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CLOVER VARIETIES
MARATHON RED CLOVER
- A perennial red clover, noted for its long-lasting performance, that is very winter hardy and disease resistant (resistant to yellow mosaic virus and northern anthracnose).
- Often used in grass mixtures for cutting, is a fast-establishing legume, and can be grown in soils with elevated acidity levels.
- Should be inoculated but not exposed to sunlight or planted within 12 hours of inoculation.
- Can be successfully frost seeded (Jan. – Feb.)
- Can be used for grazing, usually only prior to mid-September.
ALSIKE CLOVER
- A short-lived perennial for cool, moist, poorly-drained soils that is often treated as a biennial.
- Well adapted for pastures or overflow land where excess water collects.
- Does well on soils too acidic for red clover
- Can be used for hay, but a companion crops is required, and Alsike usually produces only one hay crop per year.
Ladino White Clover
- A perennial legume used in seeding meadowlands.
- Its high nutritive value and palatability make Ladino clover a popular choice as a soil builder and in pasture mixtures (works well with ryegrass and orchard grass).
- Not drought tolerant
White Dutch Clover
- An Alkali and Drought Tolerant perennial legume that is popular as a supplement in both pasture mixtures and in lawn mixtures.
- Usually matures between 4-8 inches and requires little or no mowing.
- White Dutch Clover is a low- maintenance legume that typically requires no fertilizer or herbicide and is immune to dog patches.
- Stays green all summer with little or no watering.
Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover
- A biennial legume that does not vigorously send up its crown buds until the second year.
- A nice soil-improvement legume—heavy taproot and dense root system provide for nice aeration, and roots break down rapidly upon maturity adding organic matter to the soil.
- Less likely to cause bloat in livestock than alfalfa or red clover.
- Extremely valuable for honey production and often planted solely for bee pastures.
- Woody-stemmed upon maturity, but pasturing as a supplement promotes finer stems.