Ladino White Clover vs Chicory
Two of the best perennial food-plot crops, and the two most often planted together. Here's how clover and chicory actually differ.
| Ladino White Clover | Chicory | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | perennial | perennial |
| Season | cool-season | cool-season |
| Seeding rate (broadcast) | 4–6 lbs/ac | 4–7 lbs/ac |
| Drilled rate | 3 lbs/ac | 3 lbs/ac |
| Ideal soil pH | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Plant depth | 1/4" | 1/8" |
| Days to maturity | 30–45 days | 60–90 days |
| Deer preference | High | High |
When to choose each
Plant Ladino White Clover if…
Choose clover if you want a self-sustaining, low-input perennial. It fixes its own nitrogen, carpets the ground to crowd out weeds, and feeds deer high protein from early spring through fall — all with little more than an annual mow and a P-K top-dress.
Plant Chicory if…
Choose chicory if your plots bake in summer. Its deep taproot pulls moisture from far below the surface and keeps producing tender, high-protein leaves through dry spells that stall shallow-rooted clover. It also tolerates a slightly wider pH range.
The practical play
In practice most hunters plant both as a clover-chicory blend. The clover feeds the soil and fills the canopy while chicory adds drought insurance and summer tonnage, and the two stay productive together for three to five years with the same simple maintenance.
The bottom line
Which should you plant?
Plant both — a clover-chicory blend is the gold-standard perennial plot. Clover fixes its own nitrogen and carpets the ground; chicory's deep taproot keeps the plot producing through summer droughts that stall clover. If you must pick one, choose clover for a low-input, self-sustaining stand, or chicory if your plots bake in late summer.
Calculator
Ladino White Cloverseed & lime →
4–6 lbs/ac · plant 1/4" deep
Calculator
Chicoryseed & lime →
4–7 lbs/ac · plant 1/8" deep
Where to buy seed
Compare prices and bag sizes for Ladino White Clover and Chicory online.
Some links are Amazon affiliate links — a purchase may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
More comparisons