How to Plant Clover? A Complete Guide to the Latest Planting Methods

Clover (the four-leaf clover is a rare variant of plants in the Trifolium genus, symbolizing the lucky clover) is a general term for various herbaceous plants with trifoliate palmate compound leaves, also known as white clover, white trefoil, Dutch clover, etc. It grows three leaves, is very cute and endearing. Let's take a look below at how to plant clover!

Clover Growing Habits

Clover prefers warm, sunny conditions with good drainage. It is not demanding about soil and can adapt to various soil types, growing well in slightly acidic soil. It has strong cold tolerance. When the temperature drops to 0°C, some older leaves turn yellow and withered, and the small leaves on the main root cling close to the ground and stop growing, but the other leaves remain green. Under strong shade it tends to grow leggy, resulting in poor growth. It has strong resistance to harmful gas pollution and to pests and diseases.

Clover Propagation by Seeding

1. Sowing time: Clover can be sown in spring or autumn, in late March for spring and mid-September for autumn. In the south, autumn sowing is preferred, while in the north, spring sowing is preferred. It can also be sown in summer, but after sowing the topsoil must be kept moist or covered with mulch for shade. The sowing rate for clover is suitably 8-10 grams per sq m. Each gram of clover contains 1400-2000 seeds. Theoretically, 1 seed per square centimeter of soil is enough to meet the needs of forming a lawn, but the actual sowing rate is larger than the theoretical rate.

2. Sowing method: When sowing clover, divide the seeds equally according to the plot area and the determined sowing rate, mix the seeds evenly with dry soil or fine river sand, and broadcast by hand. For large-area lawn establishment, a cyclone seeder can be used for broadcasting. The sowing depth is 1-1.5 cm. After the seeds are spread onto the seedbed, a lawn rake can be used to rake the seeds into the soil, or 1 cm of fertile soil or substrate can be used to cover them.

Clover Planting Methods

1. Soil selection: Clover seeds are tiny, the seedlings are slender and weak at emerging, and growth at the seedling stage is extremely slow. Before planting, deep plowing is needed, the ground should be leveled, and clods should be broken up fine so that the sowing layer soil is loose and level.

2. Timely fertilization: Clover has its own nitrogen-fixing ability, but at the seedling stage the rhizobia have not yet formed, so a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer should be added to help strengthen the seedlings. Additional phosphorus and potassium fertilizer has a very good yield-increasing effect. Once the clover has grown larger, only phosphorus and potassium fertilizer need to be added.

3. Maintenance and management: Clover has relatively high requirements for soil moisture. Where irrigation conditions are available, irrigate when the soil is dry or in combination with topdressing. For clover lawns that have grown for more than 2 years, the soil layer is compacted and poor in aeration. Before green-up in spring and autumn and before regrowth after grazing or mowing, harrowing and loosening the soil should be carried out, combined with topdressing, to facilitate the growth and development of new shoots and new roots.

4. Pest and disease control: Clover has few diseases, but if harvesting is not timely, brown spot and powdery mildew sometimes occur. It can first be cut and used, then treated with Bordeaux mixture, lime sulfur mixture, or carbendazim, etc. Stems and leaves are susceptible to damage by scale insects, which can be killed by spraying with a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.