Trifolium resupinatum
Persian clover
Common names: Reversed clover, Shaftal clover
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Flowering
- Jun–Sep
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below −5 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
Persian clover, botanically Trifolium resupinatum, is an annual clover native to the eastern Mediterranean region and western Asia. It grows loosely branched, reaching 30 to 80 cm in height, and from summer to early autumn bears small, honey-scented flower heads in shades of pink to violet, which bees and bumblebees readily visit. As a green manure it establishes quickly and adapts well: it covers the soil densely, roots it thoroughly, and tolerates heavy soils that are at times waterlogged, where other clover species struggle. Root nodule bacteria fix nitrogen from the air. Unlike red and white clover, it does not persist in the bed for years: severe winter frost ends it, leaving a loose mulch layer behind.
Care instructions
Sow Persian clover from April to August on a finely crumbled, weed-free bed, preferably in full sun. Even moisture is important until emergence; afterwards it manages with normal rainfall and prefers cool, moist conditions to dry ones. During prolonged drought, water thoroughly. Cut or mow the plants at the beginning of flowering, let the cuttings wilt for a few days, then incorporate them shallowly or spread them as mulch. If you cannot mow it in time, leave it standing until frost, when winter will end it. In crop rotation, count it among the legumes and do not grow peas, beans, or other clover species directly before or after it on the same bed. Common mistake: sowing too deep, so the fine seeds fail to emerge.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–Aug
FloweringJun–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 4 to 10 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 1 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, clayey, humus-rich, moist
Persian clover copes better than most other clover species with heavy, fresh to moist soils and also tolerates temporarily wet spots. It feels most at home on humus-rich loam or clay with a neutral to slightly lime-containing reaction; a pH between 6 and 8 suits it well. Very light, quickly drying sandy soils suit it less. Loosen compacted areas before sowing so the roots get air.
Feeding
Light feeder
Persian clover needs no fertiliser. Through nodule bacteria on its roots it fixes nitrogen from the air itself; additional nitrogen doses rather slow this down. Only on very depleted beds do you rake a little mature compost in shallowly before sowing. The benefit for your bed comes later from cutting the plants and working them in.
Overwintering
Persian clover is not reliably hardy. It shrugs off light frost, but dies in severe frost, so do not plan it as a winter cover crop. In very mild winters individual plants can survive and keep growing in spring, but do not rely on it. The dead plant material stays on the bed as a mulch cover and protects the soil. In spring, rake off the residues or work them in shallowly.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate Persian clover only by seed, which you buy ready-made as green manure seed. Sow directly in the bed, from April to August. The seeds are tiny, so you need a fine-crumbed, weed-free seedbed. Scatter them broadcast, rake them in at most 1 cm deep and firm the area down or roll it. Keep the soil evenly moist until emergence; in warmth this takes about 1 to 2 weeks. Collecting your own seed is hardly worthwhile in the garden; you buy it anew when needed.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
particularly well establishedLeguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example CarrotCeleriacDillParsleyFlorence fennelCoriander and 21 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example GarlicOnionLeekChivesWild daffodilRocambole and 12 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Persian clover yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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