Mixing red clover and white clover is a widely adopted and beneficial practice, particularly in forage and pasture management. Clover, a legume, is valued globally for its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil and provide high-quality forage for livestock. Combining the two most common forage species—red clover (Trifolium pratense) and white clover (Trifolium repens)—utilizes the unique strengths of each plant to create a more resilient and productive stand. This mixed approach results in a sward that adapts to different environmental conditions and management practices, offering a greater return than either species grown alone.
Distinct Growth Characteristics
The ability of red and white clover to coexist effectively stems from their fundamentally different growth habits and root structures. Red clover is characterized by its upright, taller growth, with new shoots emerging solely from the crown. This vertical orientation makes it suited for mechanical harvesting, such as hay or silage production, as it contributes significant above-ground biomass. Red clover is generally a short-lived perennial, often acting as a biennial with a productive lifespan of about two to three years.
Red clover features a deep, strong taproot, allowing it to access water and nutrients from lower soil profiles. This deep rooting offers drought tolerance and helps break up compacted soils. Conversely, white clover is a low-growing, creeping plant that spreads laterally across the soil surface using specialized stems called stolons. These stolons root at the nodes, allowing the plant to spread aggressively and form a dense, persistent ground cover.
White clover possesses a shallow, fibrous root system, less effective at penetrating deep soil layers than red clover’s taproot. However, this perennial growth habit and stoloniferous spread grant white clover superior persistence and tolerance to continuous, close grazing. The differences in height and rooting depth minimize direct competition, allowing them to occupy distinct niches within the same field.
Complementary Applications of the Mix
Combining red and white clover maximizes overall yield and functional resilience by leveraging their separate characteristics. Red clover is the primary contributor to total biomass, offering high forage yield potential and rapid establishment that provides bulk in the first few years. White clover ensures the long-term persistence and density of the stand, filling in spaces and maintaining consistent ground cover after the shorter-lived red clover begins to decline.
This mixed approach allows for effective “niche partitioning,” where the two species utilize different resources within the soil profile. Red clover’s deep taproot draws up moisture and nutrients from lower levels, while white clover’s shallow roots focus on surface-level resources. This complementary resource use enhances field productivity, especially during environmental stress, such as dry spells. The mixture also provides flexibility in management: red clover is suited for cutting (hay or silage) due to its upright growth, and white clover tolerates continuous grazing, making the mix adaptable to both regimes.
The inclusion of both clovers significantly boosts the nitrogen-fixing capacity of the pasture. The combined presence leads to a more consistent nitrogen supply for companion grasses throughout the season and across different soil depths. The resulting sward offers higher crude protein content, generally averaging over 20%, which improves the nutritional quality of the forage for livestock. This high-quality protein source reduces the need for expensive supplemental feeds and synthetic nitrogen fertilizer applications.
Management and Sowing Considerations
Successful establishment of a mixed red and white clover stand requires attention to specific seed ratios and planting techniques to ensure a balanced sward. The intended use dictates the optimal ratio: a mix focused on cutting for hay or silage should contain a higher proportion of red clover seed. Conversely, a field intended for continuous grazing should favor white clover to capitalize on its persistence and tolerance to close defoliation. A common recommendation for a grass-clover mix includes a total clover seeding rate of around 4 to 6 kilograms per hectare, adjusted based on the objective.
Seed should be sown shallowly, ideally no deeper than 5 to 10 millimeters, into a fine, firm seedbed to ensure maximum seed-to-soil contact. Red clover typically establishes faster, providing quick biomass. White clover is slower to develop its stolon system, but it is the more persistent component. Sowing is best done in the spring (April to May) or mid-to-late August, when soil moisture and temperature conditions are favorable.
Managing the balance between the two clovers, particularly when mixed with grass, is achieved through careful control of cutting or grazing height. Cutting or mowing at a taller height, around 7 to 8 centimeters, favors the upright red clover and protects its crown. Conversely, close or continuous grazing favors the low-growing white clover, which tolerates frequent defoliation and spreads via its stolons. Avoiding heavy grazing during wet conditions prevents soil compaction and plant damage, helping to maintain the health and longevity of the mixed stand.