Good afternoon, my reader. Any gardener has heard of mulching. This procedure consists of covering the beds with a layer of sawdust, needles or fallen leaves - mulch protects the roots of seedlings from the cold, retains moisture in the soil and interferes with the development of weeds. Such manipulations have to be carried out quite often - some crops need mulching after each watering. If you save your time and are not ready to scour the forests throughout the summer in search of rotten needles, live mulch will be your salvation.
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What is live mulch
Ground cover plants, planted in the beds between the seedlings of fruit crops, act as living mulch. Such plants are white clover, creeping thyme, periwinkle, saxifrage - covering the ground with a dense carpet, they limit the access of weeds to sunlight.
Performs live mulch and other functions - protects the rhizomes of the shoots from the cold, and the soil from drying out. Unlike a layer of ordinary sawdust, a green “blanket” can also promote the growth of fruit crops. It is not for nothing that we called white clover the first in a series of ground cover plants - plant this unpretentious flower in the beds and watch how the shoots of garlic and onions grow prettier before our eyes.
White Clover as Live Mulch: Key Benefits
Weed protection
Clover not only deprives weeds of access to sunlight, but also leaves them without food. Not a single blade of grass will break through the shamrock plantations - wheatgrass and dandelions will not interfere with the growth of vegetables.
It is important to remember that clover develops quite rapidly, therefore, young shoots of fruit crops can quickly outgrow. In addition, the flower consumes a large amount of nutrients, which can make its neighbors in the garden feel deprived. For this reason, planting live mulch must be thinned out in a timely manner.
Moisture retention
Clover retains moisture no better and no worse than any other ground cover plant, but it copes with its task. Sunlight does not penetrate through the wide leaves of the clover, due to which the water practically does not evaporate from the soil surface.
In especially hot weather, the situation changes somewhat. Drought threatens the thin shoots of white clover with death, so the root system of the plant begins to draw all available water from the soil. Dealing with the problem will not be difficult - you just need to increase the watering rate.
Soil saturation with nitrogen
Fruit crops need nitrogen for rapid growth. Especially actively vegetables and root crops consume the element in the early stages of development, and it is during this period that it can be sorely lacking. Living clover mulch solves the problem - let this plant extract a large amount of nutrients from the soil, in return it saturates it with nitrogen and some other compounds.
It is recommended to fertilize the beds mulched with white clover abundantly so that the nutrients contained in the soil are enough both for the shoots of fruit crops and for planting a ground cover plant.
Loosening the soil
Clover shoots move the clods apart and loosen the soil. This not only opens the root system of vegetables and root crops to air, but also attracts annelids to the beds. In addition to the latter, various microorganisms like to "settle" in loose soil, whose vigorous vital activity will also be useful for the growth and development of garden crops.
Attracting pollinators
Fragrant clover inflorescences are capable of attracting a whole swarm of bees. Pollinating insects will not pass by the flowers of a cucumber or tomato. The more shoots are pollinated, the more harvest you can harvest in the fall.
Do you know why it is worth mulching the beds with white clover?
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