[Unhulled Seed]
Using unhulled common seed increases the chance of obtaining thick stands. When the soil is dry, light rainfall does not cause the unhulled seed to sprout, but hulled seed germinates readily and the seedlings may die from lack of moisture before they can become established.
Its bulky nature makes unhulled seed more difficult to distribute uniformly than hulled seed. It must be broadcast and may be harrowed in. It is also difficult to market and is not generally handled by the seed trade. But farmers can harvest seed for their own use and save the expense of having it hulled.
[Companion Crops]
Rye, vetch, ryegrass, and fall-sown grain crops are often seeded with crimson clover. Such crops are seeded at half to a third the normal rate, and the crimson clover is seeded at half to two-thirds the normal rate. Seeding is done at the same time, but, as a greater depth is required for most of the seed of the companion crops, two seeding operations are necessary.
Farmers often use a mixture of 5 pounds of red clover and 10 pounds of crimson clover per acre with excellent results. The first growth of the mixture may be grazed or harvested for hay or for crimson clover seed, while the second crop is wholly red clover. Dixie crimson clover has given good results when planted with Johnson and Bermuda grasses.
[Diseases and Insects]
The most serious disease that affects crimson clover is crown rot. The effect of this disease is seen early in spring and is characterized by the plants dying in patches. The stems rot at the surface of the soil or where they join the crown. Continued damp, cool weather during winter and early spring favors the development of the disease. This disease can be controlled by not growing clover or other legumes in rotation for 2 to 5 years.