diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/persist/SaveManyBeans.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/persist/SaveManyBeans.java
index b6e5d8a96..c21b00413 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/persist/SaveManyBeans.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/persist/SaveManyBeans.java
@@ -345,6 +345,10 @@ final class SaveManyBeans extends SaveManyBase {
       if (insertedParent) {
         // after insert set the modify listening mode for private owned etc
         c.setModifyListening(many.modifyListenMode());
+      } else {
+        // a lazily initialized collection (e.g. first save had null value) has no
+        // listen mode yet - set it now so that subsequent modifications are tracked
+        setListenMode(c, many);
       }
       // We must not reset when we still have to update other entities in the collection and set their new orderColumn value
       if (!hasOrderColumn) {
diff --git a/ebean-test/src/test/java/org/tests/cascade/TestOrderedList.java b/ebean-test/src/test/java/org/tests/cascade/TestOrderedList.java
index cdbb39b38..b7d9a3531 100644
--- a/ebean-test/src/test/java/org/tests/cascade/TestOrderedList.java
+++ b/ebean-test/src/test/java/org/tests/cascade/TestOrderedList.java
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 package org.tests.cascade;
 
+import io.ebean.bean.BeanCollection;
 import io.ebean.xtest.BaseTestCase;
 import io.ebean.DB;
 import io.ebean.test.LoggedSql;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.tests.model.basic.Section;
+import org.tests.model.basic.SubSection;
 
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -149,6 +152,44 @@ public class TestOrderedList extends BaseTestCase {
 
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testModifyListenModeSet1() {
+    final OmOrderedMaster master = new OmOrderedMaster("Master");
+    final OmOrderedDetail detail1 = new OmOrderedDetail("Detail1");
+    DB.save(detail1);
+    DB.save(master);
+
+    master.getDetails().add(detail1);
+
+    DB.save(master);
+
+    master.getDetails().clear();
+
+    DB.save(master);
+
+    OmOrderedMaster masterDb = DB.find(OmOrderedMaster.class, master.getId());
+    assertThat(masterDb.getDetails()).isEmpty();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testModifyListenModeSet2() {
+    final Section master = new Section();
+    final SubSection detail1 = new SubSection();
+    DB.save(detail1);
+    DB.save(master);
+
+    master.getSubSections().add(detail1);
+
+    DB.save(master);
+
+    master.getSubSections().clear();
+
+    DB.save(master);
+
+    Section masterDb = DB.find(Section.class, master.getId());
+    assertThat(masterDb.getSubSections()).isEmpty();
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void testModifyListWithCache() {
     final OmCacheOrderedMaster master = new OmCacheOrderedMaster("Master");