Is clover easy to grow?

Legend of Clover Flower language

The flower language of clover is happiness.

According to legend, whoever finds a clover with four leaves, that is, four-leaf clover (also known as lucky clover), will be happy. So in some European countries, people who see clover on the side of the road almost always put it away and flatten it so that they can give it to others in the future to express their best wishes to their friends. A leaf of four-leaf clover represents prayer, a leaf represents hope, a leaf represents love, and the last leaf represents happiness.

The legendary four-leaf clover is brought to the earth by Eve from the Garden of Eden, and the flower language is happiness. Also known as clover. There are usually only 3 leaves, and the chance of finding 4 leaves is only 1/10000, implying happiness and blessings from heaven.

Morphological characteristics of clover

Clover is a perennial herb. The plant is low, 30cm 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.

Common varieties of clover

There are three main types of clover, namely, white clover, crimson clover and safflower clover.

1. White clover. Also known as Trifolium repens. It was first cultivated in Holland in the late 16th century and is now widely distributed in temperate regions. It is cultivated in the south and southwest of Huaihe River. Perennial herbs that take root on the ground. The stem is slender and soft, creeping on the ground, the plant is 30-60 cm tall. Petiole long, leaflets Obovate or subobcordate, leaf margin serrulate. Head with 10-80 flowers, white or purplish red. The pod is Obovate-rectangular, with 3 or 4 seeds per pod. The seeds are nearly round and yellow, and the weight of a thousand seeds is 0.5-0.7 grams.

2. Crimson clover. Also known as Crimson clover. Originated in Europe, distributed in northeastern Europe and North America and other places. Widely introduced and cultivated in Huaibei and the south of the Yangtze River in China. It can be used as forage grass, ground cover vegetation or green manure, as well as fallow crops. Annual or perennial herbs. The stem is round and hollow, about 70 cm high. The leaf blade is nearly round, both sides are short hairy, the petiole is large, the stipules are round and large, membranous. Head cylindric, flowers crimson. The pod is Obovate, containing 1 seed. The seeds are round, yellow or brown and weigh 3.2 grams.

3. Safflower clover. Also known as red clover. It is distributed in Europe, the United States, New Zealand and other regions, and is also cultivated in the south of the Huaihe River in China. Stem erect or obliquely ascending, round and concave-convex longitudinally striated, 60 cm high. There are light white V-shaped markings on the leaflets, the leaf surface is hairy, entire. Head, with more than 100 flowers, red-purple, self-flowering is not sturdy. Pods Obovate, pericarp membranous, containing 1 seed per pod. Seeds reniform or subtriangular, yellowish brown, weighing about 1.5 grams.

The value and application of clover

The turf planted by Gramineae turfgrass species has become a limiting condition for the development of turf industry because of frequent pruning and large amount of watering, and the use of white clover lawn can overcome these shortcomings. The advantages of planting lawn with white clover are as follows:

(1) there is no need for construction and the management intensity is small. The stem of white flower clover is stolon, the plant is low, and the height is generally between 10~20cm. Therefore, the planted lawn can not be mowed.

(2) the watering times are less and the management is more extensive. White clover has a well-developed root system, can make use of deep soil moisture, and is not too strict on soil moisture. Therefore, the watering times can be reduced and extensive management can be carried out.

(3) Natural renewal and everlasting lawn. White clover does not need pruning, so the plant can blossom and bear fruit. If the seeds are born on the ground, they can renew naturally and make the lawn last for a long time.

(4) it has strong encroachment and good appreciation. The stolon of white clover spreads in all directions, and its stem node takes root on the ground. when the mother plant dies or the stem is cut off, the stolon can form a new independent clump. Therefore, it has a strong invasiveness. Clover is a broad-leaved plant, and its leaves extend horizontally, which can effectively cover the ground and inhibit the growth of weeds. Therefore, once the white clover lawn becomes a flat, it is not easy for weeds to invade, which can make the lawn neat and beautiful.

Distribution of producing areas of clover

Clover grasslands are found in southern Asia minor and southeastern Europe. Widely distributed in temperate and subtropical high-altitude areas. It can be planted in all areas of China except South China.

The living habits of clover

Clover has strong cold tolerance. When the temperature dropped to 0 ℃, some of the old leaves were withered and yellow, and the leaflets on the main root were close to the ground and stopped growing, but still remained green. Therefore, the green period is very long. The requirement of soil is not strict, it can adapt to various soil types, and grow well in acidic soil. Like warm, sunny, good drainage environmental conditions. The growth is slow under the condition of drought, and some die in the high temperature season. Resistant to pruning, trampling, strong regeneration ability, regeneration leaflets can grow within 10 days after pruning. After high strength trampling or rolling, it can be recovered in 3 to 5 days. It is easy to grow under strong shade, resulting in poor growth. Strong ability to resist harmful gas pollution and disease and insect pests.