Speaking of the Clever Clover kit, has anyone used it before and what sort of results did you get?

AnneS said:

Speaking of the Clever Clover kit, has anyone used it before and what sort of results did you get?

I’m just a bushie from the bush.. what is clever clover?

I have four leaf clover.. is that clever clover?

AnneS said:

Speaking of the Clever Clover kit, has anyone used it before and what sort of results did you get?

that clever clover idea comes from fukuoka’s book ‘one straw revolution’. he says that clover can be grown as a living mulch. so the clover gets planted in some vege beds and is never mown or weeded but goes on producing nitrogen fertiliser for plants as well as ground shade. you would have to grow well spaced tall plants (eg brocolli, capsicum or tomatoes). its not going to work well with low, closely spaced plants (eg strawbs, carrots or peas).
i have never used clever clover myself except by accident. my watermelons are doing an excellent job of a living mulch at present but they rob the soil of nitrogen rather than fixing it. peas in winter can be used in a similar way to clever clover but they are seasonal.

pepe said:

AnneS said:

Speaking of the Clever Clover kit, has anyone used it before and what sort of results did you get?

that clever clover idea comes from fukuoka’s book ‘one straw revolution’. he says that clover can be grown as a living mulch. so the clover gets planted in some vege beds and is never mown or weeded but goes on producing nitrogen fertiliser for plants as well as ground shade. you would have to grow well spaced tall plants (eg brocolli, capsicum or tomatoes). its not going to work well with low, closely spaced plants (eg strawbs, carrots or peas).
i have never used clever clover myself except by accident. my watermelons are doing an excellent job of a living mulch at present but they rob the soil of nitrogen rather than fixing it. peas in winter can be used in a similar way to clever clover but they are seasonal.

From the Diggers Club catalogue:

“CSIRO CLEVER CLOVER KIT

This clever kit developed by the CSIRO contains clover, mustard and lucerne, all the green manure crops you need for a healthy, well mulched garden. Your kit includes 1 pkt Bio Mustard, 1 pkt Clover Trikkala, 1 pkt Clover Dalkeith and 1 pkt Lucerne plus full instructions. Covers an area of 8m by 5m. “

I understood that you use it as a green-manure crop, not as a permanent fixture

From the Diggers Club catalogue: “CSIRO CLEVER CLOVER KIT
This clever kit developed by the CSIRO contains clover, mustard and lucerne, all the green manure crops you need for a healthy, well mulched garden. Your kit includes 1 pkt Bio Mustard, 1 pkt Clover Trikkala, 1 pkt Clover Dalkeith and 1 pkt Lucerne plus full instructions. Covers an area of 8m by 5m. ”
I understood that you use it as a green-manure crop, not as a permanent fixture
——————————————
certainly would boost your soil if you turned that all in when it was young.
clover and lucerne are permanent crops afaik – they need summer irrigation. i did try to grow them on an acre here – but the mites ate them.
mustard is terrific as green manure and will grow to a metre high if you let it.

AnneS said:

pepe said:

AnneS said:

Speaking of the Clever Clover kit, has anyone used it before and what sort of results did you get?

that clever clover idea comes from fukuoka’s book ‘one straw revolution’. he says that clover can be grown as a living mulch. so the clover gets planted in some vege beds and is never mown or weeded but goes on producing nitrogen fertiliser for plants as well as ground shade. you would have to grow well spaced tall plants (eg brocolli, capsicum or tomatoes). its not going to work well with low, closely spaced plants (eg strawbs, carrots or peas).
i have never used clever clover myself except by accident. my watermelons are doing an excellent job of a living mulch at present but they rob the soil of nitrogen rather than fixing it. peas in winter can be used in a similar way to clever clover but they are seasonal.

From the Diggers Club catalogue:

“CSIRO CLEVER CLOVER KIT

This clever kit developed by the CSIRO contains clover, mustard and lucerne, all the green manure crops you need for a healthy, well mulched garden. Your kit includes 1 pkt Bio Mustard, 1 pkt Clover Trikkala, 1 pkt Clover Dalkeith and 1 pkt Lucerne plus full instructions. Covers an area of 8m by 5m. “

I understood that you use it as a green-manure crop, not as a permanent fixture

clovers are mown between rows of vineyard and orchard plantings as permanent fixtures and can be used between vegetable rows the same way.

Alfalfa or lucerne is a 10 year crop .. the best benefits are gained by viewing it and some clovers as permanent fixture crops.

harvesting clover and lucerne hay or clippings as mulch, silage or green manure is fine.. but.. you don’t turn the roots in.. ;) Roots make new tops to harvest again and again.

roughbarked said:

harvesting clover and lucerne hay or clippings as mulch, silage or green manure is fine.. but.. you don’t turn the roots in.. ;) Roots make new tops to harvest again and again.

cool. Will give it a go. Got nothing to lose!

