Wicked Tuff Turf Sweet Clover Seed
Wicked Tuff Turf Sweet Clover Seed
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Product Description
Product Description
The heavy-duty soil fixer — a deep-rooted legume that breaks up hardpan, rebuilds worn-out ground, and feeds bees, all without synthetic inputs.
Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis, the yellow type, and Melilotus alba, the white type) is a biennial — meaning it lives two years: year one it grows roots and leaves, year two it flowers, sets seed, and finishes. That two-year cycle is the whole point. In year one it drives a taproot (a single thick root growing straight down) 4–6 feet into the ground, breaking up hardpan — a compacted layer that blocks roots and water. In year two it puts on tall, vigorous growth and does heavy nitrogen fixation: it pulls nitrogen out of the air and stores it in the soil, often 100–150+ lbs per acre, banking fertility for your next crop. Its fragrant blooms also make it one of the top honey plants in North America. Our Canada-grown seed is uncoated and tested for purity and germination.
Key Benefits
• Nature's plow: a 4–6 ft taproot breaks compacted soil layers and improves drainage.
• Massive nitrogen fixer: 100–150+ lbs of nitrogen per acre over the two-year cycle.
• Premier honey plant: nectar-rich second-year blooms support beekeeping and pollinators.
• Soil-building biomass: heavy year-two growth tills back in as green manure (a crop worked into the soil to enrich it).
• Tough and adaptable: drought- and cold-tolerant on alkaline, marginal, and dryland soils.
• Clean, uncoated seed: no fillers, coatings, or dyes.
Best Uses
• Soil rehabilitation, compaction remediation, and hardpan breaking
• Green manure and nitrogen banking for future crops
• Pollinator and honeybee habitat
• Conservation cover, CRP, and roadside stabilization
• Crop rotation in organic and regenerative systems
Important Notes
Sweet Clover grows 3–6 feet tall in its second year and does not tolerate foot traffic — it is an agricultural and restoration crop, not a residential lawn or walkway. It needs well-drained soil; avoid waterlogged ground. The seed has a hard coat, so scarify it or let it overwinter naturally for best germination.
Why Choose Old Cobblers Farm™?
Every bag of Wicked Tuff Turf seed is selected for high purity and strong germination, and tested so you know what you are planting — consistent, clean, uncoated, Canada-grown seed for growers who want reliable results.
Application Instructions
Application Instructions
USDA Zones 3–9; full sun (tolerates partial shade); well-drained loam, clay, sandy, gravelly, or alkaline soils; pH 6.0–8.0. Avoid waterlogged ground.
Seeding rate
10–15 lb per acre for a pure stand; 5–10 lb per acre in a cover-crop mix.
How to plant
Broadcast or drill ¼–½ inch deep with good seed-to-soil contact. Sweet Clover has a hard seed coat — scarify the seed (lightly scratch or abrade the coat) or let it overwinter naturally to greatly improve germination. Plant in early spring (preferred) or late summer. A nurse crop such as oats helps suppress weeds while it establishes. Germinates in 7–14 days; keep evenly moist during germination.
Inoculation
For best nitrogen fixation, inoculate before planting with Sinorhizobium meliloti — the alfalfa/sweet-clover inoculant group. Inoculation means coating the seed with the right helper bacteria so the legume can pull nitrogen from the air properly.
Ingredients
Ingredients
Product Specifications
Product Specifications
Species: Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis) / White (Melilotus alba)
Category: Legume (nitrogen-fixing)
Lifecycle: Biennial (year 1 roots; year 2 bloom & biomass)
Growth habit: Tall, upright (3–6 ft in year two); deep 4–6 ft taproot
USDA Zones: 3–9
Sun: Full sun (tolerates partial shade)
Soil pH: 6.0–8.0 (performs well on alkaline soils)
Seeding
Rate — pure stand: 10–15 lb/acre
Rate — in mix: 5–10 lb/acre
Depth: ¼–½ inch
Seed coat: Hard-coated — scarify or overwinter to improve germination
Best planting time: Early spring (preferred) or late summer
Germination window: 7–14 days (soil 40–65°F)
Fertilizer note: Seed only — naturally fixes 100–150+ lbs N/acre
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