On June 22nd, Yoshiharu Watanabe from Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, a man in has broken the Guinness World Record for growing a 63-leaf clover.
Watanabe started cross-breeding clovers in his home garden in 2012 and succeeded in growing a clover with 63 leaves last month as a result of 12 years of dedication. The previous record was a 56-leaf clover grown by Shigeo Obara of Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, Japan 2009.
Watanabe used to bring home any clover he found with more than four leaves near fields or parks. When he discovered a 20-leaf clover in his garden, he could sense the possibility of achieving a world record. However, to break the existing record, he needed to triple the number of leaves, so he chose to water some clovers while allowing others to hydrate naturally manually.
After hardships, he came close to the world record by growing a 49-leaf clover in 2020 and a 55-leaf clover in 2021. When Watanabe first found the record-breaking clover, he estimated it to have 56 leaves, but it had over 60. He said, “Counting the leaves was very difficult because they are smaller than a regular clover. It took me over an hour to count them all”.
“I’m delighted to have finally achieved a world record. Just as a four-leaf clover is said to bring luck, I hope this 63-leaf clover will bring surprise and joy to people,” he added.
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