mowing clover?
 

i just planted whiter and red clover mix a few weeks back and i wondereed how oftwn i should cut it and if i should cut it at all?
thanks

RE: mowing clover?
 

I usually mow mine before the weeds get big enough to reseed theirselves. I have mowed twice already, but we have a long growing season.

RE: mowing clover?
 

so....................???????????????????

RE: mowing clover?
 

Cut it.

RE: mowing clover?
 

With clover, you mainly have to manage the competition. For a new plot, I would want to mow the clover itself as little as possible while it is getting established so the individual plants will mature and produce seed as early as possible, but if weeds begin to overtop the clover, you either need to spray with a selective herbicide that will not harm your clover or mow just enough to release the clover from that weed competition...and before the weeds go to seed as was said earlier orthe clover'scompetition will be compounded.

RE: mowing clover?
 

gotcha;)

RE: mowing clover?
 

Also - Most White Clovers are low growing Perennials - and Red Clover is a Tall Growing Annual biennial - though many treat it as an annual.

If the Red Clover is thick - you might find it'll dominate over white clover the 1st Year. and then be pretty thin the second year. I usually mow a clover plot 1 time in Early June - to keep any grasses from going to seed, and then I mow at least two more times - sometimes more. With White clover - I like to mow whenever the plot is more than 1/2 in bloom. It usually works out to 2-3 mowings per summer - and I only mow down enough to knock the heads off. This keeps the plot vigorous maybe a year or two longer.

Last July 14 - New Spring Planted Clover plot - before mowing:



Same Plot 1 week after mowing -



I always leave the clippings because - I'm always trying to improve the soil for the next plot.

FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

man that loooks like mine
do deer really go after that with such little clover?

RE: mowing clover?
 

They do - but its weed control that makes the differece - you cut the weeds when they are most vulnerable - and the young clover really can and will take over a new plot - especially when competing with annual weeds like most in the picture above. Weeds always will rear their ugly heads - its how you deal with them that makes the plot.

This is the same plot in Early September this year - its about 1 acre



FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

They do - but its weed control that makes the differece - you cut the weeds when they are most vulnerable - and the young clover really can and will take over a new plot

i dont understand what you mean by this?

RE: mowing clover?
 

Basically - what I meant was - all plots will get weeds. You want time yourmowing - so that the weeds have expended all their energies and start to make seeds, then mow and many of the weeds will not be able to recover and compete with a vigorously growing clover plot.

You don't want to wait until the weed seeds drop before you mow -

The plot in the picture isn't a 100% pure clover stand - but it grows about 6-10" tall and is a major producer of white clovers. I don't treat our clovers with chemicals, because we rotate plots every three years anyhow - and most places - we get good weed control with mowing alone for at least 3 years.

FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

so i should mow mine as soon as i start seeing weeds?
what height fo i cut? or would bush hog work?

RE: mowing clover?
 

No - you should mow as soon as the majority of the weeds you see - 1st go to seed, and before the seeds harden and drop. Mow again later in the year to keep your clover from going to seed - it also keeps it vigourously growing into the fall if you knock off the seed heads inJuly and again in late August.

I use a bush hog - and I generally mow down to 6-8" -

FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

ok thanks
ill mow soon and maybe gert pics;)

RE: mowing clover?
 

wat kind of clover is that

RE: mowing clover?
 

red and white

mostly white

would it be better if i mowed the clover lower than 6-8 inches?

RE: mowing clover?
 

cut it as low or as high as you want(learned from experiment) and i cut mine once every 3 or 4 weeks

RE: mowing clover?
 

so if i cut it at like 2 inches it wont screw up my plot?

RE: mowing clover?
 

I planted Whitetail institute Clover/Chicory in May. Its extremely slow growing now and the weeds are choking them out. I have mowed twice so far....approximately 5-6 inches and weeds are starting to thin out and clover looks to be dominate.

I plan on mowing until the clover reaches the point of overpowering the weeds. Its a good idea to walk through and hand pluck the weeds as well.

Mine are looking champion style so far and look forward to doing the mowing about every 3rd week if neccessary. just dont mow too low...to early. The later the year...and higher growth of clover will allow you to bush hog at a higher length. Just be sure to choke the weeds out! That about as low as you need to go while the clover grows.

RE: mowing clover?
 

You can't really mow clover too much - it wont hurt to take it down 2-3" several times per year.

Here's a 2year old plot - with the 1st mowing this June (Jun15th) - You can see this plot has some weeds (Daisys, ragweed, paintbrushes, some other annuals and some grasses. The grasses are what you need to worry about most - don't let then go to seed - and spot treating them with round up is a good idea (I almost never have time though).

