Mowing chicory

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Mowing chicory

Unread postby Elite » Wed Jun 09, 2021 11:08 am

Anyone have experience with chicory and what happens to it if mowed? My chicory in the clover plot is 12-18” tall and at some point I’ll need to mow the clover.


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Re: Mowing chicory

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:22 pm

If you have to mow it then mow it. It won't hurt if you don't mow too short but you should mow the chicory if it bolts. So if you see those flower stems come up chop them off to keep the nutrition & attraction level high. You may have to do it a couple times a year & that's probably all the mowing your clover will need.
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Re: Mowing chicory

Unread postby Elite » Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:38 am

DEERSLAYER wrote:If you have to mow it then mow it. It won't hurt if you don't mow too short but you should mow the chicory if it bolts. So if you see those flower stems come up chop them off to keep the nutrition & attraction level high. You may have to do it a couple times a year & that's probably all the mowing your clover will need.



How short can it be cut without killing it?
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Re: Mowing chicory

Unread postby HuntingParadise » Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:04 am

DEERSLAYER wrote:If you have to mow it then mow it. It won't hurt if you don't mow too short but you should mow the chicory if it bolts. So if you see those flower stems come up chop them off to keep the nutrition & attraction level high. You may have to do it a couple times a year & that's probably all the mowing your clover will need.


All Ive read is what DEERSLAYER says here. Mow it you start seeing stems that flower. Last year our chicory was not looking good, mowed it and it came back strong and kind of saved the plot.
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Re: Mowing chicory

Unread postby HuntingParadise » Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:07 am

Elite wrote:
DEERSLAYER wrote:If you have to mow it then mow it. It won't hurt if you don't mow too short but you should mow the chicory if it bolts. So if you see those flower stems come up chop them off to keep the nutrition & attraction level high. You may have to do it a couple times a year & that's probably all the mowing your clover will need.



How short can it be cut without killing it?


And to bounce off of my previous comment, because the plot looked done, we cut it with a mower and seeded Kale and Turnips, but the original chicory and clover came back super strong not allowing the new seed to develop. I wouldnt suggest cutting it low like we did, but it works if its your only option
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Re: Mowing chicory

Unread postby Elite » Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:32 am

HuntingParadise wrote:
Elite wrote:
DEERSLAYER wrote:If you have to mow it then mow it. It won't hurt if you don't mow too short but you should mow the chicory if it bolts. So if you see those flower stems come up chop them off to keep the nutrition & attraction level high. You may have to do it a couple times a year & that's probably all the mowing your clover will need.



How short can it be cut without killing it?


And to bounce off of my previous comment, because the plot looked done, we cut it with a mower and seeded Kale and Turnips, but the original chicory and clover came back super strong not allowing the new seed to develop. I wouldnt suggest cutting it low like we did, but it works if its your only option



Good to know. I will be tilling the summer plot under in august and then planting for the fall, so it’s not a huge deal if the chicory dies. I’ll also add it again in my fall plot because the deer hammered it last fall.
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Re: Mowing chicory

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Thu Jun 10, 2021 6:33 am

This time of year I wouldn't mow unless the chicory is bolting. Then just take the tops off to get rid of the flower stems. Unless things aren't looking healthy. Then just try to mow during a cloudy, rainy week. Especially if it will be cooler. Now that it's hot I wouldn't mow clover until August though. If you are just going to till it in anyway then the clover doesn't need any more mowing. Other than when I was first experimenting with test plots back in the early 1980's I never mowed my clover. I let the deer take their time sorting through it & taking care of that. The test plot that ended up being my clover mix for Slayer Seed is 15 years old & still has a lot of clover in it last I knew as of a couple years ago (I don't live out there any more) & that is with NO maintenance since putting it in. I'm sure part of that is from letting it seed out but the deer are in there daily keeping it mowed the proper amount in the heat of summer.

But to answer your question a little more directly, it depends on the condition of your plot but I generally wouldn't mow less than 6" at any time.
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Re: Mowing chicory

Unread postby Elite » Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:02 am

DEERSLAYER wrote:This time of year I wouldn't mow unless the chicory is bolting. Then just take the tops off to get rid of the flower stems. Unless things aren't looking healthy. Then just try to mow during a cloudy, rainy week. Especially if it will be cooler. Now that it's hot I wouldn't mow clover until August though. If you are just going to till it in anyway then the clover doesn't need any more mowing. Other than when I was first experimenting with test plots back in the early 1980's I never mowed my clover. I let the deer take their time sorting through it & taking care of that. The test plot that ended up being my clover mix for Slayer Seed is 15 years old & still has a lot of clover in it last I knew as of a couple years ago (I don't live out there any more) & that is with NO maintenance since putting it in. I'm sure part of that is from letting it seed out but the deer are in there daily keeping it mowed the proper amount in the heat of summer.

But to answer your question a little more directly, it depends on the condition of your plot but I generally wouldn't mow less than 6" at any time.



Here’s a picture for reference. This was taken May 31 and it’s grown since then.
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Re: Mowing chicory

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:30 am

Looks like it turned out to be a nice plot.
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