With their adaptability to rather cool and damp climate zones, the various types of clover are not only an interesting fodder plant for cattle and other farm animals. Clover species such as red and white clover are also suitable as green manure for your own garden due to their special properties.

Clover as a cover crop improves soil quality

What is meant by green manure

First of all, the term green manure sounds like a substitute for other, "artificial" types of fertilizer. When it comes to green manure, it is not primarily about supplying nutrients to the soil substrate at a specific location, or at least not just about it. Green manure usually has such a positive effect on the growth prospects of subsequent crops because it has the following effects without much effort:

  • a loosening of compacted soils
  • the increased water storage capacity of the soil
  • the drainage of heavy rainfall
  • protecting the floor from strong sunlight
  • Protection against wind erosion

Positive effects of growing clover on the soil

If you sow clover in your garden as an intercropping or for long-term soil regeneration, then you are opting for a representative of the so-called legumes. These have the special property that the nodule bacteria sitting on their roots can bind nitrogen from the atmosphere and introduce it into the soil. This means that artificial fertilizer preparations with a high nitrogen content can be dispensed with. In addition, the deep and finely branched roots of red and white clover ensure thorough loosening and better aeration of compacted soil. The protein-rich green matter of the clover is not only a valuable feed for many pets, but is theoretically edible for humans as well.

Work the clover into the soil

Since red and white clover are hardy in most locations without any problems, these types of clover are well suited for long-term soil improvement or as a relatively hard-wearing lawn substitute. For green manure in the raised bed, for example, the clover can be sown after the harvest until August. However, the plants should still be mulched in autumn, otherwise the soil will not be available for cultivation with a subsequent crop until around May in the spring. The so-called Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum) offers a possible alternative, as it is not hardy and therefore decomposes by itself in good time.

tips

Cultivating clover as a cover crop not only enables effective green manure, but also offers many bees, bumblebees and butterflies an additional source of nectar.

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Herbs