next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects
Thank you Paul. I have wondered about the different types of white clover
but never had a book handy to tell me about it.
You also mention the possibility of the seed being carried by horse
food. I know from experience that horse seed does not make good fertilizire.
My uncle used it one year and the result was the most beautiful garden of
pig weed that I have ever seen.
Roland.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wild Flora" <herself@wildflora.com>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 4:47 PM
Subject: RE: [NatureNS] white clover
> There are a lot of cultivars of white clover, Trifolium repens. These are
> divided into "small," "intermediate," and "large" varieties based on the
> size of the plant and its flowers. Dutch white clover is an "intermediate"
> variety. Ladino, a "large" variety that originated in Italy, is considered
> a
> type of white clover by most people (but some people argue that it is a
> different species). The small varieties are often referred to as "wild
> white
> clover," but as far as I can find out they are not native either. Roland's
> Flora says that all of the Trifolium spp. found in Nova Scotia are
> introduced from Europe and Asia.
>
> Apparently pollinators are not as attracted to Ladino as they are to the
> small and intermediate varieties of white clover. But Ladino gets so big
> (two to four times the size of common white clover) that it can be cut for
> silage or hay, so it doesn't lend itself to lawn mixes the way the
> low-growing varieties do (though it is very popular for pastures). As far
> as
> I know it's the small and intermediate varieties, especially the Dutch
> white, that are usually used in lawn mixes.
>
> WF
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]
> On Behalf Of Paul MacDonald
> Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 3:34 PM
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] white clover
>
> Hi Roland and All
> The white clover used in lawns is Trifolium repens
> other names might be Ladino or Dutch white. A number
> of culitivars have been selected but it is difficult
> to produce pure strain seed. It volunteers easily and
> as mentioned seeds live a long time in the soil. There
> is even a stand at Masons Cabin in Keji - probably
> brought there in horse feed many years ago.
> The taller white clover is Alsike Clover Trifolium
> hybridum which grows in a lot of the Maritimes. It
> came originally from Sweden and although listed as a
> perennial acts as a biennial so little suited to
> lawns. It is very suitable as a soil building legume
> when used in rotation with potatoes. As with a number
> of legumes care needs be taken when pasturing cattle
> or sheep and prehaps deer on pure stands. It will
> cause bloat but is a very valuable legume
> nevertheless.
> Have a good summer
> Paul
>
> --- Roland McCormick
> <roland.mccormick@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
>> When you talk about white clover I think of two
>> kinds - one is a few inches
>> high and seems to be a native plant, the other is
>> two or three feet high,
>> and I have only seen it in an area where someone has
>> a bee hive. Which are
>> we talking about here?
>>
>> Roland.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Wild Flora" <herself@wildflora.com>
>> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>> Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 1:12 PM
>> Subject: RE: [NatureNS] bees and industrial white
>> clover
>>
>>
>> > Planting a white or "Dutch" clover lawn is
>> probably one of the best things
>> > you can do for honeybees. It is primarily
>> pollinated by honeybees and is
>> > probably the commercial crop most heavily used by
>> honeybees worldwide, so
>> > much so that "white clover honey" is a recognized
>> type of honey, with
>> > lighter colour and milder flavor than other
>> honeys. (Whether it's the best
>> > honey is a matter of taste--I prefer the darker
>> honeys myself.)
>> >
>> > Just like honeybees, white clover isn't native to
>> North America (it's from
>> > Europe). Our native bees would probably prefer the
>> plants they have
>> > co-evolved with. That having been said, however,
>> white clover has been in
>> > North America for a long time and it appears that
>> quite a lot of native
>> > bees
>> > and other wildlife have adapted to using it.
>> Bumblebees and some other
>> > native bees are quite fond of it, also bee flies,
>> some butterflies, and
>> > skippers. It's reported to be a larval food plant
>> for the caterpillars of
>> > several moths and butterflies including the
>> clouded sulfur. (Judging from
>> > the number of sulphurs I saw fluttering over my
>> neighbour's pasture when
>> > the
>> > clover was blooming last summer, I'd say that must
>> be true.) White clover
>> > is
>> > also eaten by ruffed Grouse, ring-necked pheasant,
>> some songbirds, some
>> > small mammals, and white-tailed deer. (Some
>> strains contain a glycoside
>> > that
>> > can be poisonous if a grazing animal eats too
>> much, but evidently they
>> > have
>> > to eat an awful lot before they experience any ill
>> effects.)
>> >
>> > The only harm to bees that I'm aware of is when
>> flowering clover attracts
>> > them to an area where pesticides are going to be
>> used. This is a
>> > recognized
>> > problem in nonorganic apple orchards, where white
>> clover is often regarded
>> > as a weed.
>> >
>> > The biggest concern about white clover from a
>> gardener's point of view is
>> > that it does tend to be spread quite aggressively
>> both by seed and by
>> > runners. The seed can persist for years in soil,
>> so getting rid of it once
>> > you've planted it is very difficult.
>> >
>> > One possible problem is that selection and
>> breeding of white clover are
>> > constantly producing new strains, particularly
>> ones that are more
>> > winter-hardy, and whenever a new cultivar is
>> introduced there is always a
>> > risk that some quality needed by pollinators will
>> have been lost. However,
>> > I'm not aware of any reports of cultivars of white
>> clove