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Post by BigM on Jan 3, 2014 8:20:00 GMT -5
That's exactly what it is Val.
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Post by Valerie on Jan 3, 2014 11:19:56 GMT -5
Ain't that something! I saw the sign up about "we have plot mixes!" but had no idea what they were. By time I thought to ask, the sign was down. I plan to buy some white clover seed shortly, to use for live mulch under my fruit trees and under the tomato plants this year. We'll see what it does. Red clover and most of the other "cover crops" don't grow here, but I know white clover does!
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Post by BigM on Jan 4, 2014 7:33:18 GMT -5
How does "live mulch" work? I've never heard the term before.
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Post by Valerie on Jan 4, 2014 14:27:30 GMT -5
The clover works like mulch to choke out weeds and keep them out (I've noticed this in the yard; where there is a clover patch, you don't find any other plants mixed in!). It also keeps the ground cooler (why little kids like to walk in it barefoot) and it attracts bees and other good insects (why little kids shouldn't walk in it barefoot!). But instead of being dead like leaves or such, it's alive, and is a legume fixing nitrogen into the soil. I first read about it in a book on permaculture, which I've been looking into. It's pretty interesting.
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Post by Cyngbaeld on Jan 4, 2014 15:46:21 GMT -5
Check out Dichondra, Val. It grows wild here. I have a fair amount in the lawn. Never needs mowing and tolerates heavy traffic. Stays green yr round here. Drought tolerant too.
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Post by Valerie on Jan 5, 2014 8:47:31 GMT -5
Kim, I looked up dichondra, since I'd never heard of it before. Not being native here, it kind of sounds like it might need more maintenance than I want to give it. When we get wet seasons, it stays wet for a while, and everything I read said that it needs good drainage and needs to dry out completely before getting watered again. Thanks for the tip, though!
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Post by Cyngbaeld on Jan 5, 2014 12:10:34 GMT -5
Not the stuff that grows here. It sits in water for ages and comes right back. I really don't do any maintenance at all.
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Post by Valerie on Jan 5, 2014 19:30:30 GMT -5
Wow!
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