Clover Plants, what are some of the differences?
Clover plants are amazing plants in general, they act as living fertilizer, they create beautiful fields of flowers, and act as great forage for your animals, or who knows even you. But which species should you get? Which tastes the best, which spreads faster, which is easiest to grow? I’m going to answer all these questions and more down below.
Red Clover grows straight up, grows beautiful red flowers once to twice a year, and has a life span of 2-3 years. Red Clover wherever grown attracts beneficial creatures, especially bees, whilst at the same time adding nutrients to the soil via its roots. While on the other hand White Clover really doesn’t have a limited life span and also attracts beneficial creatures (to a slightly lower extent), it also fertilizes the soil via its root system. White Clover blooms usually in the spring and continues blooming for many months. Red clover is one of the only clover species with a deep taproot, which actually allows it to oxygenate hard, clay-rich soils.
Although I’ve had great success with Red Clover, it does require moisture, especially when first seeded for the first 2-3 days, White Clover also requires moisture but is somewhat more lenient to drought, whilst also spreading more when compared to the Red Clover. White Clover grows sideways and grows a low-growing mat on the soil that will continue to grow and expand until reaching a border.
White clover is slightly less palatable than Red Clover to me personally, but all species of clover have a unique awesome taste.
So really both have different benefits, and both could be great additions to your garden or farm. Do you want an aggressively spreading low maintenance plant, or a slightly higher maintenance plant that is just as nice just in different ways? It’s really up to you at that point.
Personally, I grow both and use them for different things. I use both as nitrogen-rich compost, and both I appreciate fully