Traditionally, red clover is cut twice a year when it is at 50% bloom or greater. With this harvest system farmers end up cutting too late to obtain maximum forage quality. More recently, farmers have been cutting red clover three times during the summer to get a higher quality forage.
When should you harvest red clover?
Seed harvest is best taken from the second growth of red clover in the year following the year of seeding. Highest seed yields usually are obtained from red clover when the first growth is used for hay. Hay should be harvested no later than 15 days after the earliest heads appear; this is normally early full bloom.
How do you cut red clover?
Red clover should be killed at about mid-bloom of its second season. It can be terminated mechanically by being chopped or mowed any time after blooming starts.
What part of red clover do you harvest?
Harvest red clover by plucking off the flower head and top leaves. If you’re planning on drying the clover, harvest in the early morning when there’s still some dew on the flowers, and be careful not to bruise the flowers. This will help keep the color after the blossoms dry.
How long does red clover last?
two-to-four years
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a short-lived perennial herbage legume that typically persists for two-to-four years. In contrast to white clover, it has an upright growth form and a strong deep tap root from which finer roots arise.
Does clover regrow after cutting?
It does not regrow well after cutting for hay. Well-established balansa pastures that are cut for hay should still recover the following year from hard seed reserves set in previous years.
Does red clover come back every year?
Red clover is a short-lived perennial that grows quickly and drops its seed, allowing it to come back every year.
Can you mow red clover?
If you have medium red clover, you can safely mow three to four times per growing season, typically every 35-40 days. If you have mammoth red clover, you can only cut it once per season. To prevent plant damage, make sure you are cutting on the highest mower setting.
How tall does red clover get?
18 to 36 inches
In addition, it has a longer growing season than any other clover grown in the United States. plant. Stems develop from the crown and range in height from 18 to 36 inches at maturity. Stems on most varieties grown in the U.S. are densely pubescent (hairy).
Does red clover make good hay?
General Information. Red Clover is valuable for hay, pasture and soil improvement, and fits well into established crop rotations. Red Clover is often seeded with other legumes and grasses for hay and pasture, but can be used for hay and seed production.
Can you eat the leaves of red clover?
Culinary use and recipes with Red Clover
Both leaves and flowers are edible. The blossoms have a gentle and sweet taste with a hint of bean flavour when eaten raw. Break up the flower heads and sprinkle the blossoms into salads. They are also a good addition in baking and look beautiful as a garnish.
What animal eats red clover?
The red clover is a favorite food plant for many other animals, though, game birds and fur-bearing animals being the most frequent visitors. Quail, grouse, wild turkey, partridge, marmot, and woodchuck (especially when alfalfa is in short supply), prefer leaves, seeds, and sometimes the whole plant.
Can you freeze red clover?
Freezing and thawing cycles will help improve seed-to-soil contact of red clover. Use 10 to 15 pounds per acre of red clover seed when broadcast seeding. Another possible establishment method of red clover is to seed it together with oats in March or April.
Does red clover need to be mowed?
In middle to late August, mow the red clover.
Mowing will stimulate regrowth at the crowns. It will also remove weeds that have grown after harvest. Cutting the red clover for weed management should be timed when the weeds have not produced viable seeds.
How high should I mow clover?
Mow when you start seeing flowers on the clover plants or when the plants reach a height of 18 inches. Mow the plants back to a height of about 8-10 inches.
Will red clover reseed itself?
Red clover will reseed itself. Red clover is considered a biennial or short-lived perennial that can be considered a perennial plant due to its ability to reseed itself under the proper circumstances. As a result, there can be a constantly thriving population of these plants despite their relatively short lifespan.
Will clover take over grass?
Clover can take over areas of your lawn where grass is thinning or has turned brown. The fix: Regularly aerating your lawn loosens your soil and gives grass roots room to breathe and nutrients to thrive. With grass growing strong, there won’t be bare spots for clover to infiltrate.
Does clover improve soil?
Clovers can protect soil from wind and water erosion. When used as a cover crop or green manure, decomposing clover adds large amounts of organic matter to the soil. Clover also adds nutrients to your soil, and reduces your need for fertilizers.
Will clover survive winter?
Clovers are winter hardy to -35 degrees F. They are less tolerant in the heat of the south, where they tend to be grown as a winter annual. “In the south it thrives in winter and spring but sometimes can’t take the heat in summertime, so it should be planted into existing turf,” Watkins says.
Should I deadhead red clover?
It is great for attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and bees, and it’s a good cut flower. You should deadhead it unless you want some seedlings.
How deep do red clover roots go?
It also has a very fibrous root mass. “We’ve found roots down to 34 inches, even when only 2 inches of top growth was present.” Clover’s roots add organic matter and nitrogen to the soil, improving the soil’s ability to absorb and hold moisture.