Trifolium repens
White Clover
Common names: Trailing Clover, White Meadow Clover
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
White Clover is a low, creeping perennial clover that forms dense, foot‑tolerant mats through runners. It is ideal as a living mulch under fruit trees or for groundcover along paths. Its root nodules fix nitrogen, and its white flower heads provide reliable forage for bees.
Care instructions
Sow thinly from April to August and lightly rake in, as it is a light‑preferring species; keep the seedbed moist until germination. Mow or mulch as needed to maintain density and flowering. As a groundcover it requires little care; if it is to be replaced by a subsequent crop, incorporate it into the soil in the fall.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–Aug
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 5 to 10 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, moist, well-drained
White clover likes fresh, moist loam soils with a good supply of humus and also tolerates chalky soil well. It avoids waterlogging and very dry sandy soils; it is better not to let the pH fall below 6, otherwise the nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria on the roots suffer.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
As a legume, white clover supplies itself with nitrogen through its nodule bacteria. Additional nitrogen is counterproductive and inhibits nodule formation, so you do without horn shavings or manure. In spring, a layer of mature compost worked in shallowly is enough to supplement the phosphorus and potassium the nodules need.
Overwintering
White clover is a native, perennial plant and reliably survives the Central European lowland winter in the ground, without any protection. It dies back somewhat in autumn and shoots again in spring from the stolons and taproot; do not water in winter and avoid waterlogging.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Runners
- Division
White clover is easiest to propagate by sowing. Sow the seeds from March to April or again in August/September directly in the bed or on the lawn. The soil should be at least 8 °C. Scatter the small seeds evenly, press them down lightly and cover them with soil at most very thinly. White clover is a light germinator; put it no deeper than 0.5 to 1 cm. With even moisture the seeds germinate within 7 to 14 days. White clover also spreads by itself through creeping stolons, which root at every node as soon as they touch moist soil. You can separate individual stolon sections that have already rooted and plant them elsewhere, best from May to August, when the runners are growing actively. For division, lift an established plant in spring, divide the root ball by hand or with a spade into several sections and plant these immediately in the places you want. Keep newly planted plants evenly moist for the first few weeks.
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 White Clover yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
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