Commodities: Field Crops: Forages
Georgia Forages: Ball Clover
Dr. Dennis Hancock,
Forage Extension Specialist
Crop & Soil Sciences Dept.
At-A-Glance
| Adaptation: | Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont. Best on loam to clay soils. Tolerates poor drainage. Excellent reseeder. Excellent honey producer. |
| Establishment: | Seed broadcast in October-November. |
| Varieties: | Segrest and Common. |
In-Depth
Ball clover has long, highly-branched stems that support white to yellowish-white flowered seed heads that look similar to white clover seed heads. Ball produces most of its growth about one month later in spring than crimson and generally does not produce as much total forage as crimson. However, its advantage over crimson is that it is an excellent reseeder, even under close grazing. When grazed heavily, ball clover produces seed heads close to the ground. It is more tolerant of wet soils than crimson, but it does not do well if soil pH drops below 6.0.