Plants similar to clover grows. Types and varieties of clover: description and photo. Clover white creeping. Landing
Clover is a versatile plant that is used as a groundcover or fodder crop, it is an excellent honey plant, as well as green manure for soil enrichment.
In addition, the agricultural technique for growing a crop is extremely simple, you just need to decide: it is best to sow clover in autumn or spring in order to use its versatility to the fullest.
The possibilities of clover and its scope
Clover can be classified as one of the best honey plants, due to the rich chemical composition of flower heads, the product has excellent healing properties. Its honey has a delicate aroma and delicate taste, during crystallization a very dense white mass is formed, which retains healing properties for a long time. As a source for collecting pollen, clover is best sown in early spring so that the bees have time to collect nectar this season.
To use clover as an alternative lawn crop that does not require special care and grows in one place for up to 8-10 years, seeds are also best sown in the spring:
As a lawn crop, clover is absolutely unpretentious, it is enough to periodically water and trim it so that pests do not breed in a humid environment (for example). The first few years of seeding and fertilizing the lawn is not required. A significant drawback of such a lawn is that clover is not resistant to trampling; to preserve the aesthetic appearance of the lawn, paths must be laid along it.
When to sow clover as green manure?
For these purposes, you can sow clover in autumn or spring, the sowing time will depend on the chosen variety: red-flowering clover at the beginning of the growing season is more suitable for low temperatures, it is sown in early spring.
Fixing a large amount of nitrogen in the soil, loosening and structuring the soil, attracting many microorganisms, drowning out the growth of perennial weeds, clover is an excellent green manure. An important advantage of clover over other green manures is that it converts phosphorus compounds into a form that is easily accessible to plants.
It is successfully sown under fruit trees or on other shaded plots as a shade-tolerant plant that does not require frequent digging (when digging, green manure growth is suppressed). Creeping roots, lying to a depth of 50 cm, perfectly strengthen the soil from leaching, so clover is often sown on the slopes of plots.
Knowing some of the characteristics of the plant, it is easier to decide when to sow clover in autumn or spring - with the greatest benefit to the soil. In order for the return from it to be more complete, clover needs to grow for at least 4 months, so spring planting is not used in areas for early vegetables. In late spring, clover is sown on those beds that will not be planted until the end of summer. Plots of land will at the same time be protected from erosion and saturate the nutrient soil layer with nitrogen if the mowed shoots are left directly on the beds for rotting 2-3 weeks before planting the main crop.
If it is necessary to fertilize the site for early crops, clover is planted in early autumn and allowed to go uncut into the winter.
Having decided to use clover as green manure on his plot, the gardener must take into account that this is a perennial plant, its highest yield and highest nitrogen return is observed in the second year of growth. The period for mowing is before flowering, then mineral substances are maximally concentrated in the green mass of plants.
How to sow clover?
There is no need for special site preparation, clover can adapt to any soil, the main work carried out before planting:
After a few days, the first shoots will begin to appear, they need to be watered often, but moderately, the young clover does not tolerate stagnant water.
The most high-yielding clover, which gives several harvests of juicy green mass - which has a red flower, the white-flowered clover has a minimal green mass yield, but it does not have such an aggressive root system, its growth is easier to control.
An example of spring planting of clover on VIDEO
The gardener tells how and when to plant clover in the spring:
Clover is one of those popular plants that each of us knows. It is he who we meet in parks and squares in the form of a beautiful flowering carpet.
There are many species of this plant, most of which does not even grow in our country, but on other continents of our planet. Most often we meet wild species of perennial, while only three are cultivated.
1. Red clover can be called the most popular species, which is characterized by increased resistance to drought and resistance to low temperatures. This was achieved thanks to the two-meter length of the roots, capable of penetrating deep into the soil. This species is considered an excellent honey plant with good pollination ability.
2. Pink clover is slightly different from the previous one with a smaller growth and a pink tint of flowers. It also exhibits excellent cold tolerance. Under favorable conditions, it can grow in one place up to seven to eight years. Peatlands are considered the best soil.
