Grow a Clover Lawn: A Guide to Low-Cost Greenery

At one time, most yards had at least some clover growing in them. It was a world before chemicals, and clover was part of seed blends because it improved the soil and the condition of the lawn. Move on from the quest for a perfect lawn of just turf grass. It’s not natural and ends up requiring chemicals.

Before World War II and the advent of chemicals, clover was used as a great companion with turf grass. It was added to seed blends, along with fescues, ryegrasses, and Kentucky bluegrass, because it helped grass thrive.

More and more gardeners are beginning to recognize the benefits of clover in lawn grass mixtures—or even as a replacement for grass.

See the incredible benefits of clover below, find out how to plant it, and some of the different types!

Benefits of a Clover Lawn

1. Being a legume, the clover plant fixes nutrient-deficient soil. Clover can convert nitrogen into fertilizer using bacteria in its root system, practically eliminating the need for additional fertilization.
2. Clover is among the first plants to green up and thrive in the spring.
3. It’s an extremely drought-resistant plant and will keep its cool-green color even during the hottest and driest parts of summer.
4. Clover will also thrive in poorly drained areas or too shady for a conventional lawn. Due to its long roots, it draws moisture and nutrients from deep in the soil, so it will grow in most soil types.
5. The flowers create a beautiful visual effect and bring in bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects that prey on garden pests.
6. You don’t need to mow clover lawns as frequently as grass lawns. Twice a year will suffice, once after the clover has bloomed and dropped its seeds and once again a month before the first frost.
7. You won’t need to use herbicides or pesticides; these lawns are fast-growing and will prevent other weeds from coming through.
8. Growing a clover lawn is much cheaper than a grass lawn, both in planting and ongoing maintenance costs.

Types of Clover

White clover (Trifolium repens) is the most common clover for lawns. Left uncut, white clover grows 4 to 8 inches tall and produces small white flowers that are often tinged with pink. It’s a rapid spreader that crowds out broadleaf weeds while growing harmoniously with grass.

Like white clover, red clover (Trifolium pratense) is native to Europe, but has been naturalized in North America. It produces attractive purple flowers and typically grows taller than white clover (a little too tall compared to lawn grass).

Microclover (Trifolium repens L)is a smaller variety of white clover with smaller leaves. This variety flowers less than the two above, making it an ideal choice if you have children playing on the lawn. It does tend to be more expensive than other clover seed types as they are specially cultivated for their more uniform appearance. It is not as shade-, heat-, or drought-tolerant.

How to Plant Clover: Step-by-Step

You can plant clover by itself for ground cover, but it stands up better to foot traffic when combined with lawn grass.

Step 1: Choose the type you want for your lawn based on personal preferences and your climate.

Step 2: If you’re opting for a sole clover lawn, remove existing grass and weeds and rake the area to loosen the topsoil. Check the pH of the soil; it should be between 6.0 and 7.0 (but check your variety as some prefer different conditions).

Step 3: To sow clover alone, mix it with enough sand to facilitate spreading. About 2 ounces of clover is needed for every 1,000 square feet of lawn.

Step 4: Water lightly with a spray nozzle to moisten the soil without disturbing or washing away the seeds. Keep the soil moist for the next 10 days, or until a week or so after the seeds have germinated.

Other planting tips:

• Only 5 to 10% of the weight of tiny clover seed must be mixed with the recommended amount of grass seed to create a thick stand.
• When adding clover to an existing lawn, first mow it close and remove any thatch to allow the seed to fall to the soil surface.
• Since clover has a low growth habit, it can be left unmowed all season long if desired. Alternatively, it can be mowed a couple of times a year to maintain its appearance.

How to Care for Clover

Clover is a hardy and fast-growing plant that requires minimal care once it is established, however, if you want to help it, keep these things in mind.

Sun: provide full sun if possible, but it will still grow in some shade.

Soil: clover isn’t all that fussy and will even help your soil as it grows. It will tolerate all soil types, including poorly drained soil.

Water: once established, you only need to water your lawn if there has been no rain for a couple of weeks.

Disadvantages of Clover Lawns

There are very few downsides to growing a clover lawn, but here are a couple you might want to consider.

When in flower, clovers attract stinging insects such as honeybees. Honeybees rarely sting when they are away from their hive, but if they make you uncomfortable or you are allergic to bee stings, simply have the lawn mowed more often when clover is in bloom. Or, grow clover on surfaces where there is little activity on the lawn, and the desired result is more aesthetic than functional.

Clover spreads easily. This could be either an advantage or a problem depending on the area you are growing the plant!

How to Get Rid of Clover in Lawns

If your clover does spread too far, or you’re looking for solutions to remove clover from your yard, there are a few options you can use.

1. If it’s just a small patch, remove it by hand and ensure you take up the roots, too, to prevent regrowth.
2. Use a vinegar solution directly on the clover—be careful with this method as it can damage the surrounding grass.
3. Corn gluten meal spread in early spring before germination will inhibit seed germination.
4. Reseed areas with grass to prevent clover from outcompeting.

Luck of the Clover

Finding a four-leaf clover is considered good luck. Surely, it must be because, on average, there is only one of them for every 10,000 clovers with three leaves. But even if you never find a four-leaf specimen, just having clover growing in your lawn will keep it greener longer with minimum care, which we consider to be extremely good luck.

Looking for more ground cover options? See a few more hardy ground cover plants.