Establishing red clover swards
Offering many benefits, Teagasc Advisor in Tralee, Eamonn Dempsey details the key things to get right when establishing red clover swards on your farm.
Red clover is a high-yielding, nitrogen-fixing legume that is primarily used for silage production. It offers high yields of over 15 tonne dry matter per hectare, 16-20% crude protein and can fix in excess of 150kg of nitrogen per hectare per year.
Seed mixtures for the Red Clover Silage Measure
During the 2025 BISS application period, farmers had the option to choose the red clover silage measure. This measure provides a financial contribution to participating applicants with a payment of up to €300 per hectare for the establishment of red clover silage swards sown between 16th July 2024 and 15th July 2025. The seed mixture for this measure must include 4kg of red clover for each 12kg pack. The balance of the seed mixture must contain either perennial ryegrass or hybrid ryegrasses and may contain some white clover. Red clover silage sward mix must be sown at the recommended seedling rates of at least 30 kg/ha by 15th July 2025 and be successfully established by 30th September 2025.
Growth habit
Red clover has a different growth habit to white clover and requires different management to optimise its performance. The crown of the red clover plant acts as the growing point and is located above ground level.
The crown of the plant should be protected from compaction, poaching, overgrazing or cutting to low in order to maintain the proportion of red clover in the sward.
In the below video, Future Beef farmer, Ken Gill provides an overview of the role and management of red clover on his farm:
Fertiliser
For establishment of red clover, apply two bags per acre of 10:10:20 after sowing and apply no more N fertiliser for the remainder of the year.
Harvesting removes a huge amount of potassium (K) in particular and this needs to be replaced by slurry or artificial fertiliser.
Spray options
Use a clover safe post emergence herbicide during suitable weather conditions. ProClova XL is a new product which was launched last year. It is a clover safe herbicide which kills key weeds such as docks and chickweed in both newly sown leys and established grassland.
ProClova XL can be used in red clover swards but not in the year of sowing. Red Clover needs to overwinter and reach the 3 trifoliate leaf stage in order for it to be strong enough to survive ProClova XL application.
The best time to spray ProClova XL on a red clover reseed is after first-cut silage in May the following year when weeds have emerged and night temperatures are forecast to be above 8 degrees Celsius.
Pests and diseases
Red clover is susceptible to a number of pests and diseases. Stem eelworm is the major pest of red clover and clover rot is a serious disease affecting red clover. A five-year break crop between red clover crops is recommended to combat pests, diseases or when clover content drops below 30%.
Sheep grazing and bloat
Red clover can contain up to 1% oestrogenic compounds resulting in reduced ewe fertility, therefore avoid grazing red clover swards with ewes six weeks before and after mating.
Bloat is an issue in red clover swards due to higher clover content in the grazing horizon of the sward, therefore apply mitigation strategies to minimise and prevent bloat such as use of a strip wire to control grass allocations, use bloat oil during periods of high risk and target fibre in the diet.
For more key tips on red clover, visit here.
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