3. White clover has a creeping stem, but a rather short root that does not grow more than thirty-five centimeters. Their seeds germinate perfectly, and the density of the leaves allows you to create a thick green carpet.
Creeping white clover - planting and care
The easiest in the process of growing is white clover, which requires open light areas. Even in places with little shading, clover of this species may die.
A fairly aggressive plant that occupies all the free space at lightning speed. It is best to foresee this when planting, enclosing it from other plants with special fences. White clover does not require special care, but it strongly dislikes stagnant water.
Landing is carried out from spring to early summer, as well as in autumn, if the average daily temperature is not lower than ten degrees. It must be taken into account that the rate of germination of sprouts is quite small, therefore, autumn sowing should be carried out in such a way that a young plant can grow up to seven to ten centimeters before the first frost. Therefore, it is better not to plant seeds already in November, since most of them will die anyway, and the rest will simply sprout unevenly.
During planting, soil moisture should be monitored. In the hot season, it is recommended to water it beforehand and very plentifully. Seeds are sown not deep so that they can easily and quickly sprout. Please note that the perennial will bloom only the next year after planting, and twice during the growing season: May - July, August - November. It is recommended to mow after the first flowering period so that the flowering carpet becomes neater and more beautiful in the second flowering.
Proper care
Clover does not need special care, especially since the plant is drought-resistant and can tolerate the lack of rain well. The culture is especially valuable with resistance to trampling, due to which it is often used near playgrounds, parks and in the local area.
One of the nuances of growing clover is its rapid growth. For this reason, frequent trimming should be carried out, which will not only shape the appearance of the plant, but also stop its aggressive growth. In no case should waterlogging of the soil where clover grows be allowed, as this can cause an invasion of the plant by harmful insects, including slugs, or various diseases.
Clover is one of those plants that not only do not require top dressing, but also improve the composition of the soil themselves. If desired, you can add manure to the dug clover beds in the autumn, and fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus before planting. Boron fertilizers are recommended for flowering density.
How clover reproduces
Perennial belongs to those plants that easily reproduce on their own. A common question among gardeners is not how to propagate clover, but how to stop its growth. Reproduction occurs both with the help of seeds and ground shoots, which take root perfectly under certain conditions.
What to fear
In the absence of a regular haircut, clover not only grows in free space, but also becomes thicker. This is an excellent habitat for slugs and snails, as dense thickets retain moisture perfectly. Fungi also often infect such thickets, so periodic cutting of clover is a good prevention.
Creeping clover is a good option for natural green cover in landscaping. It is resistant to trampling, is not demanding in care, is drought-resistant and looks very bright and beautiful during the flowering period. Due to its powerful root system, clover is used to strengthen the upper layers of soil on slopes and slopes.
15.09.2017
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White clover for the lawn - how to plant to get a green carpet?
If you don’t know how to plant white clover for your lawn, it’s best to understand and learn the technology first. Sowing dates, both in autumn and spring, have their pros and cons, also keep in mind that the seeding rate should vary within the allowable value. Watering and care will not require undue effort from you, the main thing is to sow correctly ...
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How to plant a white clover lawn
If you are going to plant a white clover as a lawn in a summer cottage or garden plot, you will first have to buy planting material, namely seeds. Seeds for planting can be purchased at specialized garden and garden stores. On planting one square meter, on average, it takes about three hundred seeds. If you have previously planted clover and decided to use self-collected seeds, then collect them from plants older than two years.
It is important to choose the right place for planting clover at their summer cottage. The best solution would be a place well lit by the sun or partial shade. Landing is acceptable in areas with a slope - a powerful root system is able to hold the soil. Shamrock grows especially actively in the soil where cereal crops were previously grown.
There is a technology for sowing white clover. To sow white clover for a lawn, you first need to loosen the turf, get rid of weeds, remove the top layer of earth a few centimeters and level the landing site. The soil must be moist, - in the dry, the seeds do not germinate for a long time and may die.
