What clover can I cut several times for silage on heavy soil in a high rainfall area?
We recommend Berseem Clover. It is a soft-seeded, erect annual that gives high quality forage and bulk for silage and hay over multiple cuts. It suits neutral, fertile alluvial and medium to heavy soils in 550mm+ rainfall areas, growing through autumn, winter and spring.
How much Berseem clover seed should I sow per hectare?
We recommend sowing Berseem Clover at 8 to 10 kg/ha. Inoculate the seed with Group B inoculant before sowing. It establishes rapidly, which makes it a good option for quick feed or a fodder cut, and it is commonly sown in mixes with annual ryegrasses or other legumes.
I need a fast-establishing legume for a short-term fodder paddock. What should I plant?
Berseem Clover is a good choice thanks to its rapid establishment vigour. It is a productive annual for medium to high rainfall (550mm+) on loam to heavy soils and provides high quality forage for grazing, hay or silage. It flowers late, at around 144 days in Perth, giving a long growing season.
Is Berseem clover a bloat risk for cattle?
Berseem Clover carries a low risk of bloat, which is one reason it is popular for cattle fodder. It produces nutritious, high quality forage and bulk. We still recommend introducing hungry stock gradually and mixing it with ryegrass for balanced feed.
What legume handles wet feet and a little salt on heavier ground?
Berseem Clover tolerates waterlogging and mild salinity, and it prefers neutral, fertile medium to heavy soils. It suits 550mm+ rainfall and gives multiple cuts of hay or silage. Strawberry Clover and Kyambro Persian Clover also tolerate waterlogging and mild salinity, so talk to us about which suits your paddock, or about other options for more saline ground.
Will a clover survive frosty winters in the Great Southern?
Berseem Clover has low cold tolerance, so it is not the best choice for frosty sites. Shaftal Persian Clover is quite tolerant of frost and cold, though slower growing at low temperatures, and suits 400mm+ rainfall on sands to heavy soils. Talk to us about your location, rainfall and soil type and we can suggest the best fit.
What should I sow with Berseem clover for a hay or silage crop?
Berseem Clover is commonly sown with annual ryegrasses or other legumes for hay and silage. Good partners from our range include New Tetila Tetraploid Annual Ryegrass, or an Italian ryegrass such as Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass for bulk silage. Berseem is also an ingredient in our MaxiMix Pasture Mix. Sow Berseem at 8 to 10 kg/ha on its own, and lower in a mix.
Will a soft-seeded clover regenerate next year if I cut it for hay?
Not reliably. Our Berseem Clover is a soft seeded annual clover grown as a single-season forage crop, so we treat it as an annual that is resown as needed. For a regenerating pasture, a hard-seeded clover such as Paradana Balansa Clover sets large amounts of seed for regeneration under appropriate grazing, though it too has limited regeneration if cut for late silage or hay.
Is there a clover for irrigated dairy country that gives good winter and spring bulk?
Berseem Clover suits high rainfall or well-watered dairy systems on fertile, medium to heavy soils. It grows through autumn, winter and spring and provides multiple cuts of high quality forage. Sow it with an annual ryegrass for extra bulk, or consider our IH Dairy Select Mix.
Berseem vs Persian clover for silage, which should I use?
Both make quality silage. Berseem Clover is soft seeded, establishes rapidly and suits neutral, fertile loam to heavy soils with 550mm+ rain, flowering around 144 days. Our Shaftal Persian Clover is also soft seeded and late (about 140 days), while Kyambro Persian Clover is hard seeded and regenerates better.
