Trifolium pratense## HOW TO GROW RED CLOVER SOWINGDirect sow Medium red clover February 1 to June 1. It is a biennial or short lived perennial. Wisconsin researchers who have worked for several years to optimize returns from red clover/oats inter-seedings say planting oats at 3 to 4 bushels per acre gives good stands of clover without sacrificing grain yield. Red clover can be inter-cropped in corn by broadcasting clover when corn is 12" tall and six weeks since pre-emergence herbicide application. Red clover can be easily inter-seeded or frost seeded into small grain crops as well. Emergence occurs in just 7 days which is faster than most other legumes but the seedling growth is still slow. ADAPTATIONMost widely adapted of the true clovers. This short lived perennial is grown in Canada and most of the U.S. except the Great Plains states and the southwest. Fertile, well drained loams, silt loams, even fairly heavy textured soils are preferred to light or gravelly soils. Will grow in merately acid soil (pH 5.0-6.0) than other clovers if lime is applied at seeding time, yields are maximized when pH is 6.0 or higher. Mammoth performs poorly in hot weather unless seeded into a crop canopy. It should be seeded with 1.5-2 bushels per acre of oats to "nurse" the clover. MANAGEMENTMedium red grows back quickly, and can be cut once late in the seeding year and twice the following year. Mammoth red clover is cut once a year. Rotational rather than continuous grazing will help prolong the life of the stand. Fits well into 3 or 4 year rotations. Grass should be included in clover mixtures for grazing to reduce chances of bloat. Mow or allow grazing of red clover 4 to 6 weeks before frost in its first year to prepare it for over wintering. Remove clippings for green manure or forage to prevent plant disease. Red clover reaches its prime feeding value at five to 15 days after first bloom. Incorporate fully after the second growth season, for best results, till under when in the flowering stage. ROTATIONRotation niches for Medium red clover are usually between two non-leguminous crops seeding with oats or frost seeding into wheat or barley are common options. This grain/red clover combination often follows corn, but also can follow rice, sugar beets, tobacco or potatoes in two-year rotations. For three-year rotations including two full years of red clover, the clover can be incorporated or surface-applied for green manure, cut for mulch or harvested for hay. Red clover in a corn>soybean>wheat/red clover rotation in a reduced-input system out performed continuous corn in a four-year Wisconsin study. Ohio farmer Rich Bennett frost-seeds red clover (10-12 lbs per acre) into wheat in February. He gets a decent stand of clover that keeps weeds down in summer after wheat harvest. The clover over winters and continues to grow in spring. He waits as long as possible, and then kills the clover with a disc and roll (two passes) in late April and plants corn. He doesn’t add any fertilizer nitrogen and the corn averages 165 bushels per acre on his Ottokee fine sandy soil. SHIPPING COST25-lb., 50-lb. and larger sizes ship via ground transportation. Select the appropriate Bulk Shipping option at checkout. We may email you additional shipping costs separately based on your total order weight, zone and palleting costs. LEARN MORESARE and Managing Cover Crops Profitably, 3rd Edition. Soil pH 5.6-7.8. Hardiness zones 4. Perennial.Days from maturity calculated from the date of seeding. Average 290,000–310,000 seeds per pound. Sow Medium red clover average of 8–12 lbs per acre. Sow Mammoth red clover average of 6 to 10 lbs per acre. Sow both 1/2 lb per 1000 square feet. Organic systems should plant 1/3 to 1/2 heavier to allow for some weed pressures. Usual seed life: 4–5 years.Planting Depth 1/4–1/2"Soil Temp. Germ. 41–68˚FDays to Germ. 7Plant Spacing 6–9.5”Row Spacing 6–10”Days To Maturity 60–70Full Sun, Moist Well Drained Medium Seed Count .25 Pound ≈ 75,600 seeds## Medium red clover is a low-growing, multi-cut clover, productive biennial or short perennial. Fast to establish, tolerates most soil types, and is suitable for hay or silage. Often used as a cover crop between rows of vegetable crops if mowed to maintain manageability. Attracts bumblebees and other pollinators. Fixes 70–150 lb. of nitrogen per acre. Mixes well with grass, used for hay, pasture and soil improvement. An early flowering type, it can produce two or three hay crops per year. Red clover is used extensively in pasture mixtures and or renovating old pastures. It's deep taproot can extend up to 3’ deep and finer rooting structure in the top 5" can aid in breaking up compacted soils. Two distinct types of red clover have evolved from the same species. Be sure you plant a multi-cut cultivar if you plan to make more than one green manure cutting, or to maintain the stand to prepare for a late-summer vegetable planting. Under ideal conditions, medium red clover can be cut three or even four times, mammoth only once. Red clover is a medicinal plant that is antispasmodic, an expectorant, a sedative, anti-inflammatory and antidermatosis agent. It is promoted as a treatment for a variety of human maladies, including coughs, disorders of the lymphatic system and a variety of cancers. Also known as red clover, multi-cut, double-cut, early booming and June clover. Tags: Specialty: Cover Crop, Season: Summer, Certification: Organic.Native to Europe, Western Asia and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions.
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