Topic: Red Clover

[rdak]

Has anyone experience of using Red Clover as a green manure? I wanted to know how high it grows, when it tends to flower and whether it is likely to self seed over the place.
thanks

[oubykh]

sorry i cannot answer any of your questions, but i do know its very good for encourging bees in particular a variety which are near endangered. the bees have longer pollen collectors that ordinary bees and red clover is adapted well for them to drink from as they have difficulty with alot of normal plants and clovers.

hope someone else can help you!! :)

[rdak]

are those mason bees?

[Sarah-b]

Is that the same as Crimson clover? I sowed some of that in around August I think. It germinated and then disappeared.
I suspected slugs (although I've never had that much trouble with them before) - or pigeons (enemy number one).

Sarah.

[gavin]

Hi Ross - I tried both red and white clovers as an over-wintering green manure (sown in august/September), but wasn't very impressed; not much winter cover, and lots of clover weeds in the growing season!  

Depends how you want to use it?  As short-term cover, they're too slow growing - alfalfa and fenugreek worked better for me.  But if you've a bed that is lying fallow for a lot longer, I suspect they'd be excellent.

Not much help :-(

All best - Gavin

[oubykh]

sorry ross, no idea, i think it was a gardeners world offshoot programme back in the summer that mentioned the bees.