Clover refers to plants that grows in the temperate climate zone. Wet soil is well suited for cultivation; drought negatively affects its growth. During the growing season, low temperatures are favorable. Shoots safely tolerate small frosts. Severe frosts with sufficient snow cover do not have a negative effect on clover. Sow grass in the spring, having previously processed and fertilized the soil.
Growing conditions
This plant belongs to the genus Clover, the family of legumes, the subfamily of Moths. Europe is considered his homeland. It has cold resistance, its seeds germinate at 2-3 degrees, seedlings appear on the 5-8th day. He loves moisture, with its lack of growth slows down, and sometimes the plant dies.
On the other hand, with waterlogging, the plant dies. Clover (description below) is shade-tolerant, unpretentious to soils, but prefers sod-podzolic, gray forest and black soil, does not like saline land. It belongs to siderat plants, forming nodules containing nitrogen on the roots. It has valuable nutritional properties due to its high protein content and is used as a feed crop. Meadow clover is an excellent honey plant, but only bees with long proboscis can collect honey. Since time immemorial, it has been used in folk medicine.
Clover description
The clover genus in Latin is called Trifolium, which means shamrock. This name is given for the structure of the leaves. All types of clover have a ternary complex structure, plants with four leaves are quite rare. In the dark, they form and rise, and straighten with the dawn. The main stem is shortened, contains a large number of basal leaves, in the axils of which flower stalks grow. Stems omitted, ribbed, inside hollow or filled. The shape of the bushes is half-spaced or sprawling. The leaves are of a complex triple structure and contain white spots in the middle of the leaf plate. Color from bright to dark green. The ovoid shape of the stipules is pointed. They fused with the petiole and are weakly lowered. The flowers are small (red, pink, yellow, white and other colors) are collected in inflorescences in the form of a spherical head, in some species - brushes. Each flower has a green calyx and a five-petal nimbus with a moth structure. The flower contains one pestle and ten stamens. The fruit is leathery with 1–2, rarely 3–6 seeds.
They are very small and colored in different types of clover from light yellow to dark brown in color, have a bean-like shape.
Inflorescences and flowers
Many people confuse the inflorescence with flowers, so the red clover hat is an inflorescence called the head.
Inflorescence is small flowers located quite close to each other. Their advantage is that they are easier to spot with insects. The pollination efficiency of this increases. There are complex or simple inflorescences. In clover, the latter is presented:
- Head. The thick main axis is slightly shortened, on top of which there are a small bunch of flowers on short pedicels.
- With a brush. Small pedicels, one after another, depart from the common axis, and at their ends are flowers.
Growing clover
For clover propagation, seeds purchased in a specialized store are effective. Cleaned from weeds and treated place sown. Sowing them in early spring, seedlings can be expected in about ten days. The root system is formed very quickly and stems and leaves begin to grow. An unpretentious plant is easy to grow. It is enough to apply fertilizer and to do watering in dry weather.
Types of clover
In Russia, this is a common culture. It is mainly used for animal feed, but there are also decorative varieties of clover that adorn lawns, alpine slides, lawns. In total, there are about 300 species of clover, the most common are:
- Meadow - its height is from 40 to 65 cm, it is used as a forage crop. It has a branched root system that enriches the soil with nitrogen.
The leaves are triple, complex. The flowers form a simple
type of inflorescence of clover in the form of a spherical head. Coloring from bright red to red-violet. Seeds are brownish, small, in the form of a bean.
- Mountain - perennial plant with deep roots penetrating the ground. The stems are not branching, cylindrical. Leaves are elliptical in shape , serrated at the edges, with a smooth surface. The clover inflorescence is white, in the form of a ball, blooms in mid-June. The bean-shaped fruit contains seeds of a light brown tone that ripen throughout the summer period.
- Red - used for livestock feed and in cooking as a vitamin supplement. The leaves contain sugars, protein and fats. It is used to make salads and added to bread.
- Reddish - perennial, large plant up to 60 cm high. The leaves are large three-lobed, blooms in early July. Raspberry-red clover inflorescences have the shape of a brush. Blooms for a long period, is listed in the Red Book.
- Pink is a hybrid plant derived from white and meadow clover. Leaf blades are oval in shape, bluntly pointed and have notches. The root root reaches a depth of two meters, the side branches branch up to 50 cm. Small clover flowers are collected in spherical heads and white-pink and pink in color. The fruit is oblong, two-seeded. The seeds are dark green in the shape of a heart.
Lawn clover
For registration of lawns and lawns often use the perennial unpretentious plant of clover. White clover is most suitable for this, since it is stunted, has thin stems, and after mowing the area looks quite neat.
The plant is best planted on loamy and sandy loam soils with low acidity. In addition, clover does not need to be sown annually; it quickly spreads over the entire area and completely covers the entire surface. The plant begins to bloom in the second year. Small spherical inflorescences of clover cover the entire sown area with a white carpet. These dwarf fluffy flowers will delight twice a season from May to October.
The advantages of white clover over other lawn grass
- One-time landing. The lawn serves for a long time, clover is an unpretentious plant, grows quickly after trimming with a trimmer.
- Greens look great from spring to fall.
- It does not require weeding, filling up all the free space with shoots.
- Minimum lawn maintenance costs.
- Clover flowers collected in inflorescences are not whimsical.
- No top dressing required. Nodules with nitrogen, forming plants on the roots, fertilize the soil.
Beneficial features
Clover is a natural immune stimulant. Infusions and decoctions from this plant improve the body's defensive reaction. It has long been used to cleanse the liver and blood, and restored impaired bowel function.
Clover contains vitamins A, C, E, B and minerals phosphorus, magnesium, iron and calcium. Elevated part: flower, inflorescence, fruit of meadow clover is rich in alkaloids, glycosides and essential oils. The plant has an antitumor effect. It is used as an effective tool for all types of cancerous tumors. The content of flavonoids in its composition strengthens the walls of blood vessels and improves their elasticity. Cholagogue, antimicrobial and anti-sclerotic properties are greatly appreciated. Clover honey, added to green tea, removes toxins from the body. Astringent properties of the plant are used to stop various kinds of bleeding. In cosmetology, clover is used to cleanse the skin, removing purulent and acne rashes.
Cooking use
Clover is used as a main course or as an additive. The flowers and leaves of the plant have nutritional value, they are rich in vitamins and minerals and can be used to make salads. Light soups on vegetable or meat broth are also prepared from it. An egg and sour cream are added to the finished dish. For dressing soups, clover powder obtained from dried leaves is used. It is added when baking bread and muffins. For those who follow their figure, nutritious clover cutlets are suitable, in which cabbage and swan leaves are added.
Conclusion
Clover has long been used in animal husbandry to feed animals; it is not inferior in nutritional properties to concentrated feeds. It well affects the structure of the soil, supplying it with nitrogen fertilizer.
Some species of this plant are valuable honey plants.
Clover honey has a pleasant taste and aroma, does not crystallize, and is of high quality. Long flowering and a high content of pollen and nectar clover in inflorescences give good honey productivity.