My Deer Garden

Planting Ladino White Clover for deer

Trifolium repens

Cool season

Deer hit this hard. That is the point.

Seeding rate
5 to 8 lb
per acre, broadcast
Minimum plot
0.25 acre
smaller gets browsed out
Plant
Late summer, or early spring once soil is workable

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.

Type
Food plot forage
Hardiness
Zones 3–9
Light
Part shade
Height
4–6 in
Bloom
Spring and Summer
Maintenance
Moderate
Family
Fabaceae

About Ladino White Clover

The default perennial food plot, and for most people the right one. A well-managed ladino stand lasts three to five years, tolerates heavy browsing better than almost anything else, and fixes its own nitrogen so it does not need feeding the way a cereal does.

It handles small plots. Half an acre of clover will take pressure that would strip half an acre of brassicas to bare dirt in a fortnight, because clover regrows from the crown after every bite. That makes it the only sensible choice on ground where you cannot dedicate real acreage.

Broadcast at 5 to 8 lb per acre, or 3 to 5 if you are drilling. The seed is tiny and the commonest failure is burying it. It needs light to germinate and wants no more than a quarter inch of cover, so broadcast onto a firm seedbed and roll rather than disc it in.

Mow it. Clover left uncut goes stemmy and gets outcompeted by grass, and a stand that is mown two or three times a season will run years longer than one that is not.

Protecting Ladino White Clover

Deer will destroy this without protection, so the question is which kind you are willing to pay for.

  1. 1How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
  2. 2What a deer fence costsMaterial ratios are stable even when prices are not, and installation reliably doubles the figure.
  3. 3Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
  4. 4Fencing a raised bedA deer jumps from ground level, so measure the barrier from the ground and not from the top of the bed.

Soil and care

Soil pH
6 to 7
Drainage
Well drained
Water
Moderate
Growth rate
Moderate
Maintenance
Moderate

Where Ladino White Clover grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Ladino White Clover

What is the seeding rate for Ladino White Clover?
Broadcast 5 to 8 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 Ladino White Clover?
Late summer, or early spring once soil is workable. 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 Ladino White 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 Ladino White Clover?
Frequently Severely Damaged on the four-step damage scale, which measures how heavily deer feed on a plant. On an ornamental that is a warning. On a food plot crop it is the specification.
What hardiness zones does Ladino White Clover grow in?
Ladino White Clover is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
How big does Ladino White Clover get?
Mature height is roughly 4–6 in. Growth rate is moderate.

Browse from here

Every list Ladino White Clover belongs to.

Deer favorites·Part shade plants·Food plot crops

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .