Planting Crimson Clover for deer
Trifolium incarnatum
Deer hit this hard. That is the point.
- Seeding rate
- 15 to 20 lb
- per acre, broadcast
- Minimum plot
- 0.25 acre
- smaller gets browsed out
- Plant
- Late summer to early autumn
Rates are broadcast figures. Drilling runs roughly a third lower. These are starting points from extension guidance and have not yet been re-checked against a second source per record, so treat them as indicative and soil test before you buy seed.
About Crimson Clover
An annual clover that establishes faster than ladino and produces heavily in spring before dying off in early summer heat. Useful as a nurse crop, as a spring draw, and on ground you intend to rotate. More forgiving on acidity than white clover, which matters on unlimed ground where a soil test comes back at 5.5 and you do not want to wait a year for lime to work. Broadcast at 15 to 20 lb per acre, heavier than ladino because the seed is much larger. It reseeds itself if you let it flower and set seed before mowing, which is the cheap way to keep a plot going. Mow too early and you have bought a one-season crop.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Crimson Clover
Other food plot forages with the same deer rating.
- Cereal RyeSecale cerealeZones 3–9Frequently damaged
- Forage ChicoryCichorium intybusZones 3–9Frequently damaged
- Forage OatsAvena sativaZones 5–9Frequently damaged
- Forage RadishRaphanus sativusZones 3–9Frequently damaged
- Forage SoybeansGlycine maxZones 5–10Frequently damaged
- Iron Clay CowpeasVigna unguiculataZones 6–11Frequently damaged
Protecting Crimson Clover
Deer will destroy this without protection, so the question is which kind you are willing to pay for.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- What a deer fence costsMaterial ratios are stable even when prices are not, and installation reliably doubles the figure.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where Crimson Clover grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Crimson Clover belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Crimson Clover
- What is the seeding rate for Crimson Clover?
- Broadcast 15 to 20 lb per acre. Drilled rates run roughly a third lower. Soil test before buying seed, because pH matters more to the outcome than the rate does.
- When should I plant Crimson Clover?
- Late summer to early autumn. It is a cool-season crop, so the window is set by your average first frost rather than by the month.
- How big does a Crimson Clover plot need to be?
- About 0.25 acres as a realistic floor. Below that, deer graze the crop faster than it establishes and you get bare ground instead of forage. Local deer density moves this number more than anything else.
- Do deer actually eat Crimson Clover?
- Frequently Severely Damaged on the Rutgers scale, which measures how heavily deer damage a plant. On an ornamental that is a warning. On a food plot crop it is the specification.
- What hardiness zones does Crimson Clover grow in?
- Crimson Clover is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- How big does Crimson Clover get?
- Mature height is roughly 12–36 in. Growth rate is fast.