plant of the day-Kura clover(trifolium ambiguum)

OK so Im super excited to try this clover out this year.Up to 30 inches tall.Spreads by agressive runners.Out competes grass!Can hold its own with reed canary grass.Its 83% digestable by deer(which Im trying to attract).The only down side is its alittle slow at the start so Ill start in pots but once established slowly takes over.This might be the ultimate forage crop!Like Sepps rye,this comes from russia where feilds have been growing for over 100 years.They say this plant might be able to live indeffinatly and its super hardy.Ill try to order seeds tommarow!

Interesting. I wonder if there will be a fad of switching from white clover to Caucasian clover.



I found an interesting paper on establishing it.

The only apparent limitation is that establishment of kura clover is more challenging than other forage legumes.  The reason for this is that the pattern of development of kura clover seedlings is different from other legumes.  Kura clover seedlings germinate, emerge and develop the first three true leaves at about the same rate as other legumes, but then leaf development slows and energy from photosynthesis is used for root and rhizome development.  Also, kura clover produces few or no upright stems during the first year and its short stature makes it extremely susceptible to shading from weeds or existing grass in the field. 

It sounds like a decent choice to plant on top of a zone>2 tree stump.

Evidence exists that strains of Rhizobia specific for kura clover are not as robust as other Rhizobia and do not survive long after application to the seed.  Therefore it is recommended to apply Rhizobia to the seed on the day of sowing.