![]() Unfortuantely, honeybee populations are in decline, and scientists link this loss to the eradication of clover, dandelions, and other flowering “weeds” from lawns across the country. Around one in three foods we eat depends upon honeybees for pollination! If you’ve eaten honey, it was most likely clover honey! Providing food for honeybees reaches far beyond the production of nature’s sweetener - feeding pollinators is critically important to crop production on any scale, from large farms to our own gardens. Lush green cover intercepts the sun, which helps to moderate soil temperatures and reduce evaporation.Ĭlover's strong root system and dense groundcover will also suppresses the growth of weeds, reducing the need for herbicides.Ĭlover is one of honeybees’ favorite foods. In addition to fixing nitrogen, a living clover mulch keeps soil moist and cool. This can be done by incorporating clover into lawns, mixed plantings, or sowing clover as a living mulch or groundcover. ![]() ![]() Gardeners can use clover as a green manure or cover crop, too!Īnother way to gain the benefits of nitrogen fixation is to plant clover among other plants. Farmers have long used clover as a rotation among their crops. Planting clover therefore helps you save money on soil amendements, leads to healthier plant growth, and protects waterways from being polluted by fertilizer runoff. This process rejuvinates nutrient-poor soils and reduces the need for fertilizers. Once legumes fix nitrogen, surrounding plants can use the nitrogen compounds to fuel growth. They do this by partnering with beneficial bacteria in the soil called Rhizobia, which grows in rounded nodules along the plant’s roots. They transform nitrogen gas, found in air pockets of soil, into organic compounds that can be used to help fertilize plants. Legumes perform a unique service among the plant world: nitrogen fixing.
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