Strawberry Clover


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Strawberry Clover

  • Perennial legume
  • Tolerates floods and salinity
  • Flowers May-June, Seed mature in June and July
  • Height 8-14″

Strawberry clover, a native of  Eurasia, is mainly used for pasture and in mixtures with grass for hay and silage. Forage and seeds of strawberry clover are also used by big and small game and upland birds. It has also been used as groundcover in orchards and vineyards and for green manure cover crop applications to a limited extent. Strawberry clover has a heavy root system that extends to about 39″ depth on dry soils.

Planting should take place in late fall (dormant) or in spring. Late summer planting can be successful if there is adequate moisture (may require irrigation) and time for seedlings to establish before cold temperatures. Seed may contain up to 70 percent hard seed, so if seeding during the growing season, seed should be scarified prior to seeding. Dormant fall planting will allow natural seed scarification. Strawberry clover seedlings are easily established and grow rapidly but do not compete well with weeds. Successful stands establish from seeding and natural spread and get better over time.

Common strawberry clover is reported to be self- fertile but the variety ‘Salina’ is reported to be self- sterile and needs cross pollination. Self pollinated plants are less vigorous. Placing colonies of honey bees near fields will help increase seed yields.

When used in orchards it can be mixed with dutch white clover (Trifolium repens), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), and creeping red fescue (Festuca rub). Strawberry clover is more heat tolerant than dutch white clover, but less shade tolerant.

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