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permaculture - [permaculture] Yellow (maybe white also, melilotus alba) sweet clover and "Canada Thistle control (organic / sustainable practices forum at permies)"

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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Yellow (maybe white also, melilotus alba) sweet clover and "Canada Thistle control (organic / sustainable practices forum at permies)"
  • Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 15:06:14 -0400

Yellow (maybe white also, melilotus alba) sweet clover and "Canada Thistle
control (organic / sustainable practices forum at permies)"
http://www.permies.com/t/9243/organic-sustainable-practices/Canada-Thistle-control#84515

posted Saturday, July 16, 2011 4:40:05 PM

Ran across this to day in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education site:

"Sweetclover residue is said to be allelopathic against kochia, Russia
thistle, dandelion, perennial sowthistle, stinkweed and green foxtail.
Repeated mowing of yellow sweetclover that is then left to mature is
reported to have eradicated Canada thistle. Letting sweetclover bloom and
go to seed dries out soil throughout the profile, depleting the root
reserves of weeds. "

It is also an accumulator plant, bringing various minerals up from subsoils
and making them available for other plants.It is supposed to be almost
unmatched in its value as a green manure crop. Seed can remain viable in
soil for 10 years.

One thing that maybe should be mentioned though is that sweet clovers
contain coumarin which can be a problem especially in mouldy hay. SARE says
pasture or DRY (clean) hay from first year plants are equivilent to
alfalfa. The Manitoba Dept of Agr. suggests feeding such pasture in 6 week
rotations with other pastures with absolutely no sweetclover, to allow the
animals to rid their systems of it. There are some strains now with a low
coumarin count.


<>

I'll post pix of this plant if anyone wants to see what it looks like in
bloom and where it can grow and flourish. LL



  • [permaculture] Yellow (maybe white also, melilotus alba) sweet clover and "Canada Thistle control (organic / sustainable practices forum at permies)", Lawrence London, 05/23/2012

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