White vs Red clover

coolbrze0

Active Member
After a few weeks of 90+ degrees & no rain, my white clover is starting to look a little stressed. There must have been some red clover mixed in here & there b/c I've got onesies & twosies that are growing & seem to be doing better than my White clover. Does Red clover handle droughts & heat better than white? I assume I can mix the 2 w/o any issues? If so, what types of MRC do you recommend?
 
I planted 3 or 4 white clovers with 2 reds.... and alfalfa and chicory in my plots last yr. One is always doing good no matter what the conditions are. Right now it's chicory as the heat and dry weather has everything else dried down. The chicory is shining though. Before that the clovers were great with the reds handling the heat better than the whites.

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Red really shines in the summer. Yes, you can mix red and white, but the red gets a lot taller than whites and can shade it out if you get the red too thick.

BTW - medium red clover is an awesome deer food, and IMHO a mix of red, white and chicory rivals any plot you can plant.

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Red really shines in the summer. Yes, you can mix red and white, but the red gets a lot taller than whites and can shade it out if you get the red too thick.

BTW - medium red clover is an awesome deer food, and IMHO a mix of red, white and chicory rivals any plot you can plant.

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That looks great! I am thinking about planting some this fall with some cereal grains.
 
Dig up each. RC much deeper rooted than WC thus the drought resistance. Go spread that brassica while the WC is asleep if you can catch a rain coming in. By Sept WC will come on strong and brassica will have its jump.
WC spreads more by stolons whereas RC more seed oriented slightly. Both are cool season plants mostly so summer they can take a beating.


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Red really shines in the summer. Yes, you can mix red and white, but the red gets a lot taller than whites and can shade it out if you get the red too thick.

BTW - medium red clover is an awesome deer food, and IMHO a mix of red, white and chicory rivals any plot you can plant.

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This is what I try to do. For several years, I planted red in some plots and white in others. Even though the red had greater tonnage, I noticed in winter months the deer would periodically dig deep in the snow For the white and not for the red. I concluded there must be some specific minerals they need to justify working harder for it.

I really like how fast medium red germinates and provides forage. Hence I usually, plant a mixture of red and white (with chicory of course). If I’m out of one, I’ll plant the other and then frost seed late winter With the other to ensure a thick mix.
 
This is what I try to do. For several years, I planted red in some plots and white in others. Even though the red had greater tonnage, I noticed in winter months the deer would periodically dig deep in the snow For the white and not for the red. I concluded there must be some specific minerals they need to justify working harder for it.

I really like how fast medium red germinates and provides forage. Hence I usually, plant a mixture of red and white (with chicory of course). If I’m out of one, I’ll plant the other and then frost seed late winter With the other to ensure a thick mix.

That's a great way to do it.
 
After a few weeks of 90+ degrees & no rain, my white clover is starting to look a lot stressed. It's been a tough summer around here for white clover. This is the reason not to have only one thing planted. If mixing MRC with WC I'd go lighter on the red or, likes already been said, it'll take over and then also fade in several years.
 
The renter is replanting our 5 acre field this month. I gave him 50 lbs of clover to go with the WW he'll provide. I'm also putting down 25 lbs of big buck brassica blend from Welter. I made my own mix from Welter. 20 lbs Alice White. 15 lbs Jumbo II Ladino. 15 lbs Marathon Red. (improved medium red variety).

I did a similar mix back in 2014 the last time we replanted. That had some Kopu II white in addition to the 3 listed.
 
I have several clover fields that look really good and one that I even water.I just don't see alot of deer spending time in them.They walk through to eat beans and wheat.They are fairly easy to maintain but I may still plant at least the one that I can water back to alfalfa.Do you really see alot of use?
 
I think that our deer prefer the white clover - but the red definitely does better once its going. I like to use it for 2 years prior to corn. I usually start it with Rye - in the fall. The deer seem to like both well enough - but when the snow comes - they will dig up the white and not the red.
 
I’ve been content with medium red available at the local feed store. I’m unwilling to pay shipping for things like red clover.
 
When mixing clovers and rye, how much are you guys planting?
I was thinking something like this per/acre
100# Elbon Rye
2# white clover
5# Med Red

Any adjustments you guys would make?


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When mixing clovers and rye, how much are you guys planting?
I was thinking something like this per/acre
100# Elbon Rye
2# white clover
5# Med Red

Any adjustments you guys would make?


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I tend to go lighter w grains any more. Usually use 50# of rye or wheat or mix. And if doing T&M best to up seed rate on clovers. I’m usually 2-4 WC and 8 RC for a new plot. Overseeding existing plot lower amounts fine.


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We use 10 lbs/acre of clover when we replant our 5 acre field every 5-6 years. Mix of red/white. 15-20 lbs of red, the rest white.
 
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