AnneS said:

roughbarked said:

harvesting clover and lucerne hay or clippings as mulch, silage or green manure is fine.. but.. you don’t turn the roots in.. ;) Roots make new tops to harvest again and again.

cool. Will give it a go. Got nothing to lose!

note… you need a constant water supply to keep roots alive.

roughbarked said:

AnneS said:

roughbarked said:

harvesting clover and lucerne hay or clippings as mulch, silage or green manure is fine.. but.. you don’t turn the roots in.. ;) Roots make new tops to harvest again and again.

cool. Will give it a go. Got nothing to lose!

okie dokie

note… you need a constant water supply to keep roots alive.

pepe said:

From the Diggers Club catalogue: “CSIRO CLEVER CLOVER KIT
This clever kit developed by the CSIRO contains clover, mustard and lucerne, all the green manure crops you need for a healthy, well mulched garden. Your kit includes 1 pkt Bio Mustard, 1 pkt Clover Trikkala, 1 pkt Clover Dalkeith and 1 pkt Lucerne plus full instructions. Covers an area of 8m by 5m. ”
I understood that you use it as a green-manure crop, not as a permanent fixture
——————————————
certainly would boost your soil if you turned that all in when it was young.
clover and lucerne are permanent crops afaik – they need summer irrigation. i did try to grow them on an acre here – but the mites ate them.
mustard is terrific as green manure and will grow to a metre high if you let it.

I ordered one of the kits last week as well as a couple of extra packs of bio mustard. Planning to use it in the beds that will have tomatoes next spring cause it’s supposed to help prevent diseases that tomatoes are prone to

AnneS said:

pepe said:

From the Diggers Club catalogue: “CSIRO CLEVER CLOVER KIT
This clever kit developed by the CSIRO contains clover, mustard and lucerne, all the green manure crops you need for a healthy, well mulched garden. Your kit includes 1 pkt Bio Mustard, 1 pkt Clover Trikkala, 1 pkt Clover Dalkeith and 1 pkt Lucerne plus full instructions. Covers an area of 8m by 5m. ”
I understood that you use it as a green-manure crop, not as a permanent fixture
——————————————
certainly would boost your soil if you turned that all in when it was young.
clover and lucerne are permanent crops afaik – they need summer irrigation. i did try to grow them on an acre here – but the mites ate them.
mustard is terrific as green manure and will grow to a metre high if you let it.

I ordered one of the kits last week as well as a couple of extra packs of bio mustard. Planning to use it in the beds that will have tomatoes next spring cause it’s supposed to help prevent diseases that tomatoes are prone to

depending on your soil type.. the addition of Tagetes minuta will help with Nematodes as well as adding to your mulch, green manure, silage stuff.

Mind.. the local kids may believe it is marijuana and try to rip it off. My mother had that experience. She was down in the garden as she was won’t.. where people passing couldn’t see her.. Once the police pulled up and sat there pointing and talking for twenty minutes before driving off. Another time three Aboriginal lads were caught taking palings off the fence.. she spoke up and said .. “It isn’t marijuana but you can take as much as you want.. Just put the palings back when you are finished please.” as a voice from the greenery..

The next day one of them came back and was attempting to refix the palings.. “you were right missus.. it wasn’t marijuana missus” he was heard to say.

actually “Clever Clover” was developed by CSIRO and it grows as a living mulch over winter adding nitrogen in the soil, then dies back in Spring. You do not dig it in but plant your Spring/Summer crop into it, leaving the dead plants as a mulch and weed suppressant. If the clover has self seeded then it will resprout in Autumn to repeat the cycle.

I have tried it once but in a shady bed that did not get much water so did not get very good results. But I consider the fault mine, not the clover’s.

bluegreen said:

actually “Clever Clover” was developed by CSIRO and it grows as a living mulch over winter adding nitrogen in the soil, then dies back in Spring. You do not dig it in but plant your Spring/Summer crop into it, leaving the dead plants as a mulch and weed suppressant. If the clover has self seeded then it will resprout in Autumn to repeat the cycle.

I have tried it once but in a shady bed that did not get much water so did not get very good results. But I consider the fault mine, not the clover’s.

Thanks for that BG.. but I did also cover that.. ;) if obliquely.. as is per usual for me.. After all we are all gardeners here are we not?

most of this is intrinsic to our nature since it is what we do each and every day.

roughbarked said:

most of this is intrinsic to our nature since it is what we do each and every day.

Or once or twice a month for those of us who are just too darn exhausted when they get home from work every day… :D My challenge is to remember the tips I read here for long enough to actually put them into action!

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

most of this is intrinsic to our nature since it is what we do each and every day.

Or once or twice a month for those of us who are just too darn exhausted when they get home from work every day… :D My challenge is to remember the tips I read here for long enough to actually put them into action!

Much of what I speak comes from a long experienc as a gardener.. during wich time it was often dark when I left work.. and dark when I left home.. so many times it was learn on the weekend what had happened to your garden during the week.. Other times I have spent more than a decade.. possibly more than three.. gardening at night. The differences between light and dark really become more clear.

become more clear.

>

well it would if my keyboard didn’t keep making smelling pistakes. ;)

I might sound as if I think I am a knowitall..

