next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
>> clove
Hi Roland
Horse feed has to go through a process in the horse
before it becomes fertilizer. I rather doubt the
woodsmen at Mason Cabin were very worried about weeds.
If pigweed wanted to grow it could fill its boots!
Have a good summer
Paul
--- Roland McCormick
<roland.mccormick@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
> 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
>
=== message truncated ===
____________________________________________________________________________________
Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games.
http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects