Broadcasting crimson clover?

[Catscratch]

First try with crimson. Best time of yr? I've read it's not great with frost seeding. Experiences and methods?

 

[FarmerDan]

Willing to reconsider that thought? If you must plant it operate with low expectations. Then you won't be disappointed. First, its a hard (coat) seed. To get it absorbing enough moisture to kickstart germination is a challenge. Buy certified tested seed. If the tagged germination percentage is over 75% subtract 20 points. If there's hard seed listed double or triple it. And don't buy seed more than a year from its production. Drill it no more and no less than a quarter inch deep six to eight weeks before the first fall frost. Then, hope for rain, barrels of rain. Where I operate six-to-eight weeks before the first fall frost is just about the driest time of our year. Oh - whatever rate per acre you choose - double it. If all of it germinates (unlikely) you have a problem. If none of it grows you're out the money 2X. The hope is all will be right. And absolutely do not frost seed it.

 

[SD51555]

I bet I’ve thrown that in mixes at least 3 different years, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen a bloom to verify any of it took.


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[Buckly]

I’m in the North. I echo planting twice the rate seems to work out good. I plant in the fall. right around last week of August as we can get frost here mid to late October. Water is never an issue in these parts. It doesn’t get too high and the deer hit it hard then it really shines the next spring right through May.

 

[Catscratch]

Will shit guys, that wasn't the reports I was hoping for. I might try to take it back for a refund. I went in looking for med red, came out with crimson.

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[Mortenson]

I've never tried crimson yet, but found the responses interesting. I did grab a 50 lb bag of medium red today. Looks like a good frost seeding forecast coming up. Love the pics guys share of their crimson fields.

 

[Buckly]

The only reason I plant Crimson is how it looks in the following spring. LOL. It sure is good for bees. on a nice sunny day it’s like walking through a carpet of bees . I’ve had good luck with medium red also.

 

[yoderjac]

First try with crimson. Best time of yr? I've read it's not great with frost seeding. Experiences and methods?

Technically, frost seeding uses the freezing and thawing cycle that forms cracks in the soil and sort of draws seed into it. Crimson seed is a little large for this. That said, as long as you get good seed soil contact, you will get germination. I find simply broadcasting it and running a cultipacker over it to press it in works great. Crimson is a great clover. Deer use it, it is beautiful, turkey bug in it, and, in my area, it acts as a reseeding annual.

 

[BenAllgood]

I haven't tried a spring planting, but I've had great success in the fall. It's always been a sure thing, first to green up next spring, produce lots of biomass planting for me.

 

[Wild Thing]

I have never just broadcasted Crimson but I have had good results with it when I mix it into my brassica blends and cover crop blends. Either way I mix it at a rate of 2#/acre and drill it. I also include 2#/acre Medium Red clover in the same blends. I plant the brassicas in early-mid July and the cover crops in August. These photos were taken in May the following year - Zone 4b in Upper Michigan.

 

[Bassattackr]

Never planted in the spring, only have had success broadcasting in a fall mix. Seems to take a LOT as Dan mentioned. Grows well into spring, beautiful result when it blooms as others have indicated.

Supposedly you can frost seed Kentucky Pride Crimson due to its cold tolerance, but I’ve never tried this..

 

[TreeDaddy]

Oats/arrowleaf clover/ crimson are my fall TnM staple in east texas

bill

 

[Derek Reese 29]

I have seeded crimson at a minimum of 2x the rate but waited till a bit later in the spring (thinking mid April here in Northern PA) to broadcast. Had a great stand but it faded pretty quick once it got cold the following fall and didn’t reseed well.

 

[FarmerDan]

I have seeded crimson at a minimum of 2x the rate but waited till a bit later in the spring (thinking mid April here in Northern PA) to broadcast. Had a great stand but it faded pretty quick once it got cold the following fall and didn’t reseed well.

Derek, just want to bounce off your comment about crimson not seeding well - a great observation!

This also takes us back to the beginning of this whole conversation. And I’m probably offering something we all know - or not.
Seeds with hard coats don’t germinate on our schedule. The seed we buy at the coop has been processed. One step is to scarify or attempt to mechanically break the seed coat to improve germination percentages. What could go wrong with that?

Germination only begins when the seed has absorbed enough moisture. The hard coat is an extremely effective barrier.

Maybe the conclusion is obvious but I’ll go there. Here on the forum we talk about self reseeding clovers. I always wonder if then new plants are from this years seed crop or from some other time.

I read a small study where scarified seed and it’s opposite we’re planted. The germination percentages were 54% and 22%. Those rates are determined in a lab under ideal conditions. Same for the percentages on your seed tag. But we live in the real world usually seeding into harsh conditions.

 

[yoderjac]

I have seeded crimson at a minimum of 2x the rate but waited till a bit later in the spring (thinking mid April here in Northern PA) to broadcast. Had a great stand but it faded pretty quick once it got cold the following fall and didn’t reseed well.

As I understand it, crimson is an annual clover that acts as a reseeding annual in some regions. It reseeds well for me here in zone 7a. I think some of the ability to reseed may be climate and soil dependent. I plant most of my CC as part of a fall mix, but I have planted it in the spring. It seems to do well for me but I plant after our last threat of frost when spring planting.

 

[Catscratch]

Well guys, I appreciate the posts and comments but I'm no longer trying crimson. Went back to the COOP and traded 40lbs of Crimson for 20lbs of Ladino. It appears that it will fit my situation at the moment better.

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[bornagain62511]

We've had great success with crimson clover, both late summer and spring plantings. No problems with poor germination. We just frost seeded some crimson yesterday. I will try to remember to post photos when it's growing later. Crimson clover planted in late July/early August in southwest Wisconsin survives the winter and comes in strong and thick the following spring.

 

[bornagain62511]

 

[bornagain62511]

the photos above are from a few weeks ago. this was turnips and winfred forage rape last year, and the crimson clover was frost seeded in March of this year. Lots of weeds came but with no soil prep, there was lots of crimson that came and blossomed

 

[Foggy47]

I've got a little Crimson Clover in a brassica mix from GCC. I'm in zone 3.....and wonder if this stuff is suited to my climate? Hoping to learn from this. I may add a few lbs of medium red clover when I drill my rye in late August. I already have a pretty fair stand of white and red clover from last fall seeding.

I like the benefits of the Crimson Clover.....but I fear I am too far north to reliably grow it. May need to find a new mix for my land next season.