Green Roofs and Crimson Clover - Day Four Lots of Leaves

Green Roof Plant Crimson Clover - Day Four Leaves

As a green manure plant, Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnata, takes nitrogen out of the air and rainwater and fixes the nutrient into the soil.

Planting Red Clover is similar to installing a fertilizer-on-demand-plant on your green roof.

The beauty of Crimson Clover fixing nitrogen into green roof soils is not only the nutrient making capability, but also the fact that the nitrogen is much less likely to runoff into gutters and finally reach the river.

Day Four of Crimson Clover sprouting brought thousands of opening leaves.  Roots are beginning to become well formed and reach deep into the green roof soil.  Dew covers the small plants - nature based irrigation.

The roof is taking on a solid appearance of 'green'.  More tomorrow!

Happy Green Roofing with Cimson Clover.

Kevin

Green Roofs and Crimson Clover - Day Two Sprouts

Green Roof Plants Crimson Clover Day 2 Sprouts

Sowing Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnatum, on a green roof this weekend was good timing because we had a good rainfall yesterday.

Day Two of the sprouting produced a significant increase in the number of seeds dropping their roots into the green roof soil.

Several had the initial set of small leaves and all of the exposed seed hulls were swollen with life expectancy.

Clover is an interesting plant to use on a green roof.  It is considered an annual species with many benefits when used in agriculture.  Though native to Europe, Crimson Clover has existed in the Americas for centuries.

Crimson clover is widely used in medicinal herbology, forage for livestock and for erosion control.

Clover's small red flowers are stunning when planted in mass.

Crimson clover is a nitrogen fixing plant - one capable of taking nitrogen from the air and fixing into the soil - a perfect replacement for chemical fertilizers on green roofs.

We will be posting daily photos of the clover as it grows ont he roof.

As always, email your questions.

Happy Green Roofing, Kevin