Crimson Clover

[yoderjac]

You've got to love it...at least in my area. I've used it as part of a fall mix for years. WR/CC/PTT and/or GHR is the mix I use. One reason I like it is because it comes back in the spring. Deer use my WR a bit in the very early spring, but it get rank and use tapers off. Turnips often bolt in the spring. Deer in my area don't use spring planted turnips and turnips produce so much seed that a spring crop would be stunted due to the number of volunteer plants. So, I mow in the spring after the PTT flowers but before it goes to seed. This also sets back the WR. It sill goes to seed, but is much shorter and more manageable when it comes to my spring plant. Mowing seems to encourage the crimson clover as well. Like WR and Buckwheat, Crimson Clover is a good soil builder.

I noticed something new this year. Many of our summer plots are on a pipeline. Every now and then the pipeline company has to come in and dig up a section to do repairs. They do not save and reapply the top soil, so I end up with poor subsoil in any section they dig after they are done. I just min-till or T&M mixing seed and throwing it into a 3pt broadcast spreader. So, sometimes I get pockets of more of one type of seed than others, this is normal. However, I noticed that I have pockets of Crimson Clover in all the subsoil spots. It looks more like it was the only seed that would grow there.

In recent years I've been using a mix of sunn hemp and buckwheat instead of soybeans for summer. It has worked well for me. Both seeds like warm soils for the best germination and growth. Crimson clover provides deer food and well as keeping the soil covered until I'm ready to plant. I've been working on my spring plant for the last few days. By this time, the crimson has gone to seed. I'm expecting volunteer Crimson to be part of my sunn hemp/buckwheat mix this summer.

Crimson is an annual clover. It acts as a reseeding annual in my area. It is inexpensive, deer use it well, it is a good soil builder, and you can't beat how it looks in the spring. It makes for great bugging cover for hens in the early spring. I always take one field and "rest" it for a year or two. By rest, I mean I take it out of the normal rotation. I don't do my normal spring plant and instead of using Crimson in the fall plant, I use medium red clover which is a short-lived perennial. I leave the field in medium red for a few years and then bring it back into the normal rotation and rest another field. Again, Crimson clover lets me let the previous year's fall plant just grow through the summer. Crimson provides the food along with the WR grain heads. If I time it right, I get a volunteer crop of WR and CC when I add the medium red in the fall.

I realize that Crimson Clover may not be a fit for all regions or situations, but I really find it to be an outstanding deer crop with a lot of flexibility.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Planted it last two year. Sandy soil low ph then we had a drought and what little came up died. Planted again this year early put some lime down and a left over bag of 13-0-0. And we are getting a decent growth. Weather was a bit weird got real hot then a frost. Then cold with rain then hot with rain so I'm sure it isn't sure if it should grow or call or a year. I way over planted it just to try and get something to come up and it was a good call as there is only a small percentage coming up. But I still have 25lbs of it and I might frost seed after the season. I would just like to see those red flowers once

 

[yoderjac]

Planted it last two year. Sandy soil low ph then we had a drought and what little came up died. Planted again this year early put some lime down and a left over bag of 13-0-0. And we are getting a decent growth. Weather was a bit weird got real hot then a frost. Then cold with rain then hot with rain so I'm sure it isn't sure if it should grow or call or a year. I way over planted it just to try and get something to come up and it was a good call as there is only a small percentage coming up. But I still have 25lbs of it and I might frost seed after the season. I would just like to see those red flowers once

What rate did you plant?

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Just a guess but 5 or 6lbs on maybe 1/8 of an acre

 

[yoderjac]

Just a guess but 5 or 6lbs on maybe 1/8 of an acre

Alone or part of a mix?

 

[yoderjac]

Oh yes, by the way, Crimson Clover does not frost seed well.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Alone or part of a mix?

just alone. a buddy that hunts on my place brought me a 50# bag of it

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Oh yes, by the way, Crimson Clover does not frost seed well.

if that is the case i will prob do the same thing i did this year and plant early spring. a bunch of the rye we planted last year came up this year so it will need killed and ill put in new the fall with some raddish i think.

 

[Bassattackr]

Great post Jack.

