Just about one year ago I posted the original question on this thread because my orchard floor was being overtaken by that plant.
Now a year later, without having done anything to eradicate that weed, I find that I now have a wonderful lush thick carpet of CLOVER on that part of the orchard that is not mulched or otherwise covered. It actually looks rather nice
So my question is … Is CLOVER a BAD thing to have around the trees?
I have been “gardening”, if you want to call it that, most of my life ( which basically was to plop some annual flowers [loved marigolds, dahlias and cornflowers {perennial, i know}], and a few tomatoes peppers, zucchini and cukes into the ground and picked it all up in the fall) .
It wasn’t until I planted my orchard five years ago that I was forced to start paying attention to what was happening in the garden/orchard. I did not realize what a DYNAMIC placee the orchard was.
So now in one year I see a battle for dominance that has been waged and won by the clover, at least for this year.
I also noticed that different “weeds” dominate from year to year. When I first started crabgrass,it was the bane of my existence. Now almost none at all.
In our orchards, maybe without realizing it, we are watching life as a slow motion movie.
Wonder if anyone else here has noticed that changing battlefield beneath our feet.
I’m new to orchards, but I always encourage clover in the lawn and leave it be in the garden. It fixes nitrogen in the soil, keeps out worse weeds and provides good food for the bees. Now, my yard is not the tidiest, and I know some people hate clover with a passion, but free fertilizer and free honey are cool in my book.
field experiments have also shown that clover saves water. the transpiration from clover is less than the evaporation from a bare ground. The clover succeeding the spurge is due to the fact that spurge, like many other noxious weeds like thistle, improves the soil so much that it effectively commits suicide by preparing good conditions for plants that will out-compete it.
I read a good website today that described the difference between pursplane and spurge. Some clues are that pursplane has smooth stems while source has hairy stems. When the stems are broken source will ooze a milky white sap similar to figs. Pursplane will not.
I tasted the leaves and to me they taste like many other leafy greens. Honestly though I dont really taste lemon. The flavor is okay. Ill definitely use them if I find them.
Does your plant have any flowers? Purslane has tiny yellow cup shaped flowers that turn into little cups of tiny black seeds. The seeds fall out at the slightest touch.
It makes me nervous when someone eats a plant without a positive id. A friend of mine was making tea out of a bush she thought was yaupon (a native holly with caffeine). One glance at it, and.I recognized it as Autumn Olive. Her plant book had been published before Autumn Olive was widespread. She suffered.nothimg worse than embarrassment, but it made me very cautious!
Good point glib. In the old days, they would see what weeds would grow in a field, then realize those were the plants that were bringing the lacking nutrition to it.
John S
PDX OR
autumn olive berries have 17 times more lycopene than tomatoes. Every male should eat autumn olive berries to fight the eventually inevitable prostate cancer.
John S
PDX OR
Absolutely! I love Autumn Berries/olives. I juice the berries and use the juice in gin and tonics and the pulp in tomato sauce. However, AFAIK, the leaves are not considered an edible! In my friend’s case, misidentification caused no harm, but there are many plants that could have made her very ill. Wild carrots and hemlock are the classic example, but ground cherries/horse nettle, and milkweed/dogbane are commonly mistaken. The first one is tasty, the second will have you worshipping the porcelain god if you can choke down more than a bite or two.
After touting the health benefits of pursplane to my dad he now appears to be farming it. Lol. It was growing in his little tomato bed so he cleared most of the other weeds out and it took over the bed. He’s been adding it to his salads and using it in his fruit smoothies.
oooh, beautiful stand. I can only dream of one such. My garden is too cold. I pick some near my office but not enough. I don’t understand the negativity. don’t you guys want to keep the soil covered, specially in high summer? and purslane being as low as it is you can plant transplants right through it. besides cherry tomatoes are coming on. and what goes best in a salad with cherry toms?
and i agree to the agreement. The soil needs to be covered at all times. And if the soil is fertile weeds will make themselves at home. The only choice you have, you can plant your own weeds. Fortunately there are a few vegetables that truly behave like weeds in my garden (the worst is celery), but I also juice plantain, thistle, and dandelion.
