White Sweet Clover grows two to seven feet tall. Yellow Sweet Clover grows one-and-one-half to five feet tall. The yellow type is finer stemmed, has smaller leaves, and blooms 10-20 days earlier than the white species.
How do you control sweet clover?
Prescribed burning can control sweet clover. A combination of an April burn in the first year, followed by a May burn the following year is most successful in eradicating an even-aged stand of sweet clover.
How tall is white sweet clover?
Melilotus alba (White Sweet Clover)
| Also known as: | |
|---|---|
| Habitat: | sun; open fields, roadsides, woodland edges, disturbed soil |
| Bloom season: | June – October |
| Plant height: | 2 to 8 feet |
| Wetland Indicator Status: | none |
Is sweet clover the same as red clover?
Sweet clover is not as consistent as red clover in producing high quality forage over the summer period. Sweet clover is very tolerant of dry conditions, heat and grasshoppers. Sweet clover is a true biennial and will survive only one winter. Sweet clover is susceptible to attack by the sweet clover weevil.
What is sweet clover good for?
Sweet clover is used to increase the loss of water from the body through the urine (as a diuretic). It is also used for varicose veins and to relieve symptoms of poor blood circulation (chronic venous insufficiency) including leg pain and heaviness, night cramps, itchiness, and fluid retention (edema).
Does sweet clover bloom every year?
Both white and yellow sweet clovers are biennials. After germination plants allot a large amount of energy into the creation of a healthy root system. First-year plants can be found in late summer. In the second year, plants may be seen in late April or early May.
Why is sweet clover invasive?
Quick facts. White and yellow sweetclovers are invasive species. Yellow and white sweetclover grow abundantly on disturbed lands, roadsides and abandoned fields. The plants degrade native grasslands by shading out sun-loving plants, reducing diversity.
Is sweet clover good for the soil?
Sweet clover is renown for improving marginal soil by increasing the organic matter quickly. Plants are tolerant of heat and shading. Tap root is fairly aggressive and is able to loosen hard soils.
Is sweet clover a perennial?
Yellow sweetclover, a biennial and sometimes annual or short-lived perennial, occurs throughout California, except in the low deserts, to about 500 feet (1500 m).
What eats white sweet clover?
The caterpillars of the moth Scopula inductata (Soft-Lined Wave) feed on the foliage, while the caterpillars of Washia miscecolorella (Sweet Clover Root Borer Moth) bore into the stems and roots. Foliage is eaten by the White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, and livestock.
Will yellow sweet clover reseed itself?
Yellow Sweet Clover spreads by reseeding itself, and it often forms colonies at favorable sites. The sweet hay-like aroma of the foliage is caused by coumarin.
How much nitrogen does sweet clover fix?
50 to 100 pounds per acre
The amount of nitrogen contributed by red clover can range from 30 to 50 pounds per acre and for sweet clover from 50 to 100 pounds per acre by full bloom, depending on the density of the stand, moisture availability, soil type and the length of the growing season.
Is sweet clover good for deer?
Those insects will in turn attract many different species of gamebirds. Pheasants, Quail, Turkey will all flock to the easy food source. Deer will also browse the ample forage produced by Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover.
How deep should sweet clover be planted?
about one-half inch deep
Plant seeds about one-half inch deep with a grain drill, cultipacker seeder with a small-seed attachment or by broadcasting. Inoculate the seed with Group 1 commercial inoculant. Sweet Clover will provide its best quality hay if mowed just as first blooms appear, usually in May or June.
Is sweet clover a good cover crop?
Once established, sweetclover is the most drought tolerant of all cover crops that produce as much biomass. It is especially resilient in its second year, when it could do well in a dry spring during which it would be difficult to establish annual cover crops.
Can you eat sweet clover?
The flowers, raw or cooked, are edible. The whole plant thoroughly dried can be used to make a tea with a hint of vanilla. The seeds can be used as a spice. Consuming this plant occassionally or used as a spice is highly recommended.
How long does it take sweet clover to grow?
The biennial yellow sweet clover takes two years to produce a flowering plant. The first year, the yellow sweet clover grows vegetatively in a rosette. After a vernalization period it produces a shoot and flowers. It can produce up to 2.5 tons of dry matter and can grow up to 24 inches.
Is sweet clover good for honey bees?
Sweet clover flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and many pollinating species. They are highly used for honey production, yields up to 200 pounds per colony have been obtained (USDA, 1937).
Is yellow sweet clover good for bees?
Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover is very useful for a wide variety of purposes and is one of the most widely used clovers for bees as an attractant and nectar source.
How long does it take sweet clover to germinate?
Planting Time:
If you plant when temperatures are warm, clover seeds will germinate in 7 – 15 days.
What can I do with yellow sweet clover?
Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis) may be used for hay or pasture or as a plow-down crop.