Last fall (Sept 1 weekend), I planted RWW Deadly dozen (12 plant mixture of brassicas, cereal grains and crimson clover) on a small 1/4 acre plot. We had an initial (very light) rain and then a serious drought and extremely warm temperatures last fall here in MO. The plot was essentially a nice sized patch of dirt and didn't amount to much at all. I saw a handful of very tiny brassicas and not much cereal grain germination (surprisingly).

Fast forward to this spring and I had an incredible flush of crimson clover - complete with blooms when I showed back up in early May. If that's not a testament to how hardy this plant is, I don't know what is..

 

[TenPoint]

Won’t survive winter here. So kinda worthless. Better options for the north.

 

[BenA]

I like to plant red clover with crimson. When the crimson is done the red starts coming on strong. The red lasts until the plot is reseeded for fall. This combo along with a smidgen of brassica and/or small grains is an almost 365 plot. You do have to be careful to plant the right combo of species that will work in succession like that. One is dying off when another is starting underneath it to beat the weeds that will surely take advantage if they can.

 

[H20fwler]

Crimson has to be the showiest clover there is, a plot of it always looks amazing.
I can plant it here looks pretty good first year then hardly anything by second year, it just won’t thrive here.

 

[yoderjac]

if that is the case i will prob do the same thing i did this year and plant early spring. a bunch of the rye we planted last year came up this year so it will need killed and ill put in new the fall with some raddish i think.

I would just add 10 lbs/ac of Crimson to your WR/radish plant this fall, but it depends on your location. I can plant crimson in the fall as part of my mix here in zone 7A and get a good crop of Crimson in the spring. I'm not sure if that works in lower zones. If I wait until the crimson has gone to seed and mow it, it reseeds here.

 

[SwampCat]

Crimson in my area is at it most robust stage when everything is vibrant and green and there is very little food plot usage. It looks great but gets very little use. Deer will start hitting my food plots again in a week or two, with use really increasing as the summer progresses - peaking in August and September - if there is anything still alive. Crimson is a beautiful, showy clover, but not well used by deer in my area.

 

[yoderjac]

I like to plant red clover with crimson. When the crimson is done the red starts coming on strong. The red lasts until the plot is reseeded for fall. This combo along with a smidgen of brassica and/or small grains is an almost 365 plot. You do have to be careful to plant the right combo of species that will work in succession like that. One is dying off when another is starting underneath it to beat the weeds that will surely take advantage if they can.

That is a good strategy. I "rest" a field from my normal rotation by planting medium red clover instead of crimson in my fall mix and then letting the medium red take over for a couple years. I have mixed them in the fall plant for this and they perform very much as you describe.

 

[yoderjac]

Crimson has to be the showiest clover there is, a plot of it always looks amazing.
I can plant it here looks pretty good first year then hardly anything by second year, it just won’t thrive here.

Yes, it is my understanding that in the north it acts as an annual clover and in the south it acts as a reseeding annual. So, as always, location plays a role.

 

[yoderjac]

Crimson in my area is at it most robust stage when everything is vibrant and green and there is very little food plot usage. It looks great but gets very little use. Deer will start hitting my food plots again in a week or two, with use really increasing as the summer progresses - peaking in August and September - if there is anything still alive. Crimson is a beautiful, showy clover, but not well used by deer in my area.

Interesting. I don't plant it as a primary attractant. I use it because of its overall qualities for deer and soil. My deer do use it, but I'm not in a big ag area. I think like most clovers (and other plants for that matter), there is a time when deer are drawn to them during a particular stage of growth, and then deer may ignore them during others. That is one reason I like variety. While it is clear my deer do use crimson, it is not clear how much. They are in it in early spring feeding, but I'm not sure if they are eating WR or Crimson most of the time. At some point the WR gets to fibrous for them but I'm not sure when that is. I just now finished my spring plant, and deer were still using those fields. The WR has headed out, so I'm sure they are not eating it. However, I'm quite weed tolerant so who knows whether it is the crimson or some weed they are using mostly in those fields.

