Food Plots Clover plot help

[megalomaniac]

Due to fertilizer costs (and the fact that I got 15in rain in the week after I planted fields last Sept resulting in decreased germination of my cereal grains), I've decided not to burn down and plant summer crops this year... im new at this management technique...

The balansa (annual clover) is finishing up full bloom. Would I be better off bushhogging it 10 in high knocking down the cereal rye and knocking the clover seed to the ground vs bushhogging it short vs leaving it completely? I'm hoping to get some reseeding (all depending on rain and summer temps) to get a 2nd crop before I burn down in Aug and replant for next fall. Popcorn, I'm sure you have some experience.

 

[Popcorn]

Balansa is a cool season clover and is very intolerant of heat. Its gonna die in july / august and will have reseeded very well. If you are drilling Fall crops in August just drill thru what is left there. The ground cover will be very beneficial for moisture retention and weed suppression. regeneration of the balansa will be limited unless we have a cool moist summer but it will be there next spring.if you are not drilling then just cut it down with a disk before you broadcast.
Balansa is what I refer to as an unstable hybrid. I ave it in several locations and have been growing it for 4 years now. I see the genetics expressed change with each season and to a degree with soil type changes so you will have some regen in the fall and some may look like other varieties of clover

 

[Popcorn]

For those who don't know balansa!
This field was humming! There were more honey bees out there than imaginable!!

 

[megalomaniac]

Gotcha, ty... so in other words no benefit to chopping off the flowers after they have gone to seed vs leaving it alone till fall.

The 8ac field (which was reclaimed with a forestry mulcher and had numerous 4 to 8in diameter trees 4y ago) has started to develop some holes in it as the roots rot out. My plan was to completely bog it this late summer (the ground has never been even disked since I reclaimed it) to smooth out the field, then just broadcast and cultipack fall blend, then go back to drilling without breaking ground in future years.

 

[Popcorn]

Gotcha, ty... so in other words no benefit to chopping off the flowers after they have gone to seed vs leaving it alone till fall.

The 8ac field (which was reclaimed with a forestry mulcher and had numerous 4 to 8in diameter trees 4y ago) has started to develop some holes in it as the roots rot out. My plan was to completely bog it this late summer (the ground has never been even disked since I reclaimed it) to smooth out the field, then just broadcast and cultipack fall blend, then go back to drilling without breaking ground in future years.

Sounds like a good plan.
A bog will bury some of your seed too deep so expect some stripping of the clover next spring.
If set to a deep cut to fill in low spots it will also roll up some roots so plan a day or 2 picking up. A light disking after the fact will make next year's planting much smoother.
Be sure to check your Ph as decay of forest material lowers ph causing an acidic problem

 

[megalomaniac]

Sounds like a good plan.
A bog will bury some of your seed too deep so expect some stripping of the clover next spring.
If set to a deep cut to fill in low spots it will also roll up some roots so plan a day or 2 picking up. A light disking after the fact will make next year's planting much smoother.
Be sure to check your Ph as decay of forest material lowers ph causing an acidic problem

Gosh, I hope I don't have to deal with a ton of old roots coming up to the surface... which is why I waited 4y to bog. We have a rake, so I guess it won't be too much of a problem if they do.

My biggest worry is bringing up buried weed seeds. I've pretty much eliminated all weed competition in this spot, but it's a big enough field to get aggravating hitting all the little potholes that have developed since I reclaimed it; so bogging it, followed by disking, then seeding and cultipacking should really smooth things out. I always add 3-5lbs Balansa clover per ac to my fall blend, so I should be ok even if I bury this year's seed.

The plot got 15T ag lime 2y ago; pH was perfect last year. Didn't pull soil samples this year. Will prob check those again next spring.