Crimson clover has many benefits when used at a cover crop for the farm system.
Posted on December 15, 2014 by Christina Curell, Michigan State University Extension
Crimson clover was first used in the United States in the south as a pasture legume. Its use began as early as the mid 1800s and interest in using it increased around 1940. Over the past 60 years, many different types of crimson clover have been produced. Reseeding varieties are now popular and its use as a cover crop has now become widely known. Crimson clover has many benefits that can be an asset to a farming system.
Crimson clover is a legume, meaning it adds to the nitrogen pool through nitrogen fixation. Crimson clover also scavenges for nitrogen in the soil. Crimson clover produces on average around 70-150 pounds.
Soil builder/erosion preventer
Crimson clover’s root system helps prevent erosion and builds soil. It prevents nutrient runoff and allows more precipitation to go into the soil. This builds the soils for future crop systems. Crimson clover is also a nutrient scavenger, so it brings up nutrients from deeper in the soil.
Inter-row ground cover
Crimson clover has been successfully used as an inter-row ground cover in orchards to reduce erosion.
Grazing
Crimson clover offers good grazing in cattle. It can be grazed before flowering and still produce good nitrogen to the soil. Watch for bloat when grazing cattle on crimson clover.
Quick establishment
Crimson clover is very quick growing and robust once established. This makes it ideal in providing quick or early nitrogen to fields, which need it.
Beneficial habitat
Crimson clover offers elongated, deep red blossoms to beneficial insects such as bees. The blossoms are 0.5-1 inch in length and produce lots of nectar. Crimson clover also serve as a habitat for beneficial predators.
For more information on crimson clover, see “Management and planting of crimson clover as a cover crop.”
Michigan State University Extension educators have developed fact sheets and pamphlets that will help you determine the best clover for your management needs. For more information on using cover crop or to request copies of the factsheets, contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Paul Gross, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.cnchemicals.com/. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://bit.ly/MSUENews. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://www.cnchemicals.com/, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).
Related Articles
-
December 15, 2014 | Christina Curell | Need some help making a decision on which clover you should use as a cover crop?
-
December 15, 2014 | Christina Curell | White clover has many benefits that are useful for cropping systems.
-
January 17, 2014 | Stan Moore | Emerging important issues will prompt valuable discussion at the 2014 Growing Michigan Agriculture Conference during Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Week.
-
December 30, 2013 | Jim Isleib | Research-based information sources are a good place to start.
-
February 28, 2013 | James DeDecker | Large volume agricultural water users have one month left to file their 2012 report with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.