In comparison to white clover, red clover does not produce stolons and spread out, but it does put down a strong tap root. It is therefore essential to establish a large plant population that will lead to greater persistency and production. For a specialist red clover sward a target plant density of 200 red clover plants/m2 in October of the sowing year is recommended. This should enable the red clover mixture to last for three seasons.
Normally it is recommended to sow it alongside a suitable grass companion such as hybrid ryegrass and intermediate perennial ryegrass which will improve silage production. A popular balanced mixture would look to combine 3kg/acre of red clover with 11.5kg/acre of grass and 0.5kg/acre of white clover. For a monoculture of red clover, the sowing rate would be 5-6kg/acre.
The aim should be to establish between April and July that should give significantly higher DM production than autumn sowings. Anything sown too late does not allow the seedlings development time to be robust enough to withstand harsh winters. It should be sown into a fine and firm seed bed at around 10-15mm with a pH of at least 6 and adequate P and K. It is best not to establish the crop under a cereal which would compete for light and moisture and a direct reseed is advisable.
Inoculation of the seed is not required in the UK as there is no evidence that in most soil types and conditions it provides any benefit. Do not use residual herbicides on any previous crops that could affect germination of clover within the plant-back period on the chemical label. Red clover is a deeper rooting drought tolerant plant that suits lighter ground. Avoid heavy and wet soils that might restrict root development.
Competition with weeds and grass in the first winter is a major reason for poor clover establishment. To avoid the grass outcompeting the clover it should be grazed before it exceeds 8-10cm, with short grazing durations.
Red clover with its erect growth was never recommended as a crop suitable for intensive grazing with a light autumn grazing the best option. Care must be taken to avoid damaging plants as unlike white clover they cannot repopulate the pasture. Cut silage above 7cm to protect the crown and don’t graze the aftermath below 4cm and avoid grazing when soil is excessively wet or dry. If correctly managed, a red clover silage sward has the potential to last three to four years providing up to 15T DM/ha over 3-4 cuts with a high protein content.
