA Member
is there any harm with not spraying the rye and just mowing in July?
You certainly could mow it in July, but by then it will start dying off on it's own, so you may not have to even mow it.
FWIW, I left about a 4 acre spot of rye alone last spring and let it "grow itself out". The rye grew like crazy during this timeframe last year and got probably 5'-6' tall and was excellent cover for birds, deer, etc. I suspect it was a key part in helping me boost my pheasant numbers on my place as it provided great nesting cover and brooding cover.
I then just drilled over it in early September, actually Paul did , but it worked out fine AND after getting my soil tests back a week or so ago that area where I left the rye alone last year now has a higher organic content(OC) reading than anywhere else on my farm. I suspect that the rye that I just let go last year was a big part of the OC spike.