Clover is a ground cover plant with about 300 known species. Most have the familiar three-leaf shape and ball-like cluster type flowers in white, red, pink, purple or yellow. White clover is the most common in North America and an important feed crop.
Pollination
Honey bees are essential in the pollination of clover. Farmers build bee hives in clover fields to not only aid the plants but to cultivate clover honey.
Seeds
Clover seeds are produced in large numbers. They have hard shells and can remain dormant for years until conditions are favorable for germination.
Scarification
The seeds' hard shells are broken down by going through an animal’s intestinal system, usually cows or sheep. This is called scarification. The animals also help spread the seeds in this fashion.
Manual Spreading
Farmers who grow clover spread the seeds on the surface using a cultipacker, which gives the seeds a light covering of soil. Seeding is normally done in February or March and may include a mixture of other grass seeds.
White Clover
Though white clover does produce seeds, it also spreads by taking root along its creeping stems at structures called nodes. This helps the clover spread out over a large area. Clover still needs the aid or animals or humans to propagate in new territory.
White clover belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae) and is classified as a perennial. Plants form patches through branching stems that grow prostrate along the soil surface and root at nodes. Foliage typically dies back in winter and new leaves are produced from crown tissues in spring.
The Microclover varieties that we use flower less prolifically than standard White Clover and they tend to spread well, so you don't have the same patchy look you get with regular White Clover.
As clover seeds are very small, hand spreading is required. To make this easier, I'd recommend mixing the clover seed in a bucket with sand and spreading that as a way to get more even coverage. Until the seeds germinate and the clover is established, water when it doesn't rain.
Clover is resilient, and its strength actually smothers other weeds. If your mower is tired of picking up those pesky, hard-to-kill weeds, clover may be the way to go. Growing clover does not allow room for typical lawn weeds to thrive, meaning the lawns you mow could be weed-free and beautiful!
There are two main groups of clover: perennial and annual. Perennial clover is the more popular option since annual clover dies out more quickly. With perennial clover, you will need to reseed every two to three years. Annual clover will need to be reseeded every year.
Clover establishes best between 15 March and 15 September. Sowing in early spring is not preferable. It's best to sow clover after an early arable crop, such as cereals or seed potatoes.
The seed count is determined by experts in agronomy, not an armchair plotter who thinks they know more. Set the spreader low and cover the same area 3 times if need be, but don't lay it down too thick as you will run out of seed, and the areas you over seed clover in will choke themselves out.
Some potential downsides of a clover lawn include its tendency to attract bees (which may be an issue for those with allergies or concerns about pets and children), its invasive growth pattern, and its potentially uneven appearance compared to a traditional grass lawn.
Microclover is less aggressive and grows lower to the ground, so it'll smother weeds without interfering with turfgrass growth. It's an excellent addition to tall fescue, fine fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass lawns.
Place clover seeds in a quart jar or other sprouting container. Add ¼-½ cup cool water, cover with a sprouting screen or mesh sprouting lid and soak 8 hours or overnight. A humid environment will help the seeds germinate faster, but make sure you're being safe.
Lightly rake the seeds into the soil to ensure good contact without burying them deeply. Water the area thoroughly and keep moist until germination. As the clover seedlings emerge, they will begin to establish, spread, and become thicker and denser over time.
While the grass seed should germinate if you just throw it on the surface, you should know that there are a few negative effects of planting the seeds in this way. It could harm the speed and success of germination and may leave you with patchy and uneven coverage.
The tiny clover and chicory seeds make easy seed-to-soil contact. For late summer/fall planting (north or south) there are numerous choices – products with cereal grains like Outfitter's Blend, or brassica blends like Maximum, Deer Radish or Winter Bulbs & Sugar Beets should produce good stands in a no-till situation.
Lightly rake the seeds into the soil to ensure good contact without burying them deeply. Water the area thoroughly and keep moist until germination. As the clover seedlings emerge, they will begin to establish, spread, and become thicker and denser over time.
The seed count is determined by experts in agronomy, not an armchair plotter who thinks they know more. Set the spreader low and cover the same area 3 times if need be, but don't lay it down too thick as you will run out of seed, and the areas you over seed clover in will choke themselves out.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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