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Try clover the next time you need a new lawn. (photo by Jorge Vicente)
These days many home gardeners are concerned about how their lawns affect the environment. Common landscaping grasses need frequent mowing and dry out quickly, leading the gardener to use a lot of gasoline and water. Some ecological experts recommend trying a clover lawn as a way to conserve these resources. If you don’t want to change your entire yard, consider a mix of clover and grass so you get the benefits of both. Clover grows quickly and smothers weeds as it takes over. It also produces pink or white flowers so you will have blossoms in addition to a green lawn.
There are many environmental benefits to a clover lawn. It does not need the fertilizer that traditional lawn grass because clover fixes nitrogen. Like members of the pea family, clover gathers nitrogen from the air and fertilizes itself through little nodes in the roots. (This is one of the reasons that clover makes a good winter cover crop that will precede leafy vegetables in the spring.) Most importantly, during dry mid-summer conditions clover stays green and does not need as much watering. The plants have long roots that reach far down under the soil. This makes it tolerant to both drought and soil compaction. Consider this as during dry seasons there are often lawn watering restrictions in Maryland. Plus, it will save on your water bill.
There are a few things to consider before you start a clover lawn. Clover has small white or pink flowers that are very attractive to bees. If you are a gardener, this is great because more pollinators will be attracted to the garden. However, if members of your family have allergies, mow more frequently during blooming season so that the flowers are removed. Clover is not as tough as grass so consider it for areas where your family will not be too rough on the lawn. The clover reseeds itself the first couple of years, but after that you might need to refresh the lawn by reseeding.
A clover lawn is best started in the spring or summer. Buy a large bag of clover from a garden catalog or an online source like Amazon. If the soil in your yard is bare, rake it to get out any major lumps. If there is still grass on the plot, rake it very hard to roughen up the soil and give the seeds a place to take hold. Next, mix the seeds with a large pile of soil in a large container or wheelbarrow. Make sure it is evenly mixed and there are about 4 seeds for every inch of soil (If you scatter seed by hand you may end up with bare patches.) Spread the mix evenly around the lawn. Using the rake helps. Put down another ¼” of soil and water in well. The clover needs careful watering during this period but after it is established it needs little care.
For more reasons to use clover in your yard see this Less Lawn article, “Clover improves your lawn”. Also, read more enviornmental garden tips in the Examiner article, “How gardeners can observe World Enviornment Day”.
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