White Blossom Sweet Clover Melilotus officinalis

If you like honey, you’ll love white blossom sweet clover! Sweet clover is a biennial species: it will stay vegetative the first year and produce flowers the second year, before dying.

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A Multi-Purpose Legume

White blossom sweet clover is not a true clover but is probably more closely related to alfalfa. Sweet clover leaves look much like alfalfa, but the margins of alfalfa leaflets are serrated only on the tips. Sweet clover leaflets are serrated around their entire margin. It is typically a biennial, grows 2-6 feet high, and as the name implies, produces white flowers. It is a favorite amongst beekeepers for its honey production and is also useful for erosion control and cover crop usages.

White Blossom Compared to Yellow Blossom

When compared to the yellow flowering types of sweet clover, white blossom blooms roughly 2 weeks later, usually grows more upright, possesses coarser stems, and is more productive and more winter-hardy. However, white blossom sweet clover does not persist as well in pastures and less tolerant of adverse conditions than yellow blossom varieties. White blossom produces lighter colored honey than yellow blossom sweet clover.

Growth Characteristics

Typical plant height is between 3-5 feet with white blossoms that are sweet smelling and a favorite of honeybees and give their honey a recognizable flavor.

While technically a perennial, white sweet clover is not persistent and is used as a biennial and reseeded annually to provide consistent coverage. Sweet clover can produce and deposit a high percentage of hard seeds that persist in the soil for many years. This accounts for its consistent volunteering in many areas.

It does well in a variety of soils and has no pH preference. The average germination time is seven to 10 days for white sweet clover seeds.

Use as A Cover Crop

As a cover crop, white blossom can help with soil stability, soil penetration, and nitrogen contribution.

Coat for Optimal Performance

For optimal performance, sweet clover should be inoculated with Rhizobium Sinorhizobium meliloti. This is best achieved with Nitro-Coat®.

White Blossom Sweet Clover Specifications

Planting
Zones
Humid or irrigated regions of zones 3-8; acts as annual in zone 9
Longevity
Biennial - Vegetative the first year and produces flowers the second year, before dying.
Ease of Establishment
Good
Seeds/lb
260,000
Seeding Rate - Straight
8-10 lbs/ac
Seeding Rate - Mix
6-8 lbs/ac
Seeding Time
Fall (October-November) or late winter to early spring (February-April)
Seeding Depth
1/4"-3/8"
Seeding Method
Broadcast or drilled (preferred)
Method of Killing/Suppression
Mowing; grazing; chemical
Optimal Germination Temperature
Night temperatures > 40°F
Seedling Emergence/Vigor
Good
Reseeding Potential
Good
Root Type
Tap
Usage
Grazing Potential
Fair
Hay Potential
Fair
Use with Wildlife
Good
Use in Orchards
Good
Use with Row Crops
Good
Use with Other Grasses/Legumes
Excellent
Bees/Beneficial Insects
Good
Compaction Control
Good
Erosion Control
Good
Weed Suppression Potential
Good
Green Manure/Cover Crop Use
Excellent
Spreading Capability
Poor
N Contribution Potential
Good
DM Potential
Excellent
Forage Quality
Good
Harvest Time Frame (late/early/year-round)
Late
Number of Harvest/yr
1-2 per year
Other Comments
Hard seed so future volunteering is probable; Use only low coumarin varieties for livestock hay or grazing. Better adapted to short rotation pastures.
Tolerance
Bloat Risk
High
Disease Resistance
Good
Insect/Nematode Risk
Moderate; especially susceptible to sweet clover weevil.
Cold Tolerance
High
Traffic Tolerance
Fair
Heat Tolerance
Good
Drought Tolerance
Good
Shade Tolerance
Good
Dry Soil Tolerance
Good
Wet Soil Tolerance
Good
pH Range
Needs high pH (>6.0)
Required Fertility (P,K, other nutrients)
P, K, Ca, Mg needed; minor especially Mo, B also needed.
Planting Map