Neat lawns are nothing new these days, but growing one yourself is difficult and expensive. It is known that there is a simplified option for the lazy -. But the question arises: how to plant white clover for the lawn? What materials will be needed and how difficult is the process?
Clover, popularly called trefoil, belongs to perennial plants of the legume family. The plant is presented in the form of three leaves of emerald color with a small spherical flower. If you adhere to the correct technology for planting it, and also care for it afterwards, then a blooming lawn will delight you every year with an even and soft carpet. To do everything correctly, consider the detailed instructions: how to plant white clover for the lawn? Simple tips and some nuances from experts will allow you to get a green carpet as a result of the work done.
Advantages and Disadvantages
By choosing white clover, you can get a whole list of advantages, since the plant has the following features:
- pronounced decorative qualities;
- a powerful root system will be able to suppress the growth of weeds for several years;
- a carpet of clover forms a dense grass mass of a rich green hue;
- the low growth of the stems eliminates the need for cutting;
- easy to care for: does not require frequent watering or fertilizing;
- high resistance to trampling;
- rapid growth;
- saturation of the soil with nitrogen - a natural fertilizer;
- the ability to plant on slopes, banks and wastelands.
Important! White clover is often included when it is necessary to sow empty areas of a rock garden, rose garden or garden bed.
Despite this, a lawn made from white glue also has some disadvantages:
- the suppressive property will lead to the death of other flowers;
- rapid growth in all directions (clover is dominant);
- moisture retention leads to slipperiness - you should walk on it carefully.
Landing technology
As already mentioned, a tenacious plant does not require weeding or fertilizing. But, if you want to get an even and beautiful thick carpet, you should consider several recommendations. So, among the preparatory work, the location should be correctly determined. The best option is a sunny lawn or partial shade. Seeds are purchased at a specialized store for gardeners and gardeners: about 300 grains are needed per 1 m2. It is recommended to plant in spring or early summer.
- As in the case of a regular lawn, in order for the seeds to take root well and quickly, you should remove the top layer of soil (up to 5 cm) and level the area.
- Fast germination will be ensured by simple soaking for 1 hour before direct sowing. You can also mix the seeds with a small part of the soil and then scatter them evenly over the area.
- To prevent birds from pecking the grains, a thin layer of soil (about 1 cm) is poured on top.
- For watering, it is recommended to use a sprinkler nozzle, as strong pressure will wash away the white clover seeds or drown them. Soil moisture should be maintained for 7-10 days. The possibility of walking on the lawn is excluded. After 15 days, shoots should appear.
Important! Clover grows well in areas where cereals were previously grown.
Care
The unpretentiousness of the plant reduces all the conditions for caring for it. So, the basis includes only watering. Prolonged drought can negatively impact the growth of a white clover lawn. At the same time, severe waterlogging will also be disastrous. Experienced gardeners recommend watering once a week, provided that there has been no rain during these days.
You can trim the clover as desired - as the plant grows. In this case, it is recommended to use a trimmer, after which the lawn will quickly recover and bloom profusely. Carefully monitor the growth of the lawn; it is better to limit it, as it will be difficult to remove white clover.
Important! Trefoil easily tolerates sudden changes in temperature, but in case of high heat levels, additional watering should be carried out.
Video: white clover instead of lawn grass
Every gardener knows that the most important condition for soil fertility is the application of fertilizers.
There are a wide variety of fertilizers and methods for applying them.
One of the easiest and least expensive ways to improve the soil is to grow green manure on the plot. Many plants are suitable for growing in this capacity, but they have common qualities:
- rapid decomposition in soil;
- rapid germination of seeds and growth of green mass.
Green manure is planted either on the area that is free in the current season, or after harvesting the main crop. Then there are two options: the grown plants are buried in the ground before winter or early in the spring.
If planting is planned in this area next year, it is better to plow it in the fall.
In addition to the fact that green manure fertilizes the soil, it also makes its structure loose and breathable. Regular use of green manure will help improve the structure of even the heaviest soil.
Important! If you use a large amount of freshly cut green mass on the site, the soil may begin to oxidize. It would be better if you lightly dry the cut grass in the sun before using it.
Clover. Description
Red clover is a perennial plant belonging to the legume family. The stems reach a height of 20 to 90 cm, often lodging. The leaves are small, oval-shaped, no more than 1.5 cm long.
The flower is an inflorescence of long tubular flowers. The inflorescence is oval in shape, up to 10 cm long and up to 3.5 cm wide. The color is dark pink. The first flowers bloom in early summer, mass flowering occurs in July. Seed ripening begins in August.
