RED CLOVER 3- 4 YEAR SILAGE LEY

Red clover is an extremely compatible, high protein legume for growing alongside the upright, open growth of tetraploid hybrid ryegrass. Red clover fixes atmospheric nitrogen via its root nodules minimising the requirement of artificial nitrogen applications making the red clover grass silage ley a highly prized, low input conservation crop. The high sugar content of the tetraploid hybrid ryegrass offsets the much lower sugar content of red clover and aids the fermentation process of silage in the clamp or bag. This reduces the additives usually required when ensiling a pure red clover crop.

The red clover content of the silage produced is of higher digestible value than grass alone and will maximise the voluntary intake of the housed animal. It is important to avoid damage to the crown of the red clover during harvest and from grazing therefore the aftermath of silage production should only be used for late season grazing by sheep. Ideally the crop should not be left too tall going into the winter months.
As with any red clover silage ley, this seeds mixture should be sown by mid September.