How to Plant Four-Leaf Clover? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods
The appearance of a four-leaf clover may be due to injury between the leaves of a three-leaf clover (which still has three leaves), and when it recovers, an extra new leaf unexpectedly grows, turning it into a four-leaf clover. However, the possibility of gene mutation cannot be ruled out either, and because of its extreme rarity it is endowed with many special meanings. Now let us take a look together at how to plant four-leaf clover!
Growth Habits of Four-Leaf Clover
Four-leaf clover has no strict requirements for soil and can adapt to various soil types, growing well in slightly acidic soil. It prefers warm, sunny conditions with good drainage. Under drought conditions it grows slowly, and in high-temperature seasons some plants may wither and die. It tolerates pruning and trampling, with strong regeneration ability; within 10 days after pruning it can grow new small leaves, and after heavy trampling or rolling it can recover in 3 to 5 days. It has strong cold resistance: when the temperature drops to 0°C, some old leaves turn yellow and wither, and the small leaves on the main root cling close to the ground and stop growing, but remain green. Under heavy shade it tends to grow leggy, resulting in poor growth. It has strong resistance to harmful gas pollution and to pests and diseases.
Planting Value of Four-Leaf Clover
1. Economic value: Four-leaf clover is widely distributed and highly adaptable. It is both an excellent feed for livestock and a good preceding crop for agricultural crops. It is also an excellent low-growing crop for covering orchard ground, and at the same time serves as a plant for soil and water conservation, a nectar source, a medicinal plant, green manure, lawn ground cover, and an excellent soil-improving crop. Since it was introduced to the Kunming area for trial planting in the 1970s and succeeded, it has been promoted and applied over large areas, producing good economic, social and ecological benefits, and it is suitable for large-scale artificial planting.
2. Medicinal value: Four-leaf clover tastes sour and sweet, is cool in nature, and has the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness, detoxifying and reducing swelling. It is mainly used for colds with fever, enteritis, urinary tract infections, urinary tract stones, neurasthenia and other conditions. Externally it is used to treat bruises, venomous snake bites, carbuncles, swellings and sores, athlete's foot, eczema, burns and scalds, and other conditions.
Planting Methods for Four-Leaf Clover
1. Propagation method: Four-leaf clover propagation mainly uses division. Divide the plants in spring when repotting, splitting the parent plant into several clumps and planting them in pots; placing them in a damp, shaded environment makes it easy for them to survive.
2. Field management: Four-leaf clover grows slowly at the seedling stage. To prevent weed damage, carry out 1 to 2 rounds of intertillage, loosening the soil and weeding. If pest damage is found, control it promptly. For grassland that has been growing for more than two years, the soil layer becomes compacted and poor in aeration. Before greening up in spring and autumn and before regrowth after grazing or mowing, harrow and loosen the soil, and apply fertilizer along with loosening the soil, applying 20 to 25 kg of superphosphate per mu, or 5 to 8 kg of diammonium phosphate, to promote the growth and development of new shoots and new roots.
3. Fertilizer and water management: Four-leaf clover has relatively high requirements for soil moisture. Where irrigation conditions are available, irrigate when the soil is dry or in conjunction with topdressing. In mixed-sown grassland, because the growth rates of forage grasses differ between early and late stages, uncoordinated growth may occur as they compete for light, water and nutrients; or when growth is inhibited by excessive nitrogen application, adjust growth by applying more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer and by grazing, so as to control the growth of grass-family forage and avoid it being inhibited or disappearing from the mixed-sown grassland.
4. Disease control: The main diseases of four-leaf clover are anthracnose and leaf spot. They can be sprayed with a 1000-fold dilution of 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder. In indoor conditions with poor ventilation, stems and leaves are prone to damage by scale insects; spray with a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate to kill them.