Get Medium Red Clover for $3.19 per Pound 

Medium Red Clover is a legume widely grown throughout the United States as a hay or forage crop. Red clover performs better than alfalfa in areas with low soil pH, fertility, and poor drainage. It is a short-lived perennial that persists for three to four years and can be used in haying or grazing systems. Red clover is primarily used for hay, silage, and soil improvement. It is a quick-growing crop, easily established, and produces high-quality forage. Its tolerance of shade allows red clover to be used effectively as a cover crop under silage corn.

• Planting Depth: 0.25″ to 0.50″ 

• Planting Rates: 12 to 15 Pounds per Acre Broadcast, 6 to 8 Pounds per Acre When Drilled 

• Planting Dates: February to May, August to September 

Product ships in a 50-pound bag.

Establishment

Red clover can be sown by itself or in mixtures with small grains, alfalfa, and/or cool-season grasses. It may be overseeded in the spring or fall and can be established by frost seeding. Red clover requires a soil pH of 6.0 or higher. It is responsive to phosphorus and potassium. Planting should take place on a firm, weed-free seedbed.

Adaptation

Red clover grows best on well-drained loamy soils but will also grow on soil that is not as well-drained. Medium and fine-textured soils are preferred over sandy or gravelly soils. It is best adapted to a pH of 6.0 or higher.

Management

Red clover stands that are at least one year old should be cut three to four times in a season. Growth should be removed after the first “freeze-down” to prevent it from killing the stand over winter. Due to a higher influence of weather than alfalfa, red clover tends to produce best in its second year and tapers off in subsequent years.

If summer rainfall is adequate, the clover may be cut every 35 to 40 days. If harvested in drought conditions, stands will tend to thin over time. If used for grazing, leave 3” to 4” of stubble in between grazing periods. Clover should be cut or grazed when the plant is nearing 0.5 bloom. Second or successive grazings should take place when the plant is at 0.25 bloom. Care should be taken to eliminate or appreciably reduce the bloating of livestock when grazing.

Description

Trifolium pratense L., red clover, is an introduced biennial or short-lived perennial that grows as one of two types: medium (double-cut) or mammoth (single-cut). Red clover plants grow from crowns and have hollow, hairy stems and branches. Stem lengths of medium and mammoth types average 18” and 24” to 30”, respectively. Medium types have about four branches per stem, while mammoth types have six. Each leaf consists of a slender stalk bearing three leaflets.

The taproot of red clover is extensively branched. Flowers are borne in compact clusters or heads and are usually rose-pink in color. Seed pods are small, short, and contain kidney-shaped seeds that vary in color from yellow to deep violet. There are approximately 272,000 seeds per pound. Mammoth red clover matures later than medium types; only one crop of mammoth red clover is harvested each season since recovery is slow.