BALANSA CLOVER

Balansa clover is a winter annual legume that grows well in a variety of soil types and is well known as the best clover for wet soil cover cropping.

Originally from Turkey, balansa is also an excellent silage crop, capable of producing yields similar to that of corn when fall planted and spring harvested.

Despite its Mediterranean origins, some varieties of the species are tolerant of cold winter temperatures, much more so than European varieties. And balansa varieties can be grown under a variety of rainfall patterns, from 14 inches of annual rainfall to 40 inches, with early-flowering varieties most adapted to drier areas.

The species is extremely tolerant of wet and saturated soils and can withstand short periods of flooding. In flooded conditions, balansa clover will send its roots to top of standing water, providing the root system the oxygen needed for survival. Balansa performs well in everything from high clay to sandy soils, and it tolerates acidic to moderately alkaline and even mildly saline soils.

Balansa is not strongly competitive until roots are established, so weed management is necessary if it is sown as a monoculture for hay or with a fast-growing species. It can be broadcast seeded with a fertilizer in low-rainfall areas where open ground allows it to establish with little competition.

The recommended seeding rates for broadcasting is eight pounds per acre. If drilled, the recommended seeding rate is five pounds per acre. Due to its small seed size, balansa clover needs to be planted less than one-quarter inch deep when drilled.

To achieve the best results, balansa should be planted when it is know that soils will be moist for ten days. Balansa can germinate in less than 48 hours, so it can desiccate if the soils dry out too quickly.

In Oregon, balansa clover is harvested in late June and planted in September and October. In the fall, balansa puts most of its energy into developing a root system, and very little above-ground growth is observed. In the late spring, balansa grows rapidly and is capable of doubling its biomass in a week or less.

Balansa clover has an erect growth habit and grows typically to three feet with some varieties having stems over ten feet long. It has cylindrical or conical seed heads with multiple small, white-pink florets and fine, trifoliolate leaves that have smooth or serrated edges and varying shaped leaflets. Both leaves and stems are hairless.

Balansa clover is very attractive to pollinators due to its ample, aromatic blooms.

Balansa clover has a prolific taproot and numerous fibrous roots that extend thirty to thirty-five inches deep with a root architecture that is great for breaking up compacted soils. Balansa clover varieties can easily produce 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre or more. The balansa variety Johanning, for example, has had nitrogen fixation of 269 pounds per acre. Nitrogen fixation peaks when plants begin to bloom. Its hollow stem facilitates palatability and allows for easy termination via roller-crimping.

Balansa clover produces large amounts of small seeds that range in color from yellow to red-brown and black.

In addition to its uses as a cover crop and a forage, balansa’s high palatability makes it an excellent fit for wildlife food plots.