Red clover. Economic use
The main use of clover is to grow fodder for livestock farms. In ornamental gardening it is used as decoration to create Moorish lawns.
It is also used as a green fertilizer, grown as green manure and then incorporated into the soil.
Using clover as green manure
Despite the fact that the harvest weight of red clover is less than that of lupine, it is popular as green manure, no less, and perhaps even more.
How to improve productivity?We are constantly receiving letters in which amateur gardeners are worried that due to the cold summer this year there will be a poor harvest of potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables. Last year we published TIPS on this matter. But unfortunately, many did not listen, but some still applied. Here is a report from our reader, we would like to recommend plant growth biostimulants that will help increase the yield by up to 50-70%.
Read...
Clover as a lawn
Like all members of the legume family, clovers develop thickenings on their roots that accumulate nitrogen from the environment and then release it to the soil.
As the green mass of clover decomposes, it enriches the soil with mineral and organic fertilizers and contributes to the formation of a layer of humus.
The best variety of clover for use as green manure is red; varieties with white and pink flowers have the listed beneficial qualities to a lesser extent.
One of the beneficial properties of red clover compared to other green manure plants is the ability to convert difficult-to-digest phosphorus compounds into easily accessible ones.
The root system of red clover helps loosen the soil, improves its mechanical composition, and makes it more moisture- and breathable.
In addition to the fact that clover plantings fertilize the soil, they also improve its health, since they activate the vital activity of beneficial soil microorganisms.
Planting red clover
This plant can be sown for several months or several years. It reaches its peak yield in the second year of cultivation.
If planting is done for only one season, then the soil should be well loosened and cleared of weeds, since young plantings do not compete well with weeds.
You can plant seeds starting in early spring, as soon as the snow melts, and by the time the main crop is planted, the clover will have already grown a sufficient mass of greenery, which needs to be mowed 15-20 days before planting.
If you plant clover seeds during the summer, you need to regularly moisten the soil, since this plant is very moisture-loving. But, despite this, this green manure will not grow in flooded and swampy areas.
Red clover is harvested for use as green manure when the plant reaches an average height of 10 cm.
The planting rate is 2 grams per 1 sq.m., that is, only 200 grams of seeds are needed per 1 sq.m. Since the seeds are very small, it is recommended to mix them thoroughly with well-sifted dry sand in a ratio of 1:3, clover seeds and sand, respectively.
With good moisture, the seeds will produce the first sprouts within 3 days in the spring and after a week in the summer with sufficient moisture.
If clover is grown for only one season, then it is advisable to remove it before the seeds begin to form, since it gives good self-sowing, which will sprout next year.
Interesting fact! Bees cannot pollinate red clover because their short proboscis cannot reach the pollen. Bumblebees pollinate the inflorescences of this flower.
Making fertilizer from green mass
Despite the fact that many people simply plant green manure into the soil or plow it under, it would be more correct to mow them and prepare fertilizer from this green mass.
The roots remaining in the soil will also serve as an excellent fertilizer for the soil, and will not cause any inconvenience if planting cultivated vegetables is planned in the same season.
The cut mass can be disposed of in different ways. You can put it in a compost heap along with the rest of the plant debris, or you can create a separate heap in which compost formation will be faster. Another way to use mowed green manure is to mulch plantings, which will help keep the soil under the plants moist and, as it decomposes, will also fertilize the soil with nitrogen.
Mulching with clover
You can also prepare liquid green fertilizer using the same recipe as it is prepared, for example from nettles.
Pros of Using Red Clover for Fertilizer
The popularity of red clover can be explained by the following factors:
- fertilizing the soil with a sufficient amount of nitrogen, which allows you to abandon the use of nitrates;
- clover's good ability to improve the mechanical and biological composition of the soil;
- low cost and low seed consumption per 1 sq.m.
Conclusion
Clover is one of the most effective green manure crops. In addition, unlike lupine, which leaves behind hard stems after the first year of life, red clover can be grown in one place for several years, during which the beneficial effect of planting on the soil will only increase, and during this time it will be possible to collect from two harvests of green mass per year.
Lupine This plant can be used to sow areas left fallow so that they are not overgrown with weeds and the mechanical composition of the soil does not deteriorate. Planting clover will prevent all of this. Not to mention the fact that an area sown with clover, being in the midst of flowering, serves as an excellent decoration.
