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I would mow as needed

I have a great clover stand with the timely rains here in SW Iowa, but yes, the ragweed and foxtail is starting to take over (roughly 6-8 inches in height, maybe 10 inches in a few select spots). Is this is an acceptable height to mow it? Also, at what height should I clip the plot? The plot is probably about a month and half old at this point.
 
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I have a great clover stand with the timely rains here in SW Iowa, but yes, the ragweed and foxtail is starting to take over (roughly 6-8 inches in height, maybe 10 inches in a few select spots). Is this is an acceptable height to mow it? Also, at what height should I clip the plot? The plot is probably about a month and half old at this point.

If you have foxtail that's starting to take over, I'd get it with clethodim & crop oil asap. If it's going to be a bit before you get to that, get that stuff mowed as soon as you're able so it isn't smothering clover while you're waiting to spray it. Ragweed will respond a little better with the mowing where I'd for sure hit foxtail with clethodim & crop oil BUT after that you sure could hit with some 2,4-D,B. A lot of ways to skin this cat BUT I guess if it were mine, I'd be mowing it within next few days unless I could immediately blast with clethodim & crop oil 1st which would be 1st choice (I'd go a little heavier, 14-18 oz IMO). I'd then hit it with butyrac or just mow it in a week or so after the clethodim. Basically, a lot of ways to tackle this but you need to kill the foxtail and clethodim is the option there and you need to keep things from being overtaken for sure with mowing, etc.
 
If you have foxtail that's starting to take over, I'd get it with clethodim & crop oil asap. If it's going to be a bit before you get to that, get that stuff mowed as soon as you're able so it isn't smothering clover while you're waiting to spray it. Ragweed will respond a little better with the mowing where I'd for sure hit foxtail with clethodim & crop oil BUT after that you sure could hit with some 2,4-D,B. A lot of ways to skin this cat BUT I guess if it were mine, I'd be mowing it within next few days unless I could immediately blast with clethodim & crop oil 1st which would be 1st choice (I'd go a little heavier, 14-18 oz IMO). I'd then hit it with butyrac or just mow it in a week or so after the clethodim. Basically, a lot of ways to tackle this but you need to kill the foxtail and clethodim is the option there and you need to keep things from being overtaken for sure with mowing, etc.

Thanks, I can spray this weekend with clethodim at the soonest. How long would you then wait to mow it after?
 
I would spray the clethodim and then mow within a week or 2. I prefer the higher end of the Clethodim label with proper levels of crop oil and I also try and do a larger amount of gallons per acre. My sprayer I can do everything electronically to adjust gallons per acre BUT at the end of the day with any old sprayer, I'd try and saturate with 20-30 gallons of water, 14-18, maybe even 20 oz of clethodim & labeled rate on crop oil per acre.

I'd wait a week, mow no matter what then re-evaluate everything and then apply more rounds of clethodim or 2,4-db as needed & possibly look at 1 or maybe even 2 more mowings for the year as long as it's not blazing hot & dry (in that case, don't mow). Good luck!
 
When to mow clover?

I went out to the farm yesterday. Clover is doing great, but my question is... have I missed the window to mow it? I thought that I had read that it needed to be mowed before it flowers... here's what it all looked like....

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I actually mowed it a few weeks ago (mostly knocked down the rye...), but I don't think that I cut much of the clover. Will it die now that it's flowered? Should I mow it anyway?

Thanks.

Steve
 
It will not die. You could mow it anytime, as long as it's not dry and blazing hot. Ideally, you mow before flowering for nitrogen fixation but your clover is looking great. If you mowed it earlier, you're in good shape, you're never going to get all of the flowering clovers and not that big of deal in my opinion. I'd probably save myself some work and let it sit longer if it were mine.
 
Thanks... Here's a shot of the whole field. It looks awesome. (White Clover on left side... Oats and Berseem on right). Hopefully we'll get some of the rain they're calling for this week.

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And it's pretty thick & tall right now....

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Berseem and crimson are planted to fix nitrogen for brassicas, when they flower they stop fixing nitrogen and set seed. It's important to keep them working for us, but as Skip mentioned this is not important for white clover.

We clip white clover once or twice a year but flowering is irrelevant, more to control weeds ;)
 
Berseem and crimson are planted to fix nitrogen for brassicas, when they flower they stop fixing nitrogen and set seed. It's important to keep them working for us, but as Skip mentioned this is not important for white clover.

We clip white clover once or twice a year but flowering is irrelevant, more to control weeds ;)

OH, cool... that makes sense! Thanks.
 
Going 2 do a clover plot this fall. Would it be better to do this with oats or rye with it? I no oats will dye out ,but what would you do with the rye in the spring?(just do oats?) What type (kind) of oats would you use also? Is buck forage oats a better oat that doesn't die out as fast late fall?

Also would you seed the oats and cultipak with the clover?

Sorry a lot of questions.............thnx.
 
Going 2 do a clover plot this fall. Would it be better to do this with oats or rye with it? I no oats will dye out ,but what would you do with the rye in the spring?(just do oats?) What type (kind) of oats would you use also? Is buck forage oats a better oat that doesn't die out as fast late fall?

Also would you seed the oats and cultipak with the clover?

Sorry a lot of questions.............thnx.

Plant 80# oats or rye
Mow rye in spring
Use any common oats
BF oats are huge ripoff
Yes cultipack, broadcast clover seed, cultipack to cover

Please take time to read this and the cereal grain thread for more information
 
Lime on clover

I need to apply 3 tons of lime per acre on a new clover plot planted last fall with PH of 5.7. 1/2 will get tilled under in September for the rye mix and 1/2 will remain clover that I want to hunt over in the fall. Will the lime hurt / bury the clover or will it quickly grow over it. Don't want ruin a nice clover plot. Hope to do brassicas in a year when PH is corrected.
 
I need to apply 3 tons of lime per acre on a new clover plot planted last fall with PH of 5.7. 1/2 will get tilled under in September for the rye mix and 1/2 will remain clover that I want to hunt over in the fall. Will the lime hurt / bury the clover or will it quickly grow over it. Don't want ruin a nice clover plot. Hope to do brassicas in a year when PH is corrected.

Won't hurt a thing
 
I got plots mowed and sprayed at the end of last month. Went out today and couldn't believe how good they looked.

Looking to do a few fall clover plots what would be the latest I could get them in, same with my brassicas. I know mid to Late July is preferred, but if I get them in first week of August-ish I have to think I would be OK.
 
What is the best clover for a drainage ditch or should I plant grass? I have an area in the middle of my plot that water flows through in the spring, but is dry by July. My main goal is to prevent erosion, but I'd like to have food there too.
 
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