Purple Clover 250 m² - Green Manure

The violet clover is a perennial legume, used as a green fertilizer for several years or as a forage plant. It has the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in its roots. It is a herbaceous plant with dark pink flowers. This green fertilizer will help loosen the soil, limit weed growth, and combat soil leaching or rain compaction. Sow from March to June.

The violet clover belongs to the Fabaceae family (formerly legumes) and the Trifolium genus, along with white clover and Alexandrine clover. These different clovers are characterized by their leaves with 3 leaflets and their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil. The violet clover is resistant to frost and develops a significant vegetative cover. During the summer, it flowers in the form of spherical heads with dark pink color. Violet clover is suitable for all types of soils.

Commonly used in organically cultivated gardens, green fertilizers like violet clover have many benefits. They nourish and improve the soil by providing various nutrients and stimulating soil microbial life. Their roots will loosen, break up, and aerate the soil. Additionally, the presence of a vegetative cover protects the soil from leaching (nutrient loss in sandy soil), rain compaction (formation of a crust in loamy soil), and erosion (caused by runoff in steep terrain during heavy rains). This vegetative cover also helps limit weed growth by preventing the growth of unwanted grasses. Finally, green fertilizers are often attractive to pollinators.

Green fertilizers are sown on uncultivated plots or intercalary plots, between vegetable rows. They are either naturally destroyed by frost or mowed before seed formation. Once destroyed, they can be left in place as mulch, or they can be shredded and incorporated into the top layers of the soil, or they can be collected and added to compost.