This isn’t true but I will add my FIL’s oft comment.. “I’m not always right but I’m never wrong”

Don’t try to work it out unless you study English. ;)

I simply relate my conclusions from my decades of mucking about getting a brown thumb. ;)
Your conclusions may compare or be different but we may also live in different areas in differing conditions.

It is true however that a good gardener is out after dark with a torch and other appliances.

roughbarked said:

I simply relate my conclusions from my decades of mucking about getting a brown thumb. ;)
Your conclusions may compare or be different but we may also live in different areas in differing conditions.

It is true however that a good gardener is out after dark with a torch and other appliances.

That’s true – I tend to spend a lot more time indoors during the hot months but it won’t be long now before the nightly snail harvest starts up again in earnest. I’d kind of forgotten that spending time in the garden when it’s cool doesn’t feel nearly so much like a chore.

It is true however that a good gardener is out after dark with a torch and other appliances.
+++++++++++

catching cane toads, for example ;)

Dinetta said:

It is true however that a good gardener is out after dark with a torch and other appliances.
+++++++++++

catching cane toads, for example ;)

Luckily .. so far.. I live too far south.. but I do expect this to change sooner than would be expected.

roughbarked said:

most of this is intrinsic to our nature since it is what we do each and every day.

the practice, yes. but the characteristics of this breed of clover lends itself to this practice better than others.

roughbarked said:

AnneS said:

pepe said:

From the Diggers Club catalogue: “CSIRO CLEVER CLOVER KIT
This clever kit developed by the CSIRO contains clover, mustard and lucerne, all the green manure crops you need for a healthy, well mulched garden. Your kit includes 1 pkt Bio Mustard, 1 pkt Clover Trikkala, 1 pkt Clover Dalkeith and 1 pkt Lucerne plus full instructions. Covers an area of 8m by 5m. ”
I understood that you use it as a green-manure crop, not as a permanent fixture
——————————————
certainly would boost your soil if you turned that all in when it was young.
clover and lucerne are permanent crops afaik – they need summer irrigation. i did try to grow them on an acre here – but the mites ate them.
mustard is terrific as green manure and will grow to a metre high if you let it.

I ordered one of the kits last week as well as a couple of extra packs of bio mustard. Planning to use it in the beds that will have tomatoes next spring cause it’s supposed to help prevent diseases that tomatoes are prone to

depending on your soil type.. the addition of Tagetes minuta will help with Nematodes as well as adding to your mulch, green manure, silage stuff.

Mind.. the local kids may believe it is marijuana and try to rip it off. My mother had that experience. She was down in the garden as she was won’t.. where people passing couldn’t see her.. Once the police pulled up and sat there pointing and talking for twenty minutes before driving off. Another time three Aboriginal lads were caught taking palings off the fence.. she spoke up and said .. “It isn’t marijuana but you can take as much as you want.. Just put the palings back when you are finished please.” as a voice from the greenery..

The next day one of them came back and was attempting to refix the palings.. “you were right missus.. it wasn’t marijuana missus” he was heard to say.

lol

bluegreen said:

actually “Clever Clover” was developed by CSIRO and it grows as a living mulch over winter adding nitrogen in the soil, then dies back in Spring. You do not dig it in but plant your Spring/Summer crop into it, leaving the dead plants as a mulch and weed suppressant. If the clover has self seeded then it will resprout in Autumn to repeat the cycle.

I have tried it once but in a shady bed that did not get much water so did not get very good results. But I consider the fault mine, not the clover’s.

cool

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

most of this is intrinsic to our nature since it is what we do each and every day.

the practice, yes. but the characteristics of this breed of clover lends itself to this practice better than others.

In practice.. we all breed our own clovers ..topical to our own locale.. if.. that is.. you are going to argue that clover from Dalkieth.. or described by dalkieth.. is going to piss on my fourleaf described as fourleaf and depicted as fourleaf .. by.. this non-lettered practicalist.

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

most of this is intrinsic to our nature since it is what we do each and every day.

Or once or twice a month for those of us who are just too darn exhausted when they get home from work every day… :D My challenge is to remember the tips I read here for long enough to actually put them into action!

If I find tips that I want to remember I copy them into a Word file and save it into my gardening folder on the hard drive…then it’s easy to just recap instead of having to trawl through the forum posts

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

most of this is intrinsic to our nature since it is what we do each and every day.

the practice, yes. but the characteristics of this breed of clover lends itself to this practice better than others.

In practice.. we all breed our own clovers ..topical to our own locale.. if.. that is.. you are going to argue that clover from Dalkieth.. or described by dalkieth.. is going to piss on my fourleaf described as fourleaf and depicted as fourleaf .. by.. this non-lettered practicalist.

lol!

I’m just repeating what it says in the blurb!

:D

AnneS said:

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

most of this is intrinsic to our nature since it is what we do each and every day.

Or once or twice a month for those of us who are just too darn exhausted when they get home from work every day… :D My challenge is to remember the tips I read here for long enough to actually put them into action!

If I find tips that I want to remember I copy them into a Word file and save it into my gardening folder on the hard drive…then it’s easy to just recap instead of having to trawl through the forum posts

Good point.. as at reading this you can remove irrelevant posts.