Since there are many different types of clover worldwide, not all clovers are the same. Depending on the variety, clover grown in a pot can literally be a blessing or a curse.
What should you consider when growing clover in a pot?
Clover in the pot can be either a lucky charm like the four-leaf Oxalis tetraphylla or an edible red or white clover. When growing in a pot, the water requirement, the root depth and the avoidance of waterlogging must be taken into account. Horned sorrel in pots can be a garden pest.
Red or white clover in a pot?
On many agricultural areas in rather cool and moist locations, red and white clover are grown as protein-rich fodder plants. Red or meadow clover in particular is not only edible by humans and animals, but is also traditionally valued as an important medicinal plant. Since the clover that grows in nature or in fodder meadows is often not free from contamination, growing it in a pot on your own balcony or terrace can be an alternative. However, the following factors should be taken into account:
- the water requirements of potted plants
- the root depth of the respective clover variety
- that clover reacts sensitively to waterlogging
Since red and white clover form relatively deep and widely branched root systems, the respective planter (€136.00 on Amazon) should not be chosen too small.
The clover in the pot as a lucky charm
Many people give themselves a small pot of four-leaf clover as a good luck charm on New Year's Eve. However, this is not a close relative of red or white clover from the genus Trifolium, but is usually the type of clover Oxalis tetraphylla, which originally comes from Mexico. This type of clover is not hardy outdoors in Central Europe. However, you don't have to throw away the lucky clover if it has survived on the windowsill until the end of winter. After the last night frosts, the lucky clover can be placed in the garden and propagated relatively easily.
Be careful of horned sorrel in the pot of purchased garden plants
While the lucky clover stands for blessings at the start of the new year, another clover in the pot can sometimes turn into a curse in the garden. The so-called horn sorrel (Oxalis corniculata) is even edible to a limited extent, but on slightly acidic soil it can develop into a real pest in the bed. It often grows in the substrate of garden plants purchased from garden shops and is thus introduced into the garden. Therefore, always check garden plants purchased in pots carefully for any presence of this reddish type of clover.
Tip
If you want to display the lucky clover in a particularly attractive way on the windowsill or in the garden during the summer season, then you can choose a baby shoe or a decorative teacup as a planter instead of a normal pot.
