Clover As A Groundcover?

[yoderde]

I have about 0.5 acre that is going to be my pecan orchard. I don't irrigate it and don't intend to except to water my trees. Can I use clover as a ground cover in this area?

What kind of clover is best?
Where can I buy seed?
Can it survive in an area with no irrigation?
When should I sew it?
Any general suggestions from anyone who's used it?

Tks,

David in Denton

[Nadine]

I used crimson clover last fall to cover bare spots in my yard. It was realy pretty, but I think I waited too long before mowing it down and so I had some spots that were not so pretty. Have you thought about planting partrige pea? It will improve the soil as well. Clover is a beautiful groundcover and I think it improves the soil as well. I also have clusters of the clover that has yellow flowers in spring mixed in with my St. Augustine and it is pleasing to the eye. Happy gardening!
Nadine

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

What are you trying to do with the clover? Are you going for green instead of brown, or are you trying to bring up some nitrogen? Would it matter if the grass were, say...nutgrass? Or does it have to be clover?

Before you plant your trees, if it is not too late, find out everything you can about a product called Actinovate. If you use that stuff to wash the roots as you plant the trees, they will surprise you with their vigor and health. The active ingredient in Actinovate is Streptomyces lydicus which kills the cottony root rot that seems to plague so many trees. Here is a website so you know what you're looking for.

http://www.actinoiron.com/list.html

This seems to be in the category of wonder drugs. The manufacturer recommends reusing the stuff, but from what I've heard, you only need the initial drench for trees. If you could soak the seeds that would be best.

Ask around in the trees forum to see if anyone is using it. Howard should know about it and how to use it.

[Kathe Kitchens]

Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil and will give you a nice ground cover while your trees are growing. I have never heard of any negative reaction to using it to build your soil and prevent erosion from anyone other than organiphobes who hate everything but 1/4 inch tiff! You can buy it from many sources online or go to your local feed store and ask them about it. Best time to plant is in Sept/Oct. so the plants can develop roots before going dormant in winter, then pop out when the weather is welcoming in spring. Recommendation for planting is 30 lbs. seed per acre for a cover crop so you could probably get away with less for an orchard. Hope this helps! :D

[Nadine]

The only drawback I had with the crimson clover is that I waited too long to mow it before it went brown. It seems to have monopolized the small patches of St. Augustine that were there.

[yoderde]

I'm actually trying to find a good cover crop (from seed) to sew in a 0.5 acre area that I don't plan to irrigate. I will plant trees and the only water it will get is rain. I need a cover crop that won't get too high, can be mowed, is attractive, draught tolerant, and is benefical.

Any suggestion gratefully accepted

David in Denton

[The Ent]

I used red clover- seeded in the fall. Came up off and on all winter, adding nice colour without needing maintenance. In the warmer end of winter and the cooler half of spring it put out gorgeous red flowers that had the honey bees really working our property over. By summer it stops growing back, but should appear agian in the fall.

Not only is it pretty, it does in fact fix nitrogen (from the air) and then when you mow it, that breaks down into nitrogen for the soil.

[Nadine]

yoderde wrote: ...I need a cover crop that won't get too high,...
How high is too high? My crimson clover got to be about 12" to 18" tall.

Check out:
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/CCrop.exe/show_crop_16

 Cool-season annual legume
 12-20" tall
 Biomass 4,500-5,000 lb/a
 N content 2.4%
 Flowers April-May
 Matures May-June
 Taproot
 Hosts pea aphid and blue alfalfa aphid, prey to lady beetles
 Blossoms harbor flower thrips and pirate bugs
 Self-regenerating in North Coast vineyards
 Does not tolerate mowing as well as subclovers or medics

and

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/24/24.8.html