Red Clover (T. pratense L.)

Most popular clover for hay and grazing

Short-lived perennial

Pubescent leaves, stems, and petioles

Easy to establish

Large seeds and vigorous seedlings, relative to other clovers

Rarely causes bloat

Grows to 3 feet tall

Difficult to dry for hay

Normally grows with grasses

Can be grown in western Oklahoma with Old World Bluestem or   bermudagrass

Cannot survive long severe droughts

Stands can survive with a combination of perennating and seed produced

6 to 8 lbs./acre is normally used to start a new stand.

2 to 3 lbs./acre is normally adequate to thicken stands

Grows well in pH range 5.8 to 7.8

Almost as productive as alfalfa and does not cause bloat in pastures with grass

Attracts fewer insect pests than alfalfa

Stand persistence and high forage production is encouraged by --

Cool to warm summer temperatures.

Adequate moisture throughout the growing season.

Rotational stocking.

Reseeding every 2 to 4 years.

Harvesting for hay or beginning grazing after flowering begins.

Red clover is an important forage legume for eastern Oklahoma, and is generally grown with grasses or small grains for pastures. Red clover makes abundant growth from spring through late summer, and produces high-quality forage for stocker and cow-calf operations. It is used as a short-lived perennial (2-3 years) in Oklahoma where alfalfa is not adapted because of shallow or acid soils.

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1. Description: Red clover plants are leafy and grow erect up to 3 feet tall. The leaves are marked with a white "V". Red clover leaves, stems, and petioles are covered with thick hairs, and its pinkish-violet flower are produced in dense clusters. Red clover exhibits greater seedling vigor than many other small-seeded forage legumes, making it somewhat easier to establish.

2. Origin and History: Red clover originated in southeast Europe and is an important forage in much of the world where precipitation is well-distributed throughout the year. It has been used in the USA since its introduction during the 17^th century -- much earlier than most other clovers and alfalfa.

3. Establishment: Red clover can be grown as a pure hay stand or as a pasture component. It grows well on a wide variety of soils (from sands to clay loams) and can be successfully established by broadcasting or drilling. Red clover should be sown in late September to early October or during February and March. As little as 3-6 lbs./acre of seed can be broadcast on an existing sod, but it is more reliable to drill 10-12 lbs./acre with a planter that places seed in contact with soil at a depth of 1/4-1/2 inch.

Seeds germinate quickly in moist soil. Seed-soil contact is important; therefore, dense thatch should be removed by heavy grazing or haying. Disking before sowing provides a better seedbed and reduces grass competition during germination and emergence. For pure stands sown in prepared seedbeds, field preparation is similar to that of alfalfa (see Alfalfa Stand Establishment, OSU Facts No. 2089). In spite of its seedling vigor, red clover does not tolerate drought as well as alfalfa.

Soils should be sampled and tested to determine the pH as well as the level of phosphorus and potassium. Soil fertility and pH are critical for successful red clover establishment. It can be productive if the soil pH is 6-6.5, and agricultural lime should be applied several months before planting if soil pH is lower than 5.8. Proper fertilizer should be applied if phosphorus or potassium is deficient.

Nitrogen levels as low as 15 lbs./acre are adequate for rapid seedling development. High levels of nitrogen (more than 30 lbs./acre) may stimulate grass growth and increase competition with clover seedlings.

Grazing should be deferred after sowing to allow good seedling development and to avoid trampling by animals. Short term grazing can be started after the clover is 6 to 8 inches tall. If animals are left on red clover for several weeks, they will graze and regraze plants, inhibiting development of vigorous plants.

4. Yield Potential: Red clover can produce yields of high-quality forage, comparable to alfalfa, in favorable environments. Hay yields of 5 ton/acre are common, and 6-8 ton/acre are possible when summer rainfall is well-distributed. Red clover does not normally have deep root systems typical of alfalfa, and it should be grown where frequent rainfall events are normal. About 5 to 7 inches of water is required for well-managed stands to produce one ton of dry. This amount of water must be in the root zone.

In pure clover stands, protein can be in excess of 20%; however, it is more realistic to expect 11-15% protein-hay in mixed stands of red clover and bermudagrass or fescue without nitrogen fertilizer. Stocker gains of 2 lbs./day for 90 days is a reasonable expectation from well-managed grass/red clover pastures.

5. Management: Successful red clover production depends on maintaining adequate levels of phosphorus and potassium with a soil pH of 6-6.5. When these fertilizer elements are low or the soils are excessively acid, clover stands are unproductive and unreliable.

Infertile soils can be built up economically to acceptable levels during 3-5 years with annual surface applications of lime, phosphorus, and potassium. It is more efficient; however, from the stand point of building up the soil's production capacity, to apply and incorporate lime and phosphorus well before sowing.

6. Irrigation: Red clover can benefit from irrigation even in eastern Oklahoma when mid-summer droughts decrease production and stand life. Irrigation can reduce some of the boom and bust cycles, typical of many clovers and can reduce the necessity of reseeding on short intervals.

7. Renovation: Few herbicides are needed in well-managed red clover pastures. Good soil fertility, along with competitive legume and grass species, grazed or hayed in a timely fashion, reduce the need for special weed control practices. Once established and productive, red clover pastures seldom need special renovation practices other than sowing 2-3 lbs. of seed/acre every 2 to 4 years as the stands thin. Deferring grazing to allow seed production and the removal of thick thatch by grazing and/or haying in September are also normally helpful in maintaining stands.

8. Harvesting: Grazing red clover pastures between seedling emergence and early December can be detrimental to the clover. While there is no ideal harvesting height, light grazing should begin when plants are 6-12 inches tall. Red clover maintains its high forage nutritive value until about 40-50% of the stems bloom and can be harvested for hay or grazed at that time.

Red clover should not be cut or grazed shorter than 3 or 4 inches. Continuous stocking of red clover can be profitable, but requires frequent adjustments in number of animals per acre. With rotational stocking, it is generally easier to maintain long stand life, high forage nutritive value, and produce seed necessary for reseeding.

Ideally, red clover should be grazed for 5-7 days early in the growing season (late March or April for fall-sown stands and June for spring-sown stands), followed by 3-5 weeks of regrowth. Later in the season grazing periods can be extended to 2 weeks with enough animals to remove all but 3 to 4 inches of growth.

When seed production is desired, animals should be removed for 5-6 weeks. Too few flowers develop for good seed production with heavy continuous grazing. Pastures can be cut or grazed after seed set, shattering much of the seed onto the soil.

9. Varieties: Many red clover varieties exist, from both public and private breeding programs; however, the choice of variety is seldom the most important management decision in Oklahoma. Producers should use two or three different varieties to decrease the risk associated with single varieties.

10. Nutritive value: Red clover ranks high among forages, and its high nutritive value is maintained even after the initiation of flowering. Forage nutritive value of red clover/grass mixtures are seldom surpassed for a wide array of livestock.

Pure red clover is, however, difficult to dry quickly for hay production. It is very leafy and does not allow air circulation through windrows as alfalfa does. Mowing flat followed by tedding helps cure red clover hay.

John Caddel, Forage Agronomist, 
Professor of Plant & Soil Sciences

john.caddel@okstate.edu