Crimson Clover

We recommend Crimson Clover for hay on gravelly loam. It is a soft-seeded, erect annual suited to 500mm+ rainfall that performs best on free-draining heavier soils and gravelly loams. Its mid to late spring production peak lifts the clover to grass ratio for improved forage quality and hay, and it also suits silage and grazing.

We recommend sowing Crimson Clover at 3 to 10 kg/ha. Talk to us about where in that range to sit for a pure stand or a mix. Inoculate with Group C inoculant before sowing. It suits 500mm+ rainfall and performs best on free-draining heavier soils and gravelly loams.

Crimson Clover is ideal for vineyards and orchards. Its showy crimson flowers attract bees and beneficial insects, and its deep roots help soil structure. It suits 500mm+ rainfall and is often used in cover crop mixes. Our Interow Mix is also worth a look for between-row planting.

Crimson Clover is a popular choice for cover crop and regenerative mixes because it is deep rooted and produces plenty of seed, and its showy flowers attract bees and beneficial insects. It adds high quality forage in late spring. Our Cover Crop Plus Winter Mix already includes crimson clover, or you can add it to our Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends.

A soft-seeded clover like our Crimson Clover is susceptible to germinating after a false break and then dying if follow-up rain doesn't come, and it will not regenerate after a crop. For false-break-prone areas, hard-seeded options such as Hykon Rose Clover or Bartolo Bladder Clover are more reliable, as their hard seed protects against false breaks.

Crimson Clover is best suited to rotational grazing that allows recovery time between grazings. It is highly palatable and ideal for late winter and early spring grazing. It then gives excellent spring and early summer production, so you can shut it up for hay or silage.

Adding Crimson Clover lifts the clover to grass ratio, improving forage quality and hay. It has an upright habit and high quality leaf and stem, so it cuts well with ryegrass. It flowers around 120 days in Perth and suits 500mm+ rainfall areas.

Yes, Crimson Clover tolerates low pH soils, with a minimum soil pH of 4.5 (CaCl2), and will perform in all soils where sub clovers are grown, from sands to heavy soils. It performs best on free-draining heavier soils and gravelly loams and needs 500mm+ rainfall, so it suits the Perth Hills and higher rainfall parts of the South West.

Not reliably. Crimson Clover is a soft-seeded annual, so it is susceptible to germinating after false breaks and will not regenerate following a crop. We recommend resowing it at the start of each pasture phase. It does produce plenty of seed and is often used in cover crop and regenerative mixes, as well as for forage, hay and silage.

Both are soft-seeded annual hay clovers. Crimson Clover suits 500mm+ rainfall, tolerates acid soils and does well on gravelly loams, flowering around 120 days. Our Berseem Clover prefers neutral, fertile medium to heavy soils with 550mm+, tolerates waterlogging and gives multiple cuts, flowering around 144 days.