Characteristics
- Annual herbaceous plant
- Entire plant covered with soft hair
- Leaves: true trifoliate clover leaves with sessile central leaflet and short, rounded stipules
- Height: 50 cm
- Flowers: long stem, elongated spike, crimson red
- Root: taproot, lateral roots
- Winter-hardy
- Excellent ingredient in forage mixtures with grasses
- Palatable and protein-rich
Environmental needs
- Can be grown as a single crop in mild environments with good lime status
- High warmth requirements
- Cannot tolerate poor, dry, sandy soils, impermeable clay or moor soils
- As part of a mixture, crimson clover can be grown in less favourable climates
Use
- Winter-hardy cover crop (e.g. ForageRooter) for use in spring and autumn
- Green manure
- Single crop
- Suitable for grazing
Green manure
- Medium green manure yield
- Nitrogen-fixing
- Root residue (before winter: 10-12 quintals DM/ha, after winter: 20-25 quintals DM/ha)