And a little about the author’s secrets
Have you ever experienced unbearable joint pain? And you know firsthand what it is:
- inability to move easily and comfortably;
- discomfort when going up and down stairs;
- unpleasant crunching, clicking not of your own accord;
- pain during or after exercise;
- inflammation in the joints and swelling;
- causeless and sometimes unbearable aching pain in the joints...
Now answer the question: are you satisfied with this? Can such pain be tolerated? How much money have you already wasted on ineffective treatment? That's right - it's time to end this! Do you agree? That is why we decided to publish an exclusive interview with Oleg Gazmanov, in which he revealed the secrets of getting rid of joint pain, arthritis and arthrosis.
Attention, TODAY only!
The arrangement of the dacha area attracts attention. Instead of a classic lawn, you can grow a clover plantation. The natural charm of such a site will be expressed by a thousand flower balls. Moreover, the colors are presented in pink, yellow, red, and white. Often, clover varieties are mixed and instead of just a green lawn, you get a living, colored carpet, which is very durable and unpretentious.
Clover agricultural technology
For red clover, humus-rich soils with low acidity are preferable. The plant does not tolerate saline and sandy soils well. The soil should be moderately moist, without stagnation.
Pink clover is not so picky and grows well in structured loamy and sandy loam soils. It tolerates acidic substances more easily than other varieties.
White clover is the most unpretentious, it grows quietly on peat bogs, alumina, as long as there is good drainage and sufficient moisture.
Clover is not a drought-resistant crop; it is cold-resistant, but has low winter hardiness. May also suffer from summer heat. Considered relatively shade-tolerant.
Site preparation
If the predecessors of the trefoil on the site were cereals, this will have a positive effect on growth. It is advisable to grow grass in spacious areas. Clover will look good in areas of the garden with a little shade; They can be used to sow empty spaces near buildings or fences.
Having decided on the location of the lawn, you need to prepare the soil to sow clover.
Important! Preparing the soil using a cultivator or Fokin flat cutter is considered the most optimal way.
The selected area must be dug up to the floor, then the ground must be loosened and all weed roots, stones, and debris must be removed. At the same time, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are applied, and the acidic soil is limed.
Important! There is no need to apply nitrogen fertilizers to clover, since it produces nitrogen itself. An overdose will destroy the grass.
Before sowing clover on a plot, the soil must be given time to settle. Usually it is 4-5 days.
You should know that it is advisable to grow the red variety for no more than 3 years, the pink variety for 8 years, and the white variety can please the eye for almost 19 years.
Planting clover
The culture is propagated by seeds, which are collected in the second year of life. Ready-made material is also purchased in stores. Sometimes the grass is propagated by dividing large bushes, but they have poor survival rate.
When to sow clover in the spring should be determined by the average daily weather. It should not be below 10°C. Usually spring sowing is carried out at the end of April.
When you can plant clover in the fall, you need to calculate the time so that the shoots rise 8-10 centimeters before the first frost.
Determining when to sow clover, in the fall or in the spring, should be based on the goals pursued and the benefits of seasonal planting. To establish a perennial lawn, it is better to sow grass in the spring:
- will grow during a prolonged spring;
- having a creeping stem, it will quickly cover the lawn;
- flowering will attract insects to pollinate all garden crops;
- Periodic mowing will allow you to prepare food for the farmstead animals.
Before sowing clover, the plot is divided into sections so that sowing can be done without gaps. This will also allow you to calculate the required number of seeds. For 1 m² you will need about 300 seeds (10 g).
Before planting clover, the soil is well moistened, and when the top layer is slightly shaken, the seeds are sown using a seeder or independently.
For uniform sowing by hand, it is better to mix the seeds with river sand.
For uniform sowing by hand, it is better to mix the seeds with river sand. The planting depth is approximately 1.5 cm; on light soil, a planting depth of up to 3 cm is allowed. It is advisable to use seeds from stores: there they are already scarified and treated with nodule bacteria.
Experts recommend rolling the lawn after planting. To do this, you can use a roller, a barrel, or a smooth log. Watering is carried out with rain nozzles so as not to wash away the crops. After a couple of weeks, you can expect shoots. Trefoil grows slowly; moreover, it does not choke out weeds and they actively develop. Annual grasses will help to cope with weeds: before planting clover, their seeds are mixed. With the beginning of the active growth of clover, the cereals are mowed. This option is used if you have to grow crops over large areas.
At home, small lawns can be weeded, so grass cover is not needed.
Important! You need to trim the grass with a trimmer: it adjusts the height, does not clog, and is easy to clean.
If the grass was not grown for green manure and is left to overwinter, then you need to know when to mow red clover for the first time. This procedure is carried out when the plant reaches a height of 15 cm, before flowering begins, but no later than August.
