clover varieties/best use by deer?

what have you found to be best utilized ? As we all know, clover gets used at various times more than others. my clover get hit hard in winter/early spring.

I always plant a mix of clovers. In my mix I have Ladino, White Dutch, Alsike and Medium Red. Each variety shines under different growing conditions and different heights This gives me the most out of my clover plots. I also mix some chicory as this grows well in the dry summer months and deer hammer it.

+1 to what Tom said. There are no benefits for the wildlife property manager to plant a single variety in a clover plot.

A blend of whites and reds and different varieties maximizes your chances of success in multiple soils, weather conditions, and wildlife utilization at different times during the year.

The clover blend I produce and sell has:
– Medium red clover
– White Dutch clover
– Alsike clover
– Ladino clover
– Crimson clover
– Chicory

This is a very good combination of growth rates and works in a large range of soil types.

Clover doesn’t, IMO, get enough respect these days. So many are focusing on the row crops, which have their place, but there is never a time when deer won’t eat clover.

My deer last year would walk out of a prime brassicas plot with a turnip still in their mouth to go over and eat clover for a while. A good steakhouse still needs a salad bar.

Grouse

I use jumbo ladino, have for years and have had great luck with it. Tried Crimson one time, even though it grew great I didn’t see a lot of browsing on it.

I’ve had great success with White in tough growing conditions. We have bees, so prefer the white for much lighter honey and that is the only reason.

We also found mowing the clover off a couple times a year has really boosted the growing potential of it