Seeds are recommended to be soaked for one hour before planting in order to ensure rapid germination. It is acceptable to mix seeds with sand to control the frequency of coverage. The landing rate is 20 grams / square meter. For sowing, it is recommended to use a seeder, but you can also sow clover by hand.
white clover lawn - pictured
When the seeds are sown, they need to be covered with a small layer of turf so as not to damage future tender shoots. It is best to water with a sprayer, as a strong stream of water can wash out the seeds. Drip irrigation will be the best way to irrigate the lawn, so you should consider all the subtleties at once. The best time to water is late evening or early morning.
On average, white clover seeds germinate in ten days, but in some cases, the first shoots may appear after five or six days. The plant is unpretentious and tenacious, weeding and top dressing are practically not needed. Two weeks before planting, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers can be added to the soil. The only maintenance requirement is regular watering. Mowing is done twice a month. By following all these simple tricks, you will soon have a thick and durable lawn that pleases the eye!
When to sow white clover for your lawn
If you do not know when to sow white clover, remember that the best planting time can be called late spring or early summer. Sowing white clover at this time of the year will ensure that the shamrock grows vigorously. But, if you missed this moment, do not despair - the plant can be planted until the third decade of August.
The summer period is the best time for sowing white clover - the warmer the ground, the faster the sprouts will sprout. The main thing is to have time to do this before the onset of frost - otherwise the clover, which has not yet had time to strengthen, will die.
It is also possible to sow clover in the fall, when the air temperature is not lower than 10 degrees Celsius. It is advisable to sow before the rains, or you will have to water the plant abundantly yourself.
Planting white clover outdoors
It is desirable to plant white clover separately from other plants. The shamrock is the dominant plant, able to outlive its weaker root counterparts, and will spread throughout the area unless measures are taken to limit its spread.
White clover can be planted not only as a lawn, but also under the trees in the garden - it releases nitrogen fertilizers into the soil, increasing its fertility. White clover goes well with bright flowers - peonies, poppies, lupins. To create an original composition, you can also use flowers in pots. When forming a flower bed, clover is best planted in separate isolated groups. Remember to separate faded flower heads so they don't ruin the look of your lawn.
Unfortunately, the plant begins to bloom only in the second year of its life, but it also blooms all summer. To create a pleasant meadow lawn in your summer cottage, it is recommended to apply the following mixture of herbs, taking a quarter of each species - red fescue, white clover, meadow bluegrass, common bent grass. This grass mixture is ideal for dry and infertile soils.
Benefits of planting clover outdoors
- Due to the pronounced decorative qualities, it creates an attractive and neat look to the lawn. Handsome. Suitable for planting under trees and shrubs. Slow growth eliminates frequent haircuts
- Unpretentious, tenacious, winter-hardy. Does not need special care, fertilizer. Self-regenerating. Resistant to trampling
- A powerful root system is able to suppress the growth of weeds for several years. It will also be an excellent solution for growing on slopes - the rhizome will hold the soil
- It has soil-improving qualities - it saturates the soil with nitrogen fertilizers. In cases where clover is part of the grass mixture, the lawn does not need additional fertilizer.
- If you keep an apiary, then clover, being a honey plant, will become an indispensable assistant for you.
- It can become food for pets - chickens, goats, cows, even hamsters and guinea pigs. But, if you grow it only for this purpose, it is recommended to look at other varieties - for example, red or pink clover
- Cheapness. The seeds of this plant are an order of magnitude cheaper than other plant crops, and if you collect them by hand, you won’t need to spend money at all!
Now, it's not a problem to create a beautiful green carpet on the site! White clover is perfect for the lawn, and you already know when to plant it and how to do it right!
For arranging the area around the house, a classic green lawn is often used. But there is a wonderful alternative - planting clover on the site. The plant takes root quickly and creeping sprouts perfectly fill the entire lawn. The lawn, woven from thousands of emerald leaves and charming spherical flowers, looks very natural.
