Key points of cultivation and management of white clover

Just hearing the name clover, we should know that it is a grass with three leaves. Clover is more common in our country, and it is generally used to decorate lawns, embankments, and so on, so its greening function is very large. secondly, it has a certain medicinal value, is a relatively common Chinese herbal medicine.

What is clover?

The genus Trifolium mainly includes three categories: clover (the most authentic clover at present), sorrel, alfalfa and others. Trifolium repens (also known as "white clover"), legume, clover is a short-term perennial herb, the growth period is up to 5 years. There are more than 300 species all over the world. White clover is an excellent forage grass, rich in protein and minerals, resistant to cold and heat, and can adapt to both acidic and alkaline soil. it is a promising species in this genus in China. It can be used as green manure, embankment protection grass, lawn decoration, honey source and medicinal materials. The occasional special variant has four leaves meaning "lucky grass". Red clover, white clover and hybrid clover are more cultivated in our country.

Clover is a perennial herb. The plant is low, 25cm to 40cm tall. Taproot, the root has the characteristics of symbiosis with rhizobium, the root tillering ability and regeneration ability are strong. If there are many branches, the creeping branches will grow on the ground, and the internodes will take root and sprout. Compound, trifoliolate, leaflets Obovate or obcordate, base cuneate, apex obtuse or retuse, margin serrulate, leaf surface center with V-shaped halo; stipules elliptic, clasping. Flowering in summer and autumn, head-shaped raceme, globose, total pedicel long, flowers white, occasionally reddish. While blooming, seed setting, the seed maturity is different, the seed is small.

Clover has strong vitality, short and creeping plants, resistance to cutting and self-sowing ability, so the mulching effect is good. Due to the ability of nitrogen fixation, there is not much demand for fertilizer. However, when there is no rain for a long time, we should pay attention to timely watering to fight the drought. The foliage is low, flowering many, and the green period is long. It is often used in decorated lawn and can be mixed in Kentucky bluegrass, purple fescue and so on. It can also be used as flowering vegetation, often used for slope greening, and has the function of soil and water conservation. White clover plants are low, with a height of only 30cm to 40cm, so there is generally no need to cut grass. However, it is resistant to cutting, and the effect of mulching can be restored quickly after cutting.

Cultivation techniques of clover

1. Land preparation

The seeds of white clover are small, and the soil strength at the top of the seedlings is poor, so the ground should be leveled and raked fine before sowing to facilitate seedling emergence. When planting in areas with heavy soil and heavy precipitation, ditches should be made to facilitate drainage. 2. Sowing seeds

Autumn sowing from September to October is the best, and it can also be sowed in spring from March to April. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the seeds are generally sown around the middle of September, with a seed amount of 15 grams per square meter, sowing or strip sowing, with a row spacing of 30 cm. It is better to sow seeds after dressing with the same amount of fertile soil. Keep the soil moist after sowing, the seedlings can emerge in 3-5 days, and the whole seedlings can be planted in 10 days.

3. Fertilization

Applying a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer is beneficial to strong seedlings. Fertilization is mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer is applied. Before sowing, 25 kg of calcium superphosphate and a certain amount of barnyard manure were applied per mu as base fertilizer. After emergence, the plants with short and yellow leaves should be applied with a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer and 10 kg urea or corresponding amount of ammonium sulfate per mu to promote strong seedlings. In March, compound fertilizer was applied to the root of lawn at the rate of 30kg / mu and 40kg / mu, and then watered, which could obviously enhance the growth, improve the ability of resistance to high temperature and reduce the phenomenon of dead grass.

Key points in the management of clover 1. Field management

White clover grows slowly in seedling stage and is vulnerable to weeds, so weeds should be removed frequently in seedling stage, especially in spring sowing. When the grass layer is 25 cm high, it can be properly cut to enhance ventilation and ventilation. After cutting, the ability of regeneration is strong, and the second stubble grass layer can be formed quickly. In the hot season, the growth of white clover stops. Large weeds should be removed in time within 3 years after the formation of grass mulch. If the lack of seedlings is caused by high temperature and drought in summer, it can be reseeded in autumn to restore the neatness of the lawn. White clover disease is rare, and sometimes brown spot and powdery mildew occur, which can be cut first, and then controlled with Bordeaux solution, stone-sulfur mixture or carbendazim. There are many pests of white clover, especially grubs and snails. The medicament selected for grub is 50% methyl isosinophos according to 3 kg of water per mu and 3000 kg of water in mid-April and late July to early August respectively. After spraying, the water is sprayed in time to make the water wet through the ground 7m ~ 10cm, and the grub dies after touching the medicinal soil. The effect of this method on a small number of older larvae is still not ideal. For snails, the control effect of spraying insecticides is very poor, while using Wukexing granules scattered on the lawn in the evening, the dosage is 1.5ml 2 grams, the effect is very good, the mortality rate is more than 90%.

2. Winter management

Removal of withered branches, withered leaves, white clover in the growth process, with the continuous renewal of new and old branches and leaves, the surface will gradually form a thicker layer of withered branches and leaves, which is a place for bacteria and insect eggs to survive the winter. The removal of withered branches and leaves will have a good inhibitory effect on the occurrence of diseases and insect pests in the coming year. Before the cold winter comes, watering the overwintering water (permeating about 15 to 20 cm), combined with anti-freezing application of organic fertilizer, not only provides sufficient nutrients for lawn growth in the coming year, but also has a certain heat preservation effect. In this way, through winter fertilizer and frozen water, it can not only improve the soil nutrient and water condition, ensure safe overwintering, but also create good conditions for the green growth of the lawn in the following year.

Planting time of clover

Before sowing, the seed germination test should be carried out to grasp the seed germination rate and germination potential. The germination rate of clover seeds is 75%-85%, and its germination potential is very strong. All clover seeds can germinate 2-3 days after sowing, and all seedlings can emerge 4-5 days after sowing. Before sowing, clover rhizobium can be used to mix seeds. After inoculating rhizobium, clover grows vigorously and the effect of nitrogen fixation is enhanced. The method of seed dressing is to mash the root nodules of clover and dilute the seeds with water, and the soaked seeds shall prevail. It can also be mixed with the commercial clover rhizobium agent.

Clover can be sowed in spring or autumn, spring in late March and autumn in mid-September. Autumn sowing is dominant in the south and spring sowing is dominant in the north. Sowing can also be done in summer, but after sowing, the topsoil must be moist or shaded with mulch. The suitable sowing rate of Sanye Jianping is 8~10g/ grain. There are 1400 to 2000 seeds per gram of clover. In theory, one seed per square centimeter of soil can meet the needs of forming a flat. The actual sowing rate is larger than the theoretical sowing rate.

When sowing, the seeds are divided equally according to the plot area and the determined sowing amount, and the seeds are evenly mixed with dry soil or fine river sand, and sowed artificially. If the lawn is planted in a large area, it can be sown with a whirlwind seeder. The sowing depth of clover is 1~1.5cm. After the seeds are sown in the turf bed, the seeds can be raked into the soil with lawn rakes, or 1cm can be covered with fertile soil or substrate.

The planting of clover is very extensive in our country, and its planting is mainly for the purpose of greening the environment. In fact, there are still a lot of cultivation techniques and management skills in the process of planting clover. Through the introduction of the above editor, we must have a general understanding of this. I hope these methods can help you.