Clover care
Caring for a lawn with shamrocks is simple and easy. All care involves watering, aeration, fertilizing, and removing emerging weeds.
Clover blooms twice: in June and August. Most of the trouble is between these events. The lawn should be mowed and dried stems and flower heads removed.
Watering
Watering is the main condition for the normal development of culture. Any variety of clover is demanding of moisture and does not tolerate drought well. The greatest need for water for a plant occurs in the first year, especially if it grows under the cover of another crop. Lack of moisture leads to the death of sprouts, and the undeveloped surface root system can freeze out in the winter cold.
Watering clover
A trefoil that receives a sufficient amount of moisture, thanks to its enhanced development, accumulates a sufficient supply of nutrients in the root collar and overwinters better.
Water consumption in clover increases in direct proportion to the growth of greenery, and decreases sharply after mowing. However, if there is a lack of moisture after cutting the green mass, thinning of the grass stand and the appearance of bald spots may occur.
Clover's neighbors
The least suppression of trefoil occurs with Timothy grass, which is why it is recognized as the best component. Meadow fescue coexists well with clover. Other cereals partially inhibit clover seedlings.
Fertilizer and feeding
In order for clover to grow and develop normally, it should be provided with quite a lot of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, micro and macroelements:
- During autumn digging, manure is added. It is the autumn input of organic matter that significantly improves the grass stand;
- Before sowing, be sure to enrich the soil with potassium and phosphorus;
- Podzolic soils are flavored with boron. Trefoil is also treated at the beginning of flowering.
The plant also needs microelements such as copper and molybdenum, but in small quantities. During its life, clover experiences different nutritional needs, which change depending on the dynamics of green growth. Thus, the need for phosphorus increases during the beginning of growth and during periods of regrowth after cutting.
Potash fertilizers
Clover responds well to early spring feeding with potassium fertilizers. They can be scattered over a small area.
How to care for a plant in the fall, preparing for winter
To ensure that your dacha is not left without a lawn, you need to preserve the lawn for the next season. To this end, it is necessary to carry out proper autumn care and prepare the clover for winter. Autumn work includes mandatory activities:
- watering, haircut;
- aeration and fertilizing;
- leaf removal and restoration.
Each process has its own deadlines and nuances. If all autumn work is carried out carefully, then the open clover lawn will withstand frost and survive winter hibernation.
Autumn care
In autumn, the grass cover begins to gradually wither away, and with the first cold snap, it begins to freeze. Therefore, the first priority is to strengthen the root system. To do this, you need to adjust the watering regime.
Seasonal rains allow the plant to obtain moisture naturally. The last watering, in the absence of rain, is carried out no later than the first days of October. Further irrigation is not done so that the soil does not become waterlogged, as a result of which the roots of the grass may weaken and die.
Since summer lawn mowing has greatly depleted the soil, it is necessary to apply potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. Otherwise, the lawn will become very thin and faded.
To prepare the grass for overwintering, you should apply special complex fertilizers. They reduce growth processes and intensively nourish the roots. The best option is diammofoska.
Diammofoska fertilizers
In the autumn, diammofoska is used within 2 kg per one hundred square meters of lawn. Potassium reduces moisture accumulation in roots and increases disease resistance. The comprehensive action of the element prevents cellular damage to the grass by ice microcrystals.
Ash and bone meal contain a very large supply of nutrients. They are crushed to strengthen the roots only until mid-October. If there is a dry period, the lawn should be lightly irrigated.
Aeration
A prerequisite for autumn care of the trefoil lawn is aeration of the soil. Piercing the soil performs many useful and necessary tasks:
- water will not accumulate on the surface, forming puddles and ice crusts, but will penetrate deep into the earth;
- During the summer months, the soil becomes very compacted, as a result of which the supply of food to the roots becomes more difficult. Aeration promotes loosening and good access of oxygen;
- Due to the low thermal conductivity of the air, the soil freezes less and plant roots will not die.
- aeration technology is carried out in two ways: using an aerator with hollow teeth, and metal pins, for example, forks.
Pay attention! The time for aeration is September-October, the soil should be slightly moist. The procedure is carried out before autumn fertilizing, after which they do not walk around the area for 2-3 days.
Lawn mowing
In regions with a harsh climate, many summer residents are wondering about winter grass cutting. There is only one argument - the winter is cold, the roots under the foliage will be protected. However, experts insist on mandatory haircuts for several reasons:
- the load on the roots will be reduced due to low nutrition;
- young roots will have the opportunity to prepare for the first frosts;
- under the snow, the long stems will die and form felt, which attracts rodents, insect pests, and pathogenic microorganisms.
