Managing Crimson Clover

Crimson clover is one of many different winter cover crops you can plant in September or early October. Learn what it looks like and how to manage it next spring.
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This is Jon Traunfeld at university of Maryland extension. I planted this Crimson Clover cover crop in this vegetable garden to protect this little slope last fall. It's May sixth now, and the Clover is beautiful. We want to take the Clover down so that we can plant vegetables in this little section of the garden. So we have a couple of options and I think the best one is just taking a lawn mower and once the plant has bloomed, cut it right to the ground and the plant will die. All of the green mass on top of the ground will just slowly decompose. When we dig up the plants, we can see little tiny nodules on the roots and that's where the action is taking place, where the bacteria is transforming the nitrogen from the air into a form that the plants can use.
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[@hortosoniclab3851]

clover is perennial and will grow back. My suggestion is to cover the area with cardboard and starve the plant from light. no idea how long that would take but it seems to be the easiest way to suppress it and re-introduce the nutrients into the soil.

[@8cupsCoffee]

Crimson clover is an annual according to this seed packet from Baker Creek.
It is different than red clover

[@NeedsMoreToys]

Clovers can be both annual or perennial depending on the variety

[@GranolaBear13]

@@8cupsCoffee I don't know about that, at least in Springfield, OR. My husband planted Crimson clover last year to help with erosion on one hill. It was pretty, but this year, it came back and was magnificent.

[@geneeddleman2132]

I was under the impression that Red Clover (some still grow it for hay here) was a rhysome, and would spread from the root, like alfalfa, etc. Is this (Crimson Clover) a different type of clover? Or am I mistaken about the red clover? It just seems that if it is rhyzomal it would become a weed next spring unless it was sprayed with roundup - something I don't want to do. Help?

[@nowirehangers2815]

Wondering the same

[@8cupsCoffee]

Red clover and crimson clover are different varieties and red clover spreads extremely easily. Crimson clover does not and I believe it is an annual. White Dutch clover is also different, I hope this helps.

[@millerj.robertsiii342]

Can you plant crimson clover in the spring? We have an area where one of our neighbors wants crimson clover. The neighbor wants to grow from seed. I am located in Maryland.

[@KM-vh8hz]

How did that turn out for you? We’re you able to plant it in the spring?

[@smileclick]

In a small garden, what other ways could you cut it down (without using a mower).

[@UBSWRecords]

Small shears should work fine, but remember the larger the cuts the slower the decomposition, hence why a mower is quite useful

[@ameliomeister]

Rent a goat. They might like it.

[@Dartht33bagger]

Weed eater

[@TheDefiledShell]

The obvious answer no offense is a weed eater. I mean use my weed eater more than my lawn mower tbh.

[@LindaYoshi]

Once you mow or cut down the clover, do you plant new plants right into the roots and leftover pieces or do you have to pull them out?

[@jamjoh64]

Have you asked Tommy James for permission

[@smpeace2683]