Clover

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Clover

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welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Sat Jul 03, 10 8:42 am Post subject: Clover
This year seems to have been a brilliant year for clover. It thrives on almost soil less areas . We dug out a bank behind the house and carted it below our buildings and this subsoil is now a full bed of white clover with the odd patch of red.- the same with an old lane across a field but the field is bare- just grass. The bees love it- the smell is nice and it looks great.

ksia

Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 2320
Location: Mayenne, France

Posted: Sat Jul 03, 10 12:49 pm Post subject:
Our clover's doing well and with bees now I've been scything round it.

Greenfoot

Joined: 04 Dec 2007
Posts: 324
Location: The veggie plot or getting stones

Posted: Sat Jul 03, 10 1:05 pm Post subject:
Hi. I value clover in the garden as it provides food for the bees and insects, a beautiful sight. A plus is the nitrogen it provides as a green manure.

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Mon Jul 05, 10 9:14 am Post subject:
I read about collecting/harvesting clover seeds and now is the time- early july. So today I will dead head some red and white to try it . Drying in the glasshouse. The plan is to scatter some in the autumn in the pasture fields.

misty07

Joined: 22 Jan 2010
Posts: 2223
Location: swindon wiltshire

Posted: Mon Jul 05, 10 11:10 am Post subject:
is that how you can reseed it? dead head the flowers and dry out?

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Mon Jul 05, 10 11:55 am Post subject:

daddymatty82 wrote:

is that how you can reseed it? dead head the flowers and dry out?

That's what I understand. The grass sward needs to raked/tilled a bit
sow the seed and hope nature takes its course.
I collected half a 3 gallon bucket of seeds quite quickly.
It is still a bit early here. The secret seems to be to get the black looking heads and just twist them a bit between thumb/forefinger and if they are ready the seeds leave the head readily.
On River Cottage once they said you could mix the seed in with cattle feed and nature would do your planting with a dollop of manure to help matters along.

Marches

Joined: 13 Dec 2011
Posts: 171
Location: Nr Peak District, England

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 11 10:23 pm Post subject:
Clover is wonderful stuff, it puts nitrogen into the soil and improves it and is also good for insects.

Marches

Joined: 13 Dec 2011
Posts: 171
Location: Nr Peak District, England

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 12 10:17 pm Post subject:
It seems to have appeared in my garden this year. Strange really, I've been scattering rabbit poo over it all winter. I'd have thought it'd be packed with nitrogen by now, certainly the fertile ground indicator weeds are present. It's not unwelcome though, I quite like it breaking up the monotony of grass and providing flowers for the bees in summer.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35081
Location: Devon

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 12 10:20 pm Post subject:

Marches wrote:

It seems to have appeared in my garden this year. Strange really, I've been scattering rabbit poo over it all winter. I'd have thought it'd be packed with nitrogen by now, certainly the fertile ground indicator weeds are present.
It's not unwelcome though, I quite like it breaking up the monotony of grass and providing flowers for the bees in summer.

The seeds were probably in the rp!

Marches

Joined: 13 Dec 2011
Posts: 171
Location: Nr Peak District, England

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 12 10:38 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

Marches wrote:

The seeds were probably in the rp!

Yeah, probably. My neighbours "lawn" is basically a meadow of white clover flowers and moss in summer, it's great. It could have spread from there.
I wonder how long clover seeds last in the seed bank? It had chickens on for about 4 years and so was devoid of vegetation. It's looking nice as a mini-orchard now though.

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