Should I mow my clover
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: c5ken
01-Jul-24
c5ken's Link
I planted a 3ac food plot in late August '23. in mid Michigan. My base crop is Ladino clover & a cover crop of cereal rye. Both have done well. The clover has flowered and the flowers now are brown. The clover in the majority of the field is about 12 to 15" high and the rye has seeded and is about 3' tall. My question is, should I mow the field or just let it continue to grow. Deer, turkeys, rabbits, etc. are hitting the field daily..
From: Dale06
01-Jul-24
Following
From: WI Shedhead
01-Jul-24
My clover maintainence program is now on the holidays, shortly after the 4th as long as it’s not too stressed, I spray cleythidin to kill the grass back (if any). Around the Labor Day holiday (again as long as things aren’t too stressed) I fertile with 50# per acre of 19-19-19. It turns out wonderful. I have clover plots that are over 10 years old and going strong. Every March I frost seed clover seed at a rate of 2# per acre in the bare spots to keep new plants coming. Clover makes up 75% of my plots, and easily the most utilized by the critters
From: Robear
02-Jul-24
Shedhead has it right.
From: Lewis
02-Jul-24
I too spray and fertilize but I use 0-20-20 as the clover doesn’t need the N but the weeds love it.But whatever works.What is funny is our yard is one of the best looking clover stands and we’ve never planted a clover seed.The rabbits take care of that lol.And yes you can mow if you have moisture.Good luck Lewis
From: c5ken
02-Jul-24
Appears it's too late, due to high temp to spray clemthodim at this time. But is it recommended to mow the plot this time of the year?
From: darralld
02-Jul-24
I always mowed mine. Just did it before we were supposed to have rain.
From: Shiloh
02-Jul-24
Don’t mow it when the clover is tressed from drought and don’t mow it low. Just clip the tops
From: Corax_latrans
02-Jul-24
Well, THAT is a relief… The way some of you guys roll, I was starting to think this was a personal grooming question……
From: WI Shedhead
03-Jul-24
Do a bowsite search of man scaping. That will bring back some old threads!!!
From: Julius Koenig
03-Jul-24
I sprayed mine with 24-d and cleth in early June or late May. It really helped.
The past two years I have tried to manage weeds with strictly mowing and it’s been iffy at best. If you do mow Make sure that there is moisture in the forecast, two years ago I mowed it because someone told me to. It was July and we didn’t get rain for 5 weeks. It was abysmal all fall.
From: DanaC
03-Jul-24
Mowing any plant encourages young growth, which is more nutritious and palatable than old stuff.
From: Stressless
08-Jul-24
Mow it down - great thatch for building soil and holding water.
From: CaptMike
08-Jul-24
I've been told to mow mine high and ideally just before a rain. I was told that will give the clover a better chance to outgrow and slow down the weed growth.
From: grape
09-Jul-24
I don’t want to misdirect this thread, but my interest is not only clover food plots. I have two plots planted in corn. Deer and turkeys snip parts of the new plants. It drives me crazy, and it drives my wife crazy because I bitch about it!
Anyway….will that corn recover? It seems to every year, but they are pounding those plots too early this year! Any quick thoughts?
From: c5ken
10-Jul-24
So, I took the advice & mowed my 3ac food plot yesterday to about 8". Got lucky & received 2" of rain last night... All is good..
From: Stressless
11-Jul-24
atta boy.Don't forget to spray for grasses. Got after that post cutting with 13oz/A Clethodim
From: c5ken
14-Jul-24
It's been in the 90's here in SE Michigan. Can I still spray clethodim this time of the year to control weeds?
From: Lewis
14-Jul-24
High temperatures can definitely effect the impact clethodim has on the grasses as much as high temperatures do.Good luck Lewis
From: c5ken
14-Jul-24
So should I wait until the fall to spray when it cooler?
From: BoggsBowhunts
15-Jul-24
Mowed mine this weekend the afternoon after a morning rain with more rain expected mid-week, convenient timing for this thread as it gave me extra confidence in doing so. Hopefully all is well with mine and it’s back thriving in a couple weeks
From: Ambush
15-Jul-24
I’ve got one small plot with some clover and the volunteer rye is heading out. I’d like to overseed with clover but it’s hot and dry and staying that way for a while. If I seed both clover and more rye, then mow, will it just wait for rain to sprout? Or is it just a waste of seed?
From: drycreek
15-Jul-24
Ambush, I think the rye seed would be wasted, but I really don’t know about the clover. Birds, rats, maybe even rabbits and squirrels would probably eat the seed if it laid there too long. I don’t usually plant until late September or early October, depending on moisture and forecasted rain. I’m in Texas, it may be different for you.