 

[SwampCat]

Interesting. I don't plant it as a primary attractant. I use it because of its overall qualities for deer and soil. My deer do use it, but I'm not in a big ag area. I think like most clovers (and other plants for that matter), there is a time when deer are drawn to them during a particular stage of growth, and then deer may ignore them during others. That is one reason I like variety. While it is clear my deer do use crimson, it is not clear how much. They are in it in early spring feeding, but I'm not sure if they are eating WR or Crimson most of the time. At some point the WR gets to fibrous for them but I'm not sure when that is. I just now finished my spring plant, and deer were still using those fields. The WR has headed out, so I'm sure they are not eating it. However, I'm quite weed tolerant so who knows whether it is the crimson or some weed they are using mostly in those fields.

I have evolved to planting mostly durana clover and wheat. I plant wheat directly into my durana clover in early October for a quick green up to hunt over. The durana comes on strong in the late winter and grows all spring and hangs on into late summer - and maybe all the way into fall. We get good food plot usage in the fall on the wheat (depending on acorn crop), strong usage in the winter on the mixture of wheat and clover, almost no use in the spring on wheat and clover, and then strong use in the summer on the durana clover. I plant wheat once a year into the clover. I dont fertilize. I barely scratch the ground when I plant the wheat. I may or may not clip the clover plots in the summer depending upon how heavy weed growth gets. Typically, I dont spray anything on these plots. This has really cut my expenses, labor, and saved soil.

I was driven to this planting regimen because of hogs restricting planting methods and wet conditions beginning six years ago. Should have been doing it for the past forty years.

 

[BenA]

In Louisiana, Durana was the backbone of all my plots. I used oats with it. It is a great combo. In Kentucky, I've had great utilization on crimson from fall through spring. As with anything, climate location and equipment can dictate what's best for your scenario. Experiment until you find what works. I used to do soybeans, jointvetch, cowpeas, wheat, oats, and anything else I could get my hands on. I don't really get too in depth with foodplots anymore. I use them as just a viewing/shooting stage. My focus is getting the other 95% of my property clicking.

 

[yoderjac]

I have evolved to planting mostly durana clover and wheat. I plant wheat directly into my durana clover in early October for a quick green up to hunt over. The durana comes on strong in the late winter and grows all spring and hangs on into late summer - and maybe all the way into fall. We get good food plot usage in the fall on the wheat (depending on acorn crop), strong usage in the winter on the mixture of wheat and clover, almost no use in the spring on wheat and clover, and then strong use in the summer on the durana clover. I plant wheat once a year into the clover. I dont fertilize. I barely scratch the ground when I plant the wheat. I may or may not clip the clover plots in the summer depending upon how heavy weed growth gets. Typically, I dont spray anything on these plots. This has really cut my expenses, labor, and saved soil.

I was driven to this planting regimen because of hogs restricting planting methods and wet conditions beginning six years ago. Should have been doing it for the past forty years.

I don't have the hog problem, but perennial white clover is the anchor of our QDM program. Durana is one of my favorites for my area. It is very persistent and drought resistant. It provides more months of quality deer food for the dollar and labor hour than anything else I can think of. Perennial white clover allows me to use tiny kill plots as part of feeding deer. I can plant durana and it grows well with the limited sun of a small plot. My harvest plots are distributed all around the property, so they are inefficient to plant annually because of the equipment transport time to each tiny field. Durana will last 7 to 10 years once established. I mow the first spring after planting them in the fall with a WR nurse crop to release them, but after that, I only mow once a year just before the season. It is low cost to plant because T&M works well and very low cost to maintain now that I no longer use selective herbicides to keep them pretty.

My large feeding plots are where I do the annual rotation and plant twice a year. Crimson is part of the mix I use in that rotation. Here, summer is a bit more of a stress period than winter. I used to plant soybeans for summer but no longer. A mix of sun hemp and buckwheat is a fine supplement for deer in the summer. WR and GHR are the part of the fall mix that provide early season attraction here. The PTT provides late and post season food here. The Crimson kicks in in early spring.

It took a long time of min-till/no-till to repair the damage I did with a 2-bottom plow when I first started. Because the crops I'm using have low fertility requirements, they are complementary with legumes and N-seeking crops, the nutrient cycling capacity of my soils is improving, I have not use fertilizer in the last 5 years and I'm seeing no difference in the crop production or deer use.

I'm in the same camp of reducing expenses and bending nature slightly in favor of deer and turkey rather than trying to overpower nature. It makes deer management much more sustainable.

Thanks,

Jack