All about lawn care made of white clover

Creeping clover is a plant familiar to almost every person living in temperate countries. Previously, it was used as fodder, and now, thanks to its appearance, fragrantness and unpretentiousness, clover has become popular as a lawn grass. It is grown on lawns, lawns, rockeries and alpine slides. This article will help you learn how to plant and grow a lawn of white clover. You will see his photo, find out the pros and cons of this option, as well as the nuances of the choice and preparation of a suitable place.

Biological features

Creeping clover belongs to the genus Clover, a family of legumes, subfamily Moth. It has the widest range, originally distributed throughout Europe, in Central, Minor and Western Asia, in the Caucasus and North Africa. This is a herbaceous perennial plant with a developed root system, a creeping bare stem, complex tripled leaves with small elongated leaves and spherical flower heads,gathered in panicles.

Blossoms 2 times per season. The fruits of clover are orange and yellow-gray bean pods with 3-4 seeds, shaped like a heart. Seeds ripen from June to July. Clover grows best in places with a humid and cool climate and prefers loamy soils that are rich in humus, with good moisture, but not stagnant water.

The advantages and disadvantages of such a lawn

Like any other, the lawn of clover has its distinct advantages and disadvantages. No wonder they say that gardeners are divided into those who want to get clover on the site and those who want to get him out of there.

pros

So, let's talk about the positive:

• Simplicity. White creeping clover is almost an ideal choice for beginning gardeners and gardeners, simple planting and simple care make it the best option for the first attempts to create a beautiful lawn. Even if we forget about watering and feeding the lawn for the whole summer, nothing terrible will happen.
• Decorative. Simple shamrocks create a very soft and delicate coating.It will delight you with delicate greenery from May to the end of autumn. The gaps between the trees, near the fences and buildings, as well as other bald spots on the site with it can be made more aesthetic.
• Wear resistance. You get a thick, long-term lawn, quickly recovering from mowing and other "stresses." Active games of children, running, ball games, dog pranks, temperature drops and direct sunlight will not be able to damage this grass, trampled leaves quickly regain their original appearance.
• Availability. Since a number of varieties are used in agriculture as fodder or green manure, the seeds can be bought much cheaper by contacting the appropriate stores. And if you independently collect the seeds, it will cost absolutely free. In addition, you can save on fertilizing and fertilizer.
• Ability to improve soil. Since clover enriches the soil with nitrogen, it is recommended to use it as a precursor before planting vegetables. In addition, thanks to a powerful root system, it perfectly survives weeds from the site.
• Melliferous. Clover will attract bees with its fragrant flowering,which will pollinate other plants on the site. Such a fragrant carpet is especially suitable for people containing an apiary.
• Pet food. Clover - an excellent food for chickens, goats or cows, hamsters and guinea pigs will also be grateful for such a treat. This herb is not only tasty, but also useful.

Minuses

Often the disadvantages of clover - a continuation of its advantages:

• Aggressiveness. This plant is not for nothing called creeping. It is not only quickly seizing new territories, but it is also difficult to get rid of it, thanks to its powerful roots. If you do not take care of limiting the territory in which the clover is planted, he can seize all the plantings or the garden.
• Non-permanent aesthetics. Immediately after the bevel, such a lawn does not look very attractive. Although this grass grows quickly, it will take some time to look at the "inside" of the lawn. In addition, fading flower heads also look untidy.
• Melliferous. The bees on the plot are both a virtue and a disadvantage, especially for those who like walking barefoot on the grass.
• Hygroscopicity. Under the leafy cover of clover, moisture is well retained and the lawn dries long after the rain. Therefore, in wet weather, it is subject to various fungal diseases. Various slugs, especially grapes, and other insects often gather under its leaves. After the haircut, they all become visible, which does not add to the lawn appeal.
• Slippage. Such plants have a very slippery texture, so it is easy to slip and fall on such a coating, especially on wet slopes.
• Pest Attraction. Root tubers of plants attract wireworms - these are worm-shaped larvae of click beetles, which cause great damage to vegetable gardens.
• Frequent haircut. Many of the above disadvantages are solved by frequent mowing the lawn, so you have to do it many times.