Important! The health and further condition of the grass depends on proper and timely cutting. If you mow too early, the grass will rise quickly and will not give the roots a chance to prepare for the cold. If you are late with mowing, the lawn will die out.
The last haircut in different regions is carried out depending on weather conditions. The optimal time is 2 weeks before frost.
It is important to use a trimmer to trim clover in the fall. It can be set to the required height - 5 cm. This is a sufficient height and the stems will have time to recover.
It is important to use a trimmer to trim clover in the fall.
Before the procedure, fallen leaves are removed. If this is not done, the leaves will inevitably wither and there will be bald spots on the lawn in the spring. On alumina soils, cutting is accompanied by drainage. All grass clippings must be removed.
Lawn cover
You need to decide on how to cover your lawn for the winter - if the winters are severe enough, then it is advisable to cover the area with a covering. In warmer winters, additional shelter is not required.
With proper preparation in the pre-winter period, clover will tolerate the cold quite calmly. In winter, the lawn does not need special care. You just need to follow some recommendations:
- there is no need to remove fallen snow, just clear the paths;
- It is extremely undesirable to walk on the lawn if the snow is thin;
- When a dense crust of ice appears on the lawn after a thaw, it needs to be broken up with a garden rake, providing air access for the plants.
Such simple measures will prevent clover from freezing and damping off. Shamrock will keep well until spring.
To arrange 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 quickly takes root and the creeping shoots perfectly fill the entire lawn. A 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 in the CIS countries, but there are at least 300 species in total.
Trefoil is usually planted on lawns, used to decorate alpine hills and create picturesque rockeries. Many decorative varieties have appeared thanks to meadow clover. To decorate lawns, they mainly use perennials with white flowers, often called creeping ones. It is low-growing, undemanding in care and quite lush; after mowing, the appearance of the lawn will not be spoiled by bare stems.
Landscape designers also fell in love with white clover varieties. For example, Atropurpurea with gorgeous purple leaves. It is better to plant this variety in the sun - in the shade the foliage loses color. Purpurascens quickly fills 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 Crimean Peninsula. It is undemanding to soil acidity and blooms from June to September.
Reddish clover is an amazing plant that does not even look very similar to 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, crimson-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 you with fluffy balls of inflorescences twice during the season.
How to plant clover
In nature, the perennial grows well without weeding or fertilizing. Planting clover will also not burden the owner of the plot, since the plant is very tenacious. But to make the green carpet smooth and beautiful, it is important to choose a place in the sun or partial shade, and also prepare the soil. It is very good if cereal crops grew on the site before.
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, their survival rate is poor.
1. Before planting, dig up the soil, remove weeds, and lightly level it.
2. For one square meter of lawn you will need approximately 320 seeds; sometimes gardeners pre-soak them for an hour. The 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. Cover the seeds by sprinkling them with a thin layer of soil, 1 centimeter thick is sufficient.
4. You should not water the area with a hose with strong pressure; it is better to use a nozzle for a fine rain. For a week after sowing, the soil should remain moist and you should not walk on the lawn. After about 14 days, the first clover sprouts will appear.
If you scatter the seeds by hand, your lawn will end up uneven. Clover is perennial, but short-lived. After about 3 years, the procedure will need to be repeated to reseed the lawn. You should not delay planting; if the seeds germinate only in August, they will not have time to take root before the onset of cold weather.
Trefoil usually blooms only the next year. But immediately after the emergence of seedlings, it is important to provide them with proper care; at a young age, clover is most vulnerable.
Clover care
The most important condition for the development of trefoil, regardless of the type, will be watering. Prolonged drought will certainly affect the decorative appearance of the lawn. Overmoistening can also be disastrous for meadow clover; white clover is more stable in this regard, and pink clover grows even in areas where groundwater is quite close. In any case, watering should be regular, about once a week, but moderate. Clover itself releases nitrogen, 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 with emerald perennials will provide a wonderful backdrop for brighter shrubs and trees. The plant can withstand trampling without any problems, there is no need to worry about this and limit the kids - let them run around. The shamrock will remain just as beautiful even in conditions of temperature changes.
Clover will have to be trimmed as it grows so that the area looks well-groomed and neat. A trimmer will come in handy; after this treatment, the plant will quickly recover and even bloom more profusely. In addition, it is advisable to ensure that the lawn does not grow too large. If the shamrock “settles” in nearby beds and neighboring flower beds, it will not be easy to remove it.