by Christy Solo – Editor
Red clover, red clover, Oregon will send some right over!
For this week’s All Things we’re getting a big jump on St. Patrick’s Day as we explore Oregon’s clover industry.
Oregon grows a lot of clover. In 2021 Oregon produced 22.6 million pounds of clover seed to sell, accounting for $42.3 million in sales according to data collected by Oregon State University.
So what’s so great about clover that it’s a multi-million dollar seed crop?
In addition to producing the occasional lucky four-leaved leaf, clover has many uses including forage for livestock, as a cover crop, increasing populations of pollinators, as food for grazing wildlife and as a lovely edition to your yard.
Fun fact: You can have a clover lawn versus a grass lawn. Clover requires less water, is more heat resistant than grass and yet also tolerates shade better. Pretty amazing. Clover lawns do need to be re-seeded every two to three years, but clover seed is quite affordable. But wait, there’s more. Clover lawns require less frequent mowing and will attract beneficial insects to your yard. Clover flowers are lovely too.
Clover is probably most well known for its use as a cover crop, but what exactly is a cover crop?
The USDA explains, “Cover crops are traditionally planted on farms but can be used in gardens. A cover crop is any crop grown to cover the soil and may be incorporated into the soil later for enrichment. Planting cover crops in your garden provides multiple benefits such as controlling erosion, suppressing weeds, reducing soil compaction, increasing moisture and nutrient content of soil, improving yield potential, attracting pollinators, and providing habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife as well as food to animals.”
Crimson clover is one of the best cover crops available and is Oregon’s second largest clover crop making up $9.1 million of total sales in 2021. Oregon grows so much crimson clover that 95% of all crimson clover seed used in the United States is grown here.
Red clover brought in $17 million in 2021. Mixed with grass it’s used mostly for forage for livestock as that mixture is one of the safest legume forages.
Fun fact: Red clover is featured on Oregon’s pollinator license plates.
There are seven major types of clover grown in Oregon: Red, white, crimson, arrowleaf, balansa, berseem and Persian.
As you might guess, each type of clover is grown for specific uses.
Red clover and white cover, mixed with hay and silage are used for livestock fodder. They are also used for soil improvement and as a food source for bumblebees. White clover is a favorite for use in vineyards.
Crimson clover is used to extend spring grazing in pasture systems. It does require a lot of rain and as with nearly all clover species it can cause bloat in livestock when used as fodder if not planted as a mix with grasses.
Arrowleaf clover requires less rain than crimson and has a minimal bloat risk. It’s also excellent for soil improvement and wildlife forage. Balasna clover is used mainly for grazing, hay, silage and as a cover crop. It can handle dry summers, but also cold winter temperatures. Balasna needs its personal space to grow, it can be overtaken by weeds until well established.
Berseem clover has plusses and minuses. On the plus side, it does not cause bloat. However it is persnickety when it comes to water and temperature. Several cultivars of berseem have been created so it can be grown in colder climates, but it does require a lot of water (40” of rain or the irrigation equivalent). Back to the plus side, with its various cultivars it can be cut up to six times a year in ideal climates and – again depending on the cultivar – can be either a summer or winter crop.
Persian clover has a high forage yield and excels at regrowing after grazing or cutting. Again, for forage it should be mixed with grasses such as oats or ryegrass as pure Persian clover can cause bloat in cattle and photosensitivity in sheep.
What about clover for use in your yard? A patch of clover will bring all the pollinators to your yard, an entire lawn – as discussed above – provides many benefits. But what type of clover to plant?
For yards the most popular are white, crimson and red. White is great for covering a large area or filling in patchy bits of lawn. Crimson is a great small-patch option, not only will it help the soil, but the vibrant blossoms are a show stopper and irresistible to pollinators.
If you really want the full lawn experience you can buy a seed blend of all three types which will provide a long growing (doesn’t need annual replanting), low mow and full, uniform appearance along with the soil and pollinator benefits.
For expert advice, visit OSU’s MatchClover here – under the “species selection tool” you can answer several questions starting with your intended use “beautification” would probably be the best description of “I want a lawn of clover.”
Then you can answer several other questions via drop down menus, such as how long do you want the clover to live (will it be a seasonal cover, or permanent garden feature) as well as soil type, precipitation, heat, etc. Once you’ve selected filters applicable to your yard, OSU will recommend the type of clover that will yield the most success just for you.
Once you’ve found your ideal clover (or clovers) via OSU’s website, Grange Co-op carries a variety of cover seed types in 2 or 50 lb. bags (a 2 lb. bag covers 4,000 sq ft.) Their website (or in-store personnel) will also give you all the information you need on when to plant, sunlight requirements, germination rate, coverage area, soil preparation, maintenance and care and more.
So pick a patch for some clover and have a lucky spring and summer.