I'll post this plot pictures in a week or two - and you won't know there were any weeds. The clover can really dominate once established well.



FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

so i will cut it like once a week sound good?????
at like how many inches?

RE: mowing clover?
 

Once a week is more than I mow my lawn -

Mow this much, and you'll have to beat the deer off the get the mower on the plot -
Seriously - are youreally looking for tips or are you just wasting people's time that want offer advice?

FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

I've cut mine twice in two months. Mainly to choke out the weeds. Its never looked better!!!!

RE: mowing clover?
 

well i just cut mine yesterday with our lawn mower io cut it at about 3.5 inches.
Mow this much, and you'll have to beat the deer off the get the mower on the plot - what do you mean by this?
i guess ill wait for about 2-3 weeks bvefore cutting again
bvasically all i want to know is............will i hurt the plot by cutting low and cutting often?

RE: mowing clover?
 

Mowing once a week is too much -
that was my point -

Most guys I know mow 3x per year - but you could easily go 5-6 times without a problem.

If you cut too low in a dry part of the summer - the deer might not have much to forage on - but I don't think in neccessarilyhurts the clover - but it could if its dry enough. I mow down to about 6" because I like to leave ample forage in the summer months for the deer.

FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

My clover/chicory plot is going on it's third year. I've already mowed it twice to keep the weeds at bay. (it was two weeks in between mowings) and I will be mowing again next week (2 weeks again) then the plot is normally 80% weed free from there on. I mow my plot down to about 5" (no less in my opinion) and mow again (half of the plot at a time) when it reaches approx. 12-14". Follow farm hunters advice, he won't steer you wrong. Check out his blog, I've been reading it for the past 2 years and he's a solid guy (fellow NY no less, lol)

Good luck with your plot mossbergman!

RE: mowing clover?
 

i will cut with bushhog in about2-3 weeks
allright thanks a lot man sorry about all the overwhelming questions but i think i got this food plot thing down pat pretty good for now. thanks everyone for your help

RE: mowing clover?
 

Mossberg -

Here's my plot - 2 weeks after mowing - on the previous page you can see how it looked with weeds and all before 1st cutting. Thought you might like to see how it came out.



FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

wow thats impressive.
i have noticed a large increase in the amount of clover *(density?) in my plot ever since i cut it short, would you reccommend that i cut it short in another week or not?

RE: mowing clover?
 

It probably won't hurt to cut it again - especially if weeds are more than 25% - but youwant to make sure adequate forage is available too, especially when growth slows down at the end of summer.



FH

RE: mowing clover?
 

cut it short agin?

RE: mowing clover?
 

If you want hard numbers, 5"-7" . Mow it down to that level every so oftenand it will continue to be healthy and the competition will be limited.

RE: mowing clover?
 

Here is how mine started......mid April



Here it is roughly 3 weeks after seeding



The next picture I will post after the rains stop and I mow it for the 3rd time. Its really taken to the soil well, damn weeds though!

RE: mowing clover?
 

what did you plant and what height do you cut it at?

RE: mowing clover?
 

This plot was Whitetail Institue Imperial Clover with a mix of some Chickory. I planted it and the next day it rained 3 straight days and got close to 3 inches of water. Those things were nder water for 1 1/2 days...and then boom, they started creeping up. You cant drown clover!

They have grown about 5 inches since I cut them when they were very small, never cut xthe clover....only the weeds. I have since cut it at 5 inches twice and have finally choked the weeds.

Its finally at the point where the coloring has a slight purplish tint if you look at it right. This mix has like 4 different clover in it, and I sewed a little bit of alfalfa on it after the rain.

My other plot is 100% alfala, but its taken over any weeds that started.

Imperial Clover is slow going....especially in dry months. The heat and lack of water will keep it from a noticeable growth.

I will post my newest picks when Im done hanging all my stands and have time.

Here is the field that borders the clover plot. Talking about PRIMO bedding!



Another view of the tree line if you turned 180 degrees and looked back towards the Alfalfa plot

RE: mowing clover?
 

my clover is jsut stuff from the local co-op but its good

RE: mowing clover?
 

not at all, it all grows back.....we took our clover plot and mowed it at 2, 6 and 10 inches and they all ended up at the same height and density

RE: mowing clover?
 

allrihgt thank ill vut it at about 5 or 6 a couple more times

RE: mowing clover?
 

This was today, as you can see the weeds are almost in check. I plan on mowing this weekend, and then let it grow for a month or so to see how the weeds will end up being. Hopefully a couple more mowings this summer will kill off the weeds and the clover/chickory will take off.