Clover Galore

[ClinchValley86]

I think this has not been cut, the clover just got so tall and heavy it got down.

Correct. No trouble with regrowth. There's about 12-16 inches of pretty clover above the mat. The leaves down in the mat are black and gooey, the stems just laid down and turned up again and are growing, so I'm not concerned with it being a problem in that way. I'm thinking it's going to work some kind of magic if I let it go. What that magic is... I don't know. Haha. Ought to have plenty of organic nutrients next year. Hahaha

I was really lookin forward to baling it.

Anybody here that'd still bale it? I cut some elsewhere yesterday that some a little bit laid down, nothing like my problem though. It was still a mess.

 

[kenny thomas]

I would cut and bale but dont have a good reason why. Lol
If it not a lot of acres it would be interesting to see what happens if you leave it.

 

[1982vett]

Well...if it's matted down, growth of warm season grass is going to be hindered. May already be causing that problem.

 

[Logan52]

We use to put up a lot of red clover square bales. In a wet year and if we were a little late getting to it (late June to early July) the clover would fall down and then regrow. It was hard to mow with the old sickle bar mowers but we went on and baled it with pretty good luck.
Yours may be worse due to exceptional growth of the clover this year, but I would still plan to try and bale it.
Probably it will be pretty black hay but we thought it to be good feed.

 

[chaded]

I'd brush hog it.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Dug up a clover root today, curious about the nitrogen fixation. The one I got had a pretty good amount I feel like. Especially up top near the surface. But also had them 7 inches down. Roots broke off at 8 inches.

 

[ClinchValley86]

We use to put up a lot of red clover square bales. In a wet year and if we were a little late getting to it (late June to early July) the clover would fall down and then regrow. It was hard to mow with the old sickle bar mowers but we went on and baled it with pretty good luck.
Yours may be worse due to exceptional growth of the clover this year, but I would still plan to try and bale it.
Probably it will be pretty black hay but we thought it to be good feed.

I really appreciate you sharing that. I went back just now and looked again. If it doesn't get any worse between now and the next weather window, I'm going to cut the front half of it. It's not as bad as the back from what I can tell.

So thanks for the encouragement.

 

[ClinchValley86]

I would cut and bale but dont have a good reason why. Lol
If it not a lot of acres it would be interesting to see what happens if you leave it.

That's where I'm at too. I'm dying to see what happens. Would have to be a hell of a soil improvement if nothing else. Would be a lot of mass there to strip graze this fall/winter.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

You guys must have much drier climates than around here. Thick clover takes 5-7 days of steady tedding to have any chance at being dry hay around here (and i havent had a 5 day weather window in at least 10 years haha). Even when it feels dry it's still usually well over 20% and molds in a few days.

Only way to put up clover here is to wrap the hay after it dries a couple days.

 

[10-e-c-dirtfarmer]

Long term the soil health would be much better to leave it. but I don't know what your needs are for the next 12 months.
Like Kenny said "If it not a lot of acres it would be interesting to see what happens if you leave it"
Below grade, the soil microbes will very happy, and that's a good thing..

 

[sstterry]

I'd brush hog it.

Agreed. You still get the soil benefit and no thatch.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Won't be any thatch anyways after it's strip grazed this fall.

I went back and walked it again, really is pretty bad. Don't think it'd make hay worth wasting diesel on.

This spot the stuff laid over was 6 inches high. Feels awesome walking on it. Lol. Good on the ol back.

 

[chaded]

If i wasn't going to brush hog it then I would leave it. I certainly wouldn't be going through the expense and work of bailing 'black goo'. Lol.

Mowing it is sort of a middle ground. You break up the thatch and plants and it will break down faster. You will get some regrowth of something before Fall and all of your nutrients (and seeds) stay right where they are.

Obviously there will be some expense but it's just one time over the field as opposed to making hay. Nothing wrong with leaving it and letting the cows do their thing either.

 

[ClinchValley86]

If i wasn't going to brush hog it then I would leave it. I certainly wouldn't be going through the expense and work of bailing 'black goo'. Lol.

Mowing it is sort of a middle ground. You break up the thatch and plants and it will break down faster. You will get some regrowth of something before Fall and all of your nutrients (and seeds) stay right where they are.

Obviously there will be some expense but it's just one time over the field as opposed to making hay. Nothing wrong with leaving it and letting the cows do their thing either.

It's definitely going to have pros and cons regardless of which way we go. Both intended and unintended.

Who knows though... could turn dry and hot next month and I graaze it by August/September. That's been the trend the last few years.

 

[ClinchValley86]

You guys must have much drier climates than around here. Thick clover takes 5-7 days of steady tedding to have any chance at being dry hay around here (and i havent had a 5 day weather window in at least 10 years haha). Even when it feels dry it's still usually well over 20% and molds in a few days.

Only way to put up clover here is to wrap the hay after it dries a couple days.

I had to pull mine out the barn from last week. Had some weird readings. Hoping these cold nights will cool them down. They're not squatting though. Rolled with dew moisture after dark. I thought it was super dry the day before. Evidently not.

What I've got down right now is taking it's sweet ass time, stem wise.

 

[ClinchValley86]

This was grazed end of April. Has barely begun to bloom.

 

[chaded]

Looks like some johnsongrass in there too. Cattle are going to be in the candy shop there.

 

[kenny thomas]

Are you going to graze or hay it?

 

[ClinchValley86]

@kenny thomas - I'm grazing it. Got about 8 acres that was grazed in April that I might roll up. It's lookin pretty good.

What I grazed in May is ready to start on again. Has had about 5.5 weeks of recovery time from being gnawed off at the ground.

Last Pic is 3 ish weeks rest. The clover gobbled up a reel and big pile of pigtail posts. Glad I saw them.