The concept of a traditional, uniform turfgrass lawn is giving way to more sustainable alternatives. A clover lawn, or a clover-grass mix, represents a shift back to a historical practice where clover was a valued component of the yard. This approach reduces the reliance on intensive watering and chemical inputs required by turfgrass monocultures. This guide helps property owners select the most suitable clover variety for their specific landscaping goals.
Advantages of Incorporating Clover into Lawns
Incorporating clover provides significant ecological and practical benefits due to its unique biological function. As a legume, clover engages in a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria in its root nodules, performing atmospheric nitrogen fixation. This process converts nitrogen gas into a usable organic form, providing a constant, natural fertilizer source for itself and surrounding turfgrass.
This natural fertilization reduces or eliminates the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, preventing nutrient runoff into waterways. Clover possesses deep root systems compared to many turfgrasses, contributing to superior drought tolerance. During dry weather, clover often remains vibrant green while surrounding grass may turn brown and go dormant.
The dense growth habit of clover helps it outcompete and suppress many common broadleaf weeds, minimizing the need for herbicides. Unlike many conventional turf varieties, clover is highly resistant to the browning caused by concentrated pet urine. These factors result in a more resilient and lower-maintenance ground cover.
Selecting the Right Clover Species
The choice of clover species is important for achieving the desired lawn appearance and maintenance level. The two most popular options are Microclover and White Dutch Clover.
Microclover (Trifolium repens var. Pipolina)
Microclover is a specific cultivar of common white clover bred for optimal lawn performance. Its primary advantage is its diminutive size, featuring significantly smaller leaves and a growth habit lower to the ground than its parent plant. This variety rarely grows taller than four to six inches, making it an excellent choice for blending seamlessly into a mixed grass lawn.
Microclover is designed to flower less frequently than traditional white clover, which is a major consideration for areas with high foot traffic. Less frequent flowering means fewer bees are attracted to the lawn surface, reducing the risk of stings. It is highly resilient to foot traffic and tends to spread less aggressively and clump less than the traditional variety. Microclover is often considered the best choice for a modern, low-profile, mixed-species lawn, though its seeds are more expensive.
White Dutch Clover (Trifolium repens)
White Dutch Clover is the traditional species common in lawns before the rise of chemical herbicides in the 1950s. This variety is highly durable, thrives in a wide range of soil types, and is significantly less expensive than Microclover seed. It is a vigorous grower with larger leaves and tends to grow up to eight inches if left unmown.
The main drawback of White Dutch Clover for a manicured lawn is its profuse flowering, resulting in a dense covering of small white blossoms during the summer. While these flowers support pollinators like honey bees, they can be a concern for families with children or pets who use the lawn frequently. For a pure clover lawn or a naturalized area, this species remains a cost-effective and robust option.
Establishing and Maintaining Your Clover Lawn
Successfully integrating clover begins with proper timing and soil preparation to ensure strong germination and establishment. The ideal time for seeding is in the early spring or early fall when temperatures are mild and moisture is abundant. Before seeding, existing weeds should be removed, and the soil should be lightly tilled or aerated to improve seed-to-soil contact.
Clover seeds should be lightly broadcast over the prepared area, often mixed with a carrier like sand or soil for even distribution. A common seeding rate for overseeding an existing lawn is around two pounds per 1,000 square feet. Establishing a new, pure clover lawn may require up to five pounds per 1,000 square feet. After spreading, the seeds should be gently raked in and kept consistently moist until germination occurs, which typically takes one to two weeks.
Once established, clover requires minimal ongoing care compared to turfgrass, largely due to its nitrogen-fixing ability. The use of nitrogen-rich lawn fertilizers is unnecessary and can disadvantage the clover by encouraging the growth of competing grasses. If a boost is needed, a low-nitrogen fertilizer such as 0-20-20 (containing phosphorus and potassium) can be applied in the spring or fall.
Mowing should be done with the blade set higher, ideally between three and four inches, to maintain the clover’s health and prevent scalping. Allowing the clippings to remain on the lawn is beneficial, as they decompose and return fixed nitrogen into the soil. Broadleaf herbicides commonly used on grass lawns will kill clover, so weed control must be done manually or by using selective herbicides designed to target only grassy weeds.