Use in herbal mixtures

Since clover is an aggressive plant, when grown outdoors, it is not advisable to combine it with flowers and herbs that have a more fragile root system. He simply will not allow such neighbors to develop and score them in the garden. In addition, because of its specificity, this plant is not suitable for all types of lawns, therefore, it is recommended to use it as a lawn grass in mixtures for playgrounds, decorative lawns, for strengthening slopes and slopes, and at the same time for parterre and sports lawns it is unacceptable .

In mixed lawns, clover improves the growth of cereals (eg, ryegrass) by saturating the soil with nitrogen, giving the lawn a lush green color.

To create meadow lawns on relatively dry, barren soils, the following herbal mixture is recommended: red fescue - 25%, ordinary bent - 25%, meadow bluegrass - 25%, creeping clover - 25%. For sowing slopes and slopes, this mixture is offered: meadow bluegrass - 30%, meadow fescue - 30%, white bent - 30%, creeping clover - 10%.

Location selection

As mentioned earlier, the clover, despite its unpretentiousness and stability, has its own specific features, with their consideration and should choose a place for its landing.

This plant does not tolerate shading, at the same time it grows well in open, brightly lit areas - excessive moisture is detrimental to it due to rot, mold and parasites. Thanks to thick roots, it grows easily on the slopes, strengthening them. The white shamrock grows well on loam, preferring neutral or slightly acidic soil. Based on this, it is advisable to plant it on large open areas and lawns. It is well suited for not very shaded areas of the garden, separate bald spots, empty places near fences and buildings.

As a lawn grass it is in grass mixtures and in itself is suitable for children's and sports grounds (but not fields), ornamental lawns, Moorish lawn. Looks great on the slopes, alpine hills and rose gardens. Thanks to its strong roots, it can be used to strengthen the slopes.

Site preparation

After choosing a place on the site for white clover, it is necessary to prepare the surface for a lawn, since, despite its unpretentiousness, it is not recommended to plant it in untreated land. The ground is previously dug up on half a spade of a shovel (15-20 cm.), The soil is loosened and sifted, clearing from the roots of weeds, debris and stones. Then give a few days to land settled. Seeds should be planted in moist soil, and if the weather is dry, the ground should be watered - with a lack of moisture, the seeds will not grow for a long time.

As a feed you can make potash and phosphate fertilizers at the rate of 300-400 g per hundred. If the soil is very acidic, it is desirable to lime, it increases the frost resistance of clover.

Sowing seeds

When the average daily temperature rises to 10-13 ° C, clover can be sown in open ground. This is done in spring, from April to June, or in early autumn. But when autumn sowing it is necessary to meet the deadlines so that the young growth has had time to grow at least 7 cm to the first frost. On 1 square. m of lawn accounts for about 300 seeds (about 10 g).Before sowing, to ensure its uniformity, the seeds can be mixed with sand in a ratio of one to one. The mixture is then uniformly dispersed throughout the area.

From above, seeds are sprinkled with a layer no more than 1 cm thick. After that, it is desirable to roll the earth with a special roller, it can be replaced with a smooth log, a loaded barrel, etc. It is undesirable to water the area with a hose under pressure, it is better to use a rain head. Somewhere in 2 weeks the first shoots will seem. Flowering occurs in the second year.

Lawn care

Caring for such a lawn is simple and easy. It blooms twice in the summer. The first bloom occurs in June, the second - in August. In between, it is worth cutting the lawn and cleaning dried stems with flower heads. You can water occasionally, clover is enough for normal rainfall. The emergence of weeds creates difficulties, because you have to manually remove them, as it is not resistant to herbicides.

Thanks to a regular haircut, you can get not only a lawn with a neat and fluffy clover cover, but also provide a second beautiful wave of flowering at the end of summer. For a more lush flowering or dense emerald foliage, you can spray the lawn with boric fertilizers.However, even if care is minimized, the appearance of the lawn will remain perfectly acceptable.

A good neat lawn that does not require constant care and hard work can be obtained by planting this beautiful, useful and beautiful plant on your plot.