Furflyin, great point about the seed staying off the ground and not germinating (until fall, when you'd really want it to germinate and have better survival rates) but what % of the seeds would rest (stay) in their open seed-producing pods if they're not disturbed? I kinda think most would fall to the ground anyway. And, of those "reseeding" seeds, what % of the seeds would germinate and when? Then, what % would survive if they germinated in the late spring or early summer? In a thick stand of clover and soil surface shaded from sun, the moisture on the surface of the soil would be somewhat stable with decent rainfall as the temp of the surface soil would be lower.

Deep sigh... so many variable.

I will probably wait until the clover seeds-out and then mow and fert with 0-20-20. Then, a day or two after a rain, I'll spray with an applicable herbicide using a four-wheeler for less footprint.

I'm going to Pennington's website to see what or if it says anything about mowing.

Below is from Pennington Seed website. Written by Kent Kammermeyer, Senior Wildlife Biologist.

Kent says to mow but he doesn't go into why mowing is beneficial. Again, I would suppose it would be to stimulate new growth and to address competition, but I'm not certain.

If I did mow in the summer, which I am wondering just how well my clover will look in late July, I would not mow it low and I would mow it when I knew it was going to rain the next few days. IMO.

***************************** Here's the article says:

Management/Varieties

Management of ladino clover is dependent on grass management and weed control. Ladino planted with perennial grasses should be mowed frequently (2 or 3 times per summer) with the final mowing in late August. Fertilizer should be applied once per year in September with 300 lbs/acre of 0-20-30. The same management technique is used for ladino planted with annual grasses but fewer mowings maybe needed, depending on weed competition. If everything goes well, the second year stand should be a mixed stand of ladino and red clover with the third year being pure ladino. If wild grasses (crabgrass, johnsongrass, bermudagrass, bahiagrass, foxtail, fescue or ryegrass) become a problem competing with clover, Poast grass-selective herbicide (mixed with crop oil) can be sprayed when grasses are 6-8 inches tall to remove grasses without damaging the clover stand. Apply when grasses are vigorously growing. Cultivars in the U.S. which are in widespread use include California Ladino, Osceola, Regal, Tillman, Advantage, Will, Tripoli, Alice and Patriot (a Pennington hybrid). I have used all of the above varieties in north Georgia and all produce well and are utilized heavily by deer. Both Osceola and Patriot are noted for their persistence. New ladino clover blends include Rackmaster Supreme Clover/Rye Blend, Rackmaster Ultimate Perennial Mixture, Rackmaster Refuge Mixture, and Rackmaster Clover Blend. New cultivars and hybrids of ladino and medium leaf white clovers, which are even more persistent, should be available in a few years.

Dont worry about mowing the clover, all the winter grass you planted for the deer will seed out and die around the end of May, but it might take a while longer because of all the late cool weather,bushog in Aug,when you disc your fields in Sept it will take to growing again

I also read this on the QDMA forum while researching my question:

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MOWING WHITE CLOVER FOOD PLOTS
By: Kent Kammermeyer

There is not a simple answer to the question of when and how much to mow established clover stands. If the stand is less than one year old and is mixed with small grains (oats, wheat, or rye) then wait until after the grains mature and go to seed. If weeds are low or non-existent, a single mowing in August will suffice. Otherwise, mow as necessary to reduce weed competition, possibly June and August. Do not mow in droughts or low moisture conditions. Attempt to mow when adequate rainfall is available. Do not mow clover down to two inches or less. Mow 8-12 inch clover down to 4 or 5 inches.

What variety of clover do you have? Ladino clovers which are taller and have larger leaves than other white clovers, do not need frequent mowing unless weeds are a problem. The June and August mowings (in the absence of drought) will suffice for ladino. Intermediate white clovers (not as tall with smaller leaves) such as Durana or Patriot will benefit from frequent spring mowing during high growth conditions to allow light to penetrate to the base of white clover plants, which encourages productivity by increasing stolon (runners) production and “daughter” plants. This is the main method of white clover growth and reproduction. When spring intermediate white clover growth reaches 8-12 inches, mow down to 4 or 5 inches. In summer, under dryer conditions, allow it to bloom (it will do so profusely all summer long) then mow to rejuvenate the stand in late August.

As you can see, when to mow clover is a judgement call based mainly on how much weed competition is involved. An agronomist friend of mine maintained a productive stand of Durana and Patriot clover for 3 years without lime, fertilizer or mowing! I don’t recommend this, but it is a testament to the persistent nature of some of the new intermediate clovers.

One of the best clover reseeding fields I ever had, I didn't mow it at all, but disked it in early fall. It was crimson and white clover mixed, and it came back up in the fresh turned soil like I had broadcast it.

White clovers don't reseed themselves from seeds, they spread from stolons. Crimson clover, spreads from the seeds it produces. The common theme in all those articles were to mow to prevent weeds and grasses from taking over. Mowing broadleaf weeds, keeps them from going to seed, therefore, they can't spread. They will be gone after that year. To me, it makes sense to use herbicides, to kill grasses and weeds. Figure in time, diesel fuel,and compaction problems, and to me its a no brainer. I think a lot of people think the white heads on white clover is how it spreads, and thats not the case. Its your clover mow if you want, i'll leave that food for the deer.

That is the big selling point with Durana, most stolons per square ft. of all white clovers. I do like letting whites flower before cutting in the spring though.