Varieties and types of clover
About 70 varieties of clover (shamrock) with pink, white, yellow and red flowers grow on the territory of the CIS countries, but there are at least 300 species in total.
They usually plant a shamrock on lawns, decorate alpine slides with it and create picturesque rockeries. Many ornamental varieties appeared thanks to meadow clover. For the design of lawns, a perennial with white flowers is used mainly, it is often called creeping. It is undersized, undemanding in care and quite lush, after mowing the look of the lawn will not be spoiled by bare stems.
Landscape designers also fell in love with varieties of white clover. For example, Atropurpurea with gorgeous purple leaves. This variety is best planted in the sun - in the shade the foliage loses color. Purpurascens quickly fills the free space in flower beds and flower beds. The Good Luck variety is different from other shamrocks - its representatives have four leaves, so you can make wishes.
No less beautiful is the pink (hybrid or Swedish) type of perennial. This plant with pinkish ovoid leaves is found in the Caucasus and the territory of the Crimean peninsula. It is undemanding to soil acidity, blooms from June to September.
Reddish clover is an amazing plant that even outwardly does not look very much like a shamrock and is listed in the Red Book. This is a perennial lush bush, reaching a height of 60 centimeters. Its inflorescences are large, raspberry-red and elongated like a candle.
The flowering periods of different types and varieties of clover differ, but in most cases the shamrock will delight with fluffy balls of inflorescences twice during the season.
How to plant clover
In nature, perennial grows well without weeding and top dressing. Planting clover will also not burden the owner of the site, since the plant is very tenacious. But in order for the green carpet to turn out to be even and beautiful, it is important to choose a place in the sun or in partial shade, as well as prepare the soil. It is very good if before that cereal crops grew on the site.
Clover is propagated by seeds taken in the second year of life, but it is better to use store-bought ones. Sometimes bushes of tall varieties are divided, but, unfortunately, they have a poor survival rate.
1. Before planting, the earth is dug up, weeds are removed, slightly leveled.
2. About 320 seeds will be needed per square meter of lawn, sometimes gardeners pre-soak them for an hour. Seeds can be mixed with soil in a separate container, such as a garden wheelbarrow. Then the mixture is evenly distributed over the area.
3. Seeds are covered by sprinkling them with a thin layer of earth, a thickness of 1 centimeter is enough.
4. It is not worth watering the area with a hose with strong pressure, it is better to use a nozzle for fine rain. For a week from the moment of sowing, the soil should remain moist, you can not walk on the lawn. After about 14 days, the first sprouts of clover will appear.
If you scatter the seeds by hand, the lawn will turn out uneven. Clover is perennial, but short-lived. After about 3 years, the procedure will need to be repeated to re-seed the lawn. Planting should not be delayed if the seeds germinate only in August, they will not have time to take root before the onset of cold weather.
Shamrock usually blooms only the next year. But immediately after germination, it is important for them to provide proper care; at a young age, clover is most vulnerable.
clover care
The most important condition for the development of the shamrock, regardless of the species, will be watering. Prolonged drought will certainly affect the decorativeness of the lawn. Waterlogging for meadow clover can also be fatal, white is more stable in this regard, and pink grows even in areas where groundwater lies close enough. In any case, watering should be regular, about once a week, but moderate. Clover releases nitrogen on its own, so there is no need to get carried away with fertilizers.
Seeds are collected from large brown heads. They are dried for about a week, but not in direct sunlight, and then stored in a box until planting.
A lawn covered in emerald perennials makes a wonderful backdrop for more vibrant shrubs and trees. The plant withstands trampling without problems, do not worry about this and limit the kids - let them run. The shamrock will remain as beautiful even in conditions of temperature difference.
Clover will have to be cut as it grows, so that the site looks well-groomed and tidy. A trimmer will come in handy, after such treatment the plant will quickly recover and even bloom more abundantly. In addition, it is desirable to ensure that the lawn does not grow too much. If the shamrock "settles" in nearby beds and neighboring flower beds, it will not be easy to remove it.
