Red and white clover.

dogghr

Well-Known Member
Watched a university farming video of pasture management of frost seeding clovers. They said not to mix same year planting red and white clovers but do them separate years as they are too competitive.
I’ve always used the two together and haven’t seen problem but perhaps there is some hindrance.
What think ye?


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Me too. I find that as the white fades the red comes on and gives me another month before I roll it all under and plant something else.
 
I only plant whites. Haven't found a need for anything else, and you can't beat the ease of management with a perennial.
 
I only plant whites. Haven't found a need for anything else, and you can't beat the ease of management with a perennial.
I have planted some red clover but the durana lasts longer through the summer - sometimes all summer long. I don't see a benefit to planting any red with the white. I am moving towards a simpler planting regime to cut down on some of my labor.
 
I plant three or four white varieties mixed in with one red generally. Looking to have at least one in peak preference throughout the season.
 
Does anyone see a preference by deer for different varieties of clover? My deer seemed to eat red and white equally well, it is just that the durana is more likely to provide something in the summer. I think on my place, at least the bucks, prefer durana over soybeans.
 
I plant a mix just because I like the idea of the diversity... I also think it depends on what types and varieties you are planting as well. Many reds (most of the ones I use) are annuals, while most white (at least the ones I use) are perennials. I can see where planting a perennial white with an annual red would be a bad idea as the red/annual could quickly shade out the slower growing white/perennial. I prefer to however plant perennials or annuals and not mix the two...or overseed an annual into an established perennial.
 
Wasn't a matter of one shading the other. They supported both clovers in a pasture for grazing. But they said if planted together they impeded growth of one another. Never was explained, just promoted. In my experience both reds and whites do quite well together and they serve different purposes thruout the year in part their differences in root structure and growth, as well as how each work and contribute to the soils differently . For any that have ran cattle know their pasture is typically a combo including various clovers.
But my question is does anyone have knowledge as why one impedes the other for initial growth when planting if it actually does . If I can find the university video I'll try to repost it.
 
I find just the opposite, that they compliment each other. I'm not sure what they might mean about competing, clover is not allopathic to other clover. Red clover is out of the gate fast and ladino starts better with a little shade. It sounds like they didn't lower the seeding rate accordingly in their test plot. If a planted crop is seeded to the correct rate there is no competition amongst itself, ie. combining two varieties of soybeans in the same seed box.
 
I look at a perennial white clover plot as a long term investment. I try to keep it pure. I throw a lot of cheaper red clover in mixes.
 
Thanks guys, as usual you are the best source of info. I agree, just never saw an issue with the two together. I do find clovers amazing for a plant with such a small root they can be browsed to the dirt this time of year where there seems not anything left, and with greenup they amazingly become a field of green once again. What they don't have in root size, they make up in root surface area.
I do plant both together in pasture field maintenance and until the deer post a sign they are no longer eating it, will continue. Thanks a bunch.
 
I love planting the two together. When the white goes into summer dormancy the red is going strong. Keep doing what your doing!
 
What I've started tinkering with lately, I keep a small amount of a different blend of mostly annuals for seeding before fall. I don't even know if I have my seed rates right as some of them are very low. It's a pound for pound equally distributed blend of:

Crimson
Berseem
Alsike
Medium Red
And one or two more. Can't remember.
 
What I've started tinkering with lately, I keep a small amount of a different blend of mostly annuals for seeding before fall. I don't even know if I have my seed rates right as some of them are very low. It's a pound for pound equally distributed blend of:

Crimson
Berseem
Alsike
Medium Red
And one or two more. Can't remember.
Do you have any pics of this mix growing?
 
Do you have any pics of this mix growing?


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About 3 weeks after I planted this clover, I came back and broadcasted a 3 way blend of forage oats, winter wheat, and rye.
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That's quite a mix, if you take care of it, it should last for many years and fill out the edges.
To be honest, I'm not even sure how to manage it from here. I don't know much about each of these other than crimson and berseem are annuals, and alsike is good for wet ground. From there, I'm not sure what is biennial or perrenial. This blend was a concoction of stuff I wanted to try for same season production, and stuff I did not want to introduce to my plots.

For the edges and margins, it seems to be a good fit so far. The deer scalped it to the dirt last fall.
 
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