A Detailed Guide to the Latest Clover Seed Sowing Methods
Clover (the four-leaf clover is a rare variant of plants in the genus Trifolium) is the general term for a variety of herbaceous plants that have trifoliate palmate compound leaves, mainly including certain species in the genus Trifolium and the genus Medicago of the family Fabaceae (Leguminosae), as well as the genus Oxalis of the family Oxalidaceae. It is mainly propagated by sowing. Let us take a look below at how to sow clover seeds!
Clover Sowing Time
Clover can be sown in spring or autumn, in late March for spring and in mid-September for autumn. In the south, autumn sowing is the main method, while in the north, spring sowing is the main method. 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 preferably 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 sowing rate.
Clover Sowing Methods
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 them by hand. If establishing a lawn over a large area, a cyclone seeder can be used for broadcasting. The sowing depth is 1-1.5 cm. After the seeds are broadcast onto the seedbed, a lawn rake can be used to rake the seeds into the soil, or fertile soil or substrate can be used to cover them by 1 cm.
Management After Sowing Clover
1. Management before lawn formation: Clover grows slowly at the seedling stage. After the seeds are sown onto the seedbed, if a sprinkler irrigation system has been installed in advance, sprinkler irrigation can be used; if there is no sprinkler irrigation system, a homemade nozzle can be used for manual spraying and irrigation. Spray every morning or evening, always keeping the seedbed surface moist until emergence. After emergence, the number of waterings can be reduced, but careful management is still needed. Seedling-stage management lasts about 30-50 days. During this period, in addition to paying attention to watering to keep the seedbed moist, weeds must also be removed at any time, mainly by hand pulling, to prevent weed damage.
2. Management after lawn formation: Because clover has strong invasiveness, it does not require intertillage and weeding. Because nitrogen-fixing rhizobia can absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form usable by plants, fertilization is mainly based on phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, with no or little nitrogen fertilizer applied. During the peak growing season and overwintering, sufficient water must be supplied to ensure vigorous growth and safe overwintering. Before midsummer, mowing can be carried out once, and enough water should be applied to keep the plants green. Before overwintering, mow once more and apply enough winter water. In this way, when growth resumes the following year, there will be no withered and yellow branches and leaves on the lawn surface. It has strong resistance to pollution and pests and diseases, and there are relatively few pests and diseases. When pests such as leafhoppers, weevils, and cutworms are found, dimethoate, dichlorvos, and similar insecticides can be used for spraying and killing.