Alfalfa is not red clover. The red flower grass used to fertilize fields in rural areas is called milkvetch, and it is a commonly used green manure plant in rice fields in the south. Alfalfa and milkvetch are two different plants. However, they have one thing in common, that is, they all belong to the legume family and their roots have the ability to fix nitrogen.

1. Get to know "Red Vetch"

Red Vetch (Vetch) is a biennial herbaceous plant of the Leguminosae family. It is a green manure plant commonly grown in rice fields in the south. It is also called "Red Vetch" in many places. "Grass seed".

Red flower grass has good cold tolerance and is not afraid of cold in winter. It starts growing early in spring and usually blooms in early spring (the flowering period is from February to June). The flowers of red flowers are purple or light red when viewed from a distance, and they look quite spectacular in their entirety.

And its flowering period overlaps with that of rapeseed flowers. The golden rapeseed flowers are sandwiched with pink farmland, which is one of the beauties of early spring in the south.

The red flower grass has odd-numbered pinnate compound leaves, and the plant height is about 30 centimeters, which is shorter than the rapeseed flower.

In addition to being used as green manure, safflower is also a good nectar plant. Its tender leaves can also be used for cooking.

When making green manure, safflower is usually cultivated before late rice planting, and is plowed during the full flowering period. One acre of red flower grass can yield three to four thousand kilograms of fresh grass. Soil fertility can be significantly improved 2-3 years after planting. 2. Get to know “alfalfa”

Since some people regard red flower grass as alfalfa, let’s introduce alfalfa together today.

Alfalfa is a leguminous plant originating from Midian (now Iran) in ancient Persia. It is said that Zhang Qian (the founder of the Silk Road) of the Western Han Dynasty brought it back from his mission to the Western Regions. Alfalfa plants are rich in protein and are high-quality forage plants. They were once known as the "King of Forage."

Alfalfa leaves have three pinnate leaflets with small teeth on the edges. There are two types of alfalfa. Alfalfa is commonly grown in the north (for pasture), and southern alfalfa is alfalfa with yellow flowers. It is called "Cao Tou" in Shanghai, Changshu, Taicang and other places. Alfalfa leaves are also edible and very popular.

Alfalfa is a perennial leguminous herbaceous plant. Its root system has the ability to "fix nitrogen". Through the action of rhizobia, it converts nitrogen in the air into nitrogen nutrients that plants can absorb.

The height of alfalfa is 30-100cm, which is higher than that of safflower. It can also be used as green manure and is commonly used for growing grass in orchards.

The above is the identification of alfalfa and red grass. It may be clearer when viewed with pictures.

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