Clover

White clovers are a top choice for “living mulch” systems planted between rows of irrigated vegetables, fruit bushes or trees.  They are persistent, widely adapted perennial nitrogen producers with tough stems and a dense shallow root mass that protects soil from erosion and suppresses weeds.  Once established, they stand up well to heavy field traffic and thrive under cool, moist conditions and shade.  Cultivars are grouped into three types by size.  The lowest growing type (Wild White) best survives heavy traffic and grazing.  Intermediate sizes (Dutch White, New Zealand White and Louisiana S-1) flower earlier and more profusely than the larger types are more heat-tolerant and include most of the economically important white types.  The large (Ladino) types produce the most N per acre of any white types, and are valued for forage quality, especially on poorly drained soil.  They are generally less durable, but may be two to four times taller than intermediate types.

White clover performs best when it has plenty of lime, potash, calcium and phosphorus, but it tolerates poor conditions better than most clovers.  Its perennial nature depends on new plants continually being formed by its creeping stolons and, if it reaches maturity, by reseeding.