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Clover

Seed Types

Green Prairie Seed Company has a wide variety of clovers for different applications such as pasture and hay mixes, cover crops, wildlife plantings, etc. If you are not sure of the best clover variety for your specific situation, Let a green Prairie seedsman help with the best clover variety for your specific situation, be sure to reach out to us and we will gladly point you in the right direction.

RED CLOVERS

ESTABLISHMENT

Red clover may be seeded in pure stands, but it is often mixed with grain or grass. Spring or late summer seedings are satisfactory. It may be over-seeded in the spring or fall. Red clover seed should be inoculated. Phosphorus and potash are the fertilizer elements needed most by red clover. Apply as recommended by soil tests. Seeding may be done with a drill or broadcaster. A firm, weed-free seedbed is essential. Plant seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep. Seeding rates are 12 to 15 lbs per acre broadcast and 8 to 10 lbs per acre when drilled. For renovating pastures, the recommended seeding rate is 8 lbs per acre.

MANAGEMENT

Graze or cut for hay when the red clover is ¼ to ½ bloom. A second cutting or successive grazing should occur when red clover is ¼ in bloom. Leave at least 2 to 3 inches of growth after each harvest. Care should be taken to eliminate or appreciably reduce bloating of livestock when grazing. Red clover should not compromise more than 40% of a mix to prevent bloating. Keep lime and fertilizers (phosphorus and potash) at the proper level.

FSG 401/402 RED CLOVER

  • 3 year medium red clover
  • High yield potential
  • Excellent forage quality
  • Longer stand persistence
  • Superior disease resistance


FSG 401 and 402 are sister products. Both are elite new-generation diploid medium red clovers developed for higher yields and longer stand persistence; three or more years under good management. These clovers are at 50% bloom at approximately the same time as Arlington in the spring and performs extremely well over a wide geographic area and under variable growing conditions. Whether it’s for hay, pasture, or silage, FSG 401/402 is hard to beat when it comes to yield, persistence, and disease resistance.

MEDIUM RED CLOVER

Red clover has similar forage yields, crude protein and better digestibility than alfalfa. Red clover can be harvested 60-70 days after a spring seeding and on every 30-35 day intervals after initial harvest. With its vigorous spring growth, this clover has the capability of suppressing weeds. Red clover is less invasive than white clover because of its shorter life span and the lack of rhizome or stolon rooting structures. It’s taproot can extend up to 3 ft deep into the soil profile and the finer rooting structure in the top 5″ can really aid in breaking up compacted soils.

WHITE CLOVERS

ESTABLISHMENT

White clovers have a seeding rate that varies by specific variety, consult your seedsman on exact seeding rates by variety. White clover should be planted at a depth of ¼ to ½ inch. For pasture establishment, seeds should be drilled into a well-prepared site that has been plowed, harrowed and compacted to produce a firm seedbed. The proper planting time is determined by seasonal and moisture conditions. This may vary from April to May. Late summer and fall seedings should be done only when adequate moisture is present to assure establishment before freezing temperatures arrive. Early spring frostseeding is also an option on a prepared site.

MANAGEMENT

Management for forage is aimed at maintaining 40% to 50% clover within the blend with grasses. Close grazing (2-inch stubble height) favors clover, whereas light grazing favors grass. Well fertilized grass will outgrow clover in fall and winter months and could smother the clover. Spring applications of nitrogen will stimulate grass and provide early feed but excessive rates are detrimental to the clover stand. Phosphate applications are broadcast in fall or spring with rates based on the results of a soil test. Sulfur, boron, or magnesium may be needed for maximum production on some soils in the western part of white clover’s range.

LADINO WHITE CLOVER

Ladino Clover is widely used for forage, especially in pasture mixes. It is high in protein digestibility, a heavy nitrogen fixer, easy to establish and moderately winter hardy. Ladino clover is especially responsive to cool, moist, conditions. It grows best between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

WILL LADINO WHITE CLOVER

  • Increased forage quality
  • Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by Rhizobium bacteria in root nodules results in reduction of up to 70% of fertilizer cost
  • Excellent regrowth following grazing
  • Superior winterhardiness


Will Ladino White Clover is persistent in hot climates, has superior winterhardiness, and offers high yield potential. Developed jointly by the USDA and North Carolina State University, Will Ladino White Clover is excellent for pastures and hay, and is widely adapted to different climates. This variety is known for excellent stolon development and establishment and competes well against weeds. Will Ladino White Clover’s large leaves are highly nutritious.

SEMINOLE LADINO CLOVER

  • Winter hardy
  • High yielding
  • Quick growing
  • Excellent protein source
  • Easy to establish, low maintenance


Seminole is an advanced generation variety of Ladino type white clover, bred over repetitive cycles of mass selection from 40 original parental plants. It is intended for use as a forage legume in pastures and hay crops planted either alone or in grass-clover combinations. It has excellent regrowth, even when under intensive grazing pressures.

CRUSADE INTERMEDIATE WHITE CLOVER

  • Improved winter growth
  • Extended grazing potential during colder
    months
  • Responds to marginal soils
  • Superior growth
  • Early and vigorous flowering
  • Disease resistant


Crusade white clover is the result of a breeding program that has taken the best traits of the traditional Haifa variety and combined them with improved winter activity qualities. To develop this variety, selections were made from plants displaying superior growth in winter, autumn, and spring. Other traits selected in the development of Crusade were very large, dark green leaves, early and vigorous flowering and high seed yield. A strong emphasis was also placed on freedom from virus and disease symptoms, and strong recovery from cutting, grazing and moisture stress. Crusade is a vigorous, large leaf, winter-active variety of white clover. Leaflets are similar in appearance to Haifa, but can have a darker green appearance with fewer leaf markings. Crusade is slightly earlier in flowering than Haifa. Because of its winter-active characteristic, Crusade will provide grazing during the colder months in regions experiencing mild moist winter conditions.

WHITE DUTCH CLOVER

White Dutch Clover is one of the few varieties that is perhaps most helpful to homeowners, versus farmers, ranchers, and hunters. This clover serves as an excellent starter and cover crop for soil that simply doesnt want to grow anything else. White Dutch is the shortest stature of the white clovers and popular among beekeepers.

OTHER CLOVERS

ALSIKE CLOVER

Alsike Clover is a herbaceous, short-lived perennial forage legume with fine-stemmed, semi-erect, indeterminate growth habit. Used for pasture or hay in mixtures with other legumes and cool-season grasses in humid regions with mild winters. Can also be used for soil improvement in wet, acidic soil conditions.

SWEET CLOVER

Yellow/White Blossom Sweet Clover is an upright annual or biennial that is often used as a warm season legume in summer mixes due to its ability to handle dry weather. Yellow/White Blossom boosts a deep root system that is capable of capturing P & K from the subsoil and relocating them back into the upper few inches of the soil. It has potential of producing up to 100 lbs of nitrogen and has the largest amount of biomass of any clover in the summer. Sweet Clover is a great addition when soil building is desired. Sweet Clover is another clover commonly used by beekeepers

CRIMSON CLOVER

Crimson Clover is a quick growing cool-season/winter annual legume cover crop. It is a strong nitrogen fixer and scavenger. Crimson clover has a strong root system that helps reduce compaction and build soil.