Soil improver Articles

White Clover (Trifolium Repens) is commonly used as a cold season pasture plant or forage crop. It has been described as the most important forage legume of the Temperate zones of Australia. It provides good levels of Autumn and Winter forage production, particularly when grown in mixtures with forage grasses, such as Perennial Ryegrass. It has a large 3-leaflet green leaf and white (or sometimes yellow/pink) flowers with globular heads.

A perennial legume, White Clover is known to produce high yields for feed crops and is resistant to many adverse conditions. Its properties also lend it to being an excellent “living mulch” for vegetable gardens, vineyards, and orchards. As a leguminous and hardy plant, it is considered to be a beneficial component of natural or organic pasture management and lawn care due to its ability to reduce nitrogen leaching from the soil and out-compete weeds. For these reasons, it is often used as a green manure and cover crop.

White Clover is a popular choice for attracting Bees and has long been the leading honey plant sought by Bee Keepers. Bees love White Clover flowers for both the pollen and nectar. People who grow fruit trees or plants which rely on bees for pollination may find that the presence of White Clover is beneficial for improving this process.

White Clover grows well as a companion plant among lawns, grain crops, pasture grasses and vegetable rows. It is able to grow and provide green cover in poorer soils where turf grasses do not perform well. Whether planted purely as a White Clover pasture or as part of a mixture of seed varieties, your land and your stock can benefit from the addition of this hardy legume.

Seeding rates:

• Lawns: 10 grams per square meter (1kg/100m2).
• Pasture: 1kg per square acre.

Please note: This seed may be coated in Prillcote seed treatment. Batches may vary.

Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense) establishes vigorously and is commonly grown as a green manure or fodder crop, valued for its Nitrogen fixation, which increases soil fertility by fixating Nitrogen out of the atmosphere and into the soil. For this reason, Red Clover is often used as part of a crop rotation program.

The green leaves have three leaflets, with a characteristic pale crescent in the outer half of the leaf. The flowers are large sphere-shaped, clustered and rose-colored. The flowers and leaves of Red Clover are edible and can be added as garnishes to any dish. Due to its beauty, it is also used as an ornamental plant.

Red Clover adapts to a wide range of climatic conditions, soil types, fertility levels, use patterns and management. It prefers mild conditions rather than hot climates and locations where rainfall or irrigation is consistent throughout the year.

Red Clover is a most productive, summer-active forage legume for Temperate areas. It can be used for pasture, cattle grazing, hay, or silage and is an excellent soil improvement crop. Can be grown in a short-term pasture mix.

Seeding rates:

• Lawns: 10 grams per square meter (1kg/100m2).
• Pasture: 1 kg per square acre.

Strawberry Clover (Trifolium Fragiferum) is perennial clover that is similar to White Clover in growth habit. It has a large 3-leaflet green leaf and clustered, globular pink flowers that resemble a strawberry.

A perennial legume, Strawberry Clover can be used as a lawn grass alternative, as ground cover in orchards and vineyards. Strawberry Clovers properties lend it to being an excellent “living mulch” for vegetable gardens, vineyards, and orchards. As a leguminous and hardy plant, it is considered to be a beneficial component of natural or organic pasture management and lawn care due to its ability to reduce nitrogen leaching from the soil and out-compete weeds. For these reasons, it is often used as a green manure and cover crop.

Adapted to wet saline and alkaline soils, Strawberry Clover will also tolerate flooding and is the most salt tolerant clover available. Strawberry Clover has the ability to choke out most weeds and unwanted plant life in the area that it’s planted. The dense cover will also protect your land against erosion from wind, water and animal traffic.

Strawberry Clover is generally used in mixtures with grass and wildflowers to produce an alternative lawn for large areas. It can be planted on its own for smaller lawn areas. It has, in the past, been used principally as a pasture plant that is somewhat drought resistant.

Strawberry Clover develops a dense sod, and is very palatable for animals. It makes for a very nutritious meal for most grazing animals, can be used as hay, and also encourages birds, butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects to inhabit your property. Forage and seeds of strawberry clover are also used by big and small game and upland birds.

By planting Strawberry Clover you’ll have a greater chance of enjoying a complete and healthy ecosystem on your land.

Seeding rates:

• Lawns: 10 grams per square meter (1kg/100m2).
• Pasture: 1kg per square acre.

Please note: This seed may be coated in Prillcote seed treatment. Batches may vary.