Characteristics of sweet clover and why it is good as green manure, how to sow correctly

Many gardeners strive to improve the soil structure. To do this, they often use green fertilizers. With the right choice of green manure for specific crops, it is possible to saturate the soil with valuable substances. Using sweet clover as green manure is considered a very effective method. This plant provides the soil with everything it needs and is considered low maintenance.

Characteristics

Sweet clover is a herbaceous legume that can grow up to 2 meters in height. It is characterized by small flowers of different shades.There are a number of varieties of sweet clover - arctic, white, yellow, jagged.

The culture is considered undemanding in terms of soil composition. It is resistant to cold and needs good lighting. The plant sprouts quickly. With the arrival of spring, its shoots are often added to salads. Subsequently, foliage is not suitable for this.

Pros and cons of sweet clover as green manure

Using clover has many advantages:

• Possibility of use for carbonate solonetzic soils;
• ability to accumulate a lot of nitrogen;
• loosening the soil and improving its structure - this effect is achieved due to developed roots;
• reduction of soil salinity - this result is achieved due to the release of carbonic acid by the root system;
• fertilizing the soil - both the roots and stems of the plant are considered fertilizer;
• soil improvement - the crop easily copes with various types of rot, destroys nematodes and wireworms.

At the same time, sweet clover also has a number of disadvantages. These include the following:

• the formation of an abundance of greenery - if the shoots are not cut off in a timely manner, they become too tough and cannot be used as top dressing;
• risk of developing powdery mildew;
• poor tolerance to acidic soil - sweet clover grows best in neutral soils.

Which crops to sow in front of?

Sweet clover can be used for almost all cultivated plants. The only exception is legumes. Grass is often used as the first plant to be planted in very neglected or uncultivated soil.

It is especially effective to use sweet clover in front of potatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. It is also permissible to plant it in front of garden strawberries and bell peppers.

Landing

To achieve the required results, it is important to carry out planting work correctly. In this case, it is worth considering a number of rules.

Soil preparation

Before planting a plant as a green manure, it is recommended to pay attention to soil preparation. It needs to be dug up and leveled, removing all large particles, plant root systems, and debris. It is also necessary to add phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to the soil.

Then you need to make furrows in the ground to plant the plant. Their depth should be 3 centimeters. It is important to ensure that the soil is not too wet. Groundwater must be at a depth of more than 1 meter. After planting is completed, it is recommended to roll the soil.

Spring planting

To sow sweet clover in spring, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Before planting, soak the sweet clover seeds in water and leave for 24 hours. This will speed up the growth process and strengthen the seeds.
2. For accelerated germination, it is necessary to damage the hard shell of the seeds 1 month before planting. To do this, they should be wiped with sandpaper. Thanks to this, sprouts will appear within 1 week.
3. If the soil is too dry, it needs to be well moistened.
4. Seeds need to be planted to a depth of approximately 2 centimeters. In this case, the interval between rows is 55 centimeters, and between plants - 25-30.
5. After the sweet clover has germinated, the plantings should be loosened. This is done until the plant reaches 10-15 centimeters in height.

With this type of planting, the plants will begin to bloom in the first year. However, they will not have enough time for the seeds to ripen. This will happen only next year. If sweet clover is grown exclusively as green manure, it is not necessary to allow it to ripen until the seeds are ripe. You can cut off the shoots much earlier.

Autumn planting

Before planting, it is recommended to do the following:

• remove tops and weeds;
• loosen the soil - this is done to a depth of 3 centimeters;
• water the beds;
• Scatter the sweet clover seeds and arrange them in rows.

If the crop begins to form buds by the time cold weather sets in, it needs to be mowed and left in the garden. When small sprouts appear in severe frosts, the upper parts will die under the snow cover. At the same time, in the spring the soil will be ready for planting the main plants. If planted late, sprouts will appear in the spring and begin to actively grow in mass.

Care

Mature crops do not need frequent watering, as they are resistant to drought. However, they need to be fertilized with phosphorus and potassium.

When growing grass that is 2 years old, there is a risk of its roots being flooded by melt water. This will lead to the death of the crop, as it will cause rotting of the roots. This is the advantage of an annual crop. It is planted in the spring and harvested in the autumn.

Cleaning

It is important to avoid rapid growth of the crop, since from a certain point coarse stems cannot be used as fertilizing. Therefore, it is recommended to mow the sweet clover when buds form, when the stems grow to 40-50 centimeters.

To trim sweet clover, you should use a flat cutter. It is recommended to pre-treat the bushes with EM preparations. This improves the saturation of the soil with valuable elements.

Sweet clover is considered an effective green manure that helps improve the structure of the soil. It is important to plant the grass correctly and provide it with adequate care.