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Primary Uses: |
Forage |
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Planting: |
Frost-seeding into an established winter
annual (wheat, barley, rye or spelt) is the most common method.
Clover seedlings are resistant to frost, so the seed can be
broadcast as early as soil conditions permit. Seed can be applied to
snow cover if the snow is not deep and the soil is firm and level. |
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Seeding Rate: |
Broadcast 10-12 pounds of seed (Michigan
mammoth or June) per acre before the ground thaws. |
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Fertility: |
Red clover is better adapted than
alfalfa to soils that are somewhat poorly drained and slight acidic;
however, greatest production occurs on well-drained soils with high
water-holding capacity and pH above 6.0. |
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Insects: |
In April 2000 varieties established
well, but dry spells limited growth at times, resulting in only two
harvests this seedling year. Potato leafhoppers were very high on
the four lowest yielding varieties. Those varieties were not nearly
as pubescent as the other varieties in the test, which may explain
the potato leafhopper preference for them. |
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Diseases: |
Most of the improved varieties are
medium types and have good levels of disease resistance to northern
and southern anthracnose and powdery mildew. These and other
diseases can reduce stands quickly. |
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Harvest: |
When well managed and properly
fertilized, newer varieties of red clover can potentially yield 4 to
5 tons of good quality forage. It is important to harvest red
clover before full-bloom stage during the establishment year. Red
clover allowed to reach full-bloom stage often has reduced stands
and yields the following year. Apparently, crown tillers that
develop into floral stems during the first summer deplete energy
reserves and reduce the ability of the plants to survive the winter. |
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Comments: |
Although classified as a perennial
legume, it acts like a biennial and typically succumbs to disease
pressure in its second growing year. Occasionally,
a fungus that produces a toxin called the "slobber factor"
grows on late cut red clover. This toxin when consumed by cattle
causes a profuse flow of saliva followed by a refusal to eat the
affected forage (either hay or silage). There is no practical method
of removing the toxin. The best protection is obtained by early
harvesting. |
