Are you tired of maintaining a traditional grass lawn? Looking for a more eco-friendly and low-maintenance option?
Consider clover!
This dense ground cover is not only visually appealing with its shamrock-shaped leaves and pollinator-friendly flowers, but it also has numerous benefits for your soil health.
Clover can improve soil friability, protect against erosion, add organic matter and nutrients, and even fix nitrogen for other plants. Plus, it’s drought-resistant and can grow in low fertility soil types.
In this article, we’ll explore the different types of clover, how to plant and care for it, and whether it’s a good option for your lawn or garden.
So sit back, relax, and let’s dive into the world of clover as a ground cover.
Is Clover A Good Ground Cover
Clover is a fantastic ground cover option for those looking for a low-maintenance and eco-friendly alternative to traditional grass lawns. Not only is it visually appealing, but it also has numerous benefits for your soil health.
Clover produces a combination of tap roots and fibrous roots that help aerate the soil and improve its texture, while also keeping weeds at bay. It can protect soil from wind and water erosion, and when used as a cover crop or green manure, decomposing clover adds large amounts of organic matter to the soil. Clover also adds nutrients to your soil, reducing your need for fertilizers.
One of the unique benefits of clover is its ability to fix nitrogen for other plants. As a legume crop, clover transforms nitrogen gas found in air pockets of soil into organic compounds that can be used to help fertilize plants. This process rejuvenates nutrient-poor soils and reduces the need for fertilizers.
Clover is also drought-resistant and can grow in low fertility soil types, making it an excellent option for those looking to conserve water and reduce their environmental impact.
Types Of Clover: Which One Is Right For You?
There are several types of clover to choose from when considering it as a ground cover. Here are some popular options:
1. White Clover (Trifolium repens): This is the most common type of clover found in lawns and is known for its low-growing and hardy nature. It has beautiful white or pink flowers and can tolerate cold temperatures, but is a little sensitive to heat. White clover mixes well with fescues, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass.
2. Micro Clover: This is a small variety of white clover that is gaining popularity as a ground cover option due to its ability to withstand heavy foot traffic. It grows to about 4-6 inches tall and produces tiny white flowers.
3. Dutch Clover (Trifolium repens var. sativum): This type of clover is known for its robust and thick root structure, making it an excellent choice for erosion control, pasture mix, and ground cover. It can also withstand drought, heat, and cold temperatures.
4. Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum): This clover has beautiful crimson flowers and is often used as a cover crop or green manure due to its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil. It grows best in cooler climates and can be used as a winter annual.
When choosing a type of clover for your ground cover, consider factors such as climate, soil type, foot traffic, and aesthetic preferences. Each type of clover has its own unique characteristics and benefits, so it’s important to choose the one that best suits your needs.
Planting Clover: Tips And Tricks
If you’re interested in planting clover as a ground cover, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind. First and foremost, it’s important to check for any local ordinances or restrictions on planting clover in your area. Once you’ve confirmed that it’s allowed, you can start preparing your lawn for planting.
Mixing your clover seeds with sand, sawdust, or fine soil can make spreading easier. You can use a broadcast spreader (if you can find one that accommodates clover) for large areas to ensure even distribution. However, it’s important not to fertilize when planting clover as it doesn’t require additional nutrients.
Planting white clover is the best option for lawns, and it’s recommended to intermix it with an existing lawn rather than planting pure clover. This will help keep your lawn looking good during the winter months when pure clover may go dormant and leave bare patches.
Before seeding, it’s important to dethatch your lawn by scraping away any leaves, lawn clippings, or other debris from the established lawn. This will expose the soil and leave it ready for seed application. Next, lightly sprinkle the clover seeds across the prepared lawn. There’s no need to apply the seeds heavily as they’ll grow fast and quickly fill in the gaps. Finally, sprinkle a little topsoil over the seeds to cover them.
Water your newly planted clover lawn well and keep it moist until you begin to see seedlings pop up in a couple of weeks. Once established, clover requires less water and fertilizer than grass and is a low-maintenance ground cover option that provides numerous benefits for soil health.
Caring For Your Clover Ground Cover
Caring for your clover ground cover is easy and requires very little effort. Once established, it will thrive on its own, requiring minimal intervention.
Watering is rarely needed in regions with regular precipitation throughout the year. In dry summer regions, watering just once or twice a week is usually more than enough. Unlike grass lawns, clover never needs fertilizer. Thanks to its ability to get nitrogen from the air, clover feeds itself and improves the soil without your help.
Keeping your clover ground cover free of weeds is important during the first couple of years of growth. Be on the lookout for a few species that can be detrimental, such as crabgrass, foxtail, spotted spurge, plantain, and purslane. These common weeds do not produce flowers that are beneficial for pollinators and should be removed. Hand-pulling is the best option for removing these weeds. Many herbicides used on lawns are broadleaf herbicides that don’t kill grass but kill other plants. If these products are used on a clover ground cover, they are likely to kill the clover.
Clover has a low growth habit and can go without mowing all season long if desired. Or, just mow a couple of times a year to maintain its appearance. White clover does not require much care at all. Put it in a spot with slightly acidic soil and good drainage, throw in a bit of shade, and do not let the soil dry out completely. This basic care should be enough for the plant to thrive. However, because Trifolium repens spreads aggressively, it may move into areas of your yard where you do not want it. Pulling it out will require extra landscape maintenance. So think carefully before you plant white clover unless you do not mind having it take over. At the very least, do not install it near flower beds.
Clover Vs. Traditional Grass Lawns: Pros And Cons
When comparing clover to traditional grass lawns, there are pros and cons to consider.
Pros of Clover Lawns:
– Clover doesn’t require fertilization, as it fixes nitrogen in the soil.
– Clover requires less mowing than traditional grass lawns.
– Clover is a strong competitor to weeds due to its dense root structure.
– Clover attracts beneficial insects like bees, which encourage pollination of nearby plants.
– Clover is resistant to pet urine, making it a great option for dog owners.
Cons of Clover Lawns:
– Clover can be invasive and spread into garden beds if not properly contained.
– Clover can look patchy if overseeded into a traditional grass lawn.
– Clover may not be suitable for high traffic areas as it doesn’t handle foot traffic as well as traditional grass.
While clover may not be the best option for high traffic areas, it is an excellent alternative for those looking for a low-maintenance and eco-friendly ground cover. It requires less water, fertilizer, and mowing than traditional grass lawns while also providing numerous benefits for soil health. Consider incorporating clover into your lawn or using it as a cover crop to improve soil health and reduce your environmental impact.
Using Clover In Your Garden: Companion Planting And More
When it comes to using clover in your garden, there are several options to consider. One effective method is companion planting, where clover is planted alongside other crops to provide numerous benefits. By companion planting clover with your plants, you can benefit from visits by bees, butterflies, hoverflies, ladybirds, and lacewings. Most of these insects are essential pollinators, while the rest are predator insects that keep pests at bay.
Leguminous crops such as clover are best for cover crops because they are excellent for replenishing and restoring nitrogen in the soil. However, there are many other cover crops that are beneficial, depending on the reason for using cover crops. For example, crimson clover is an annual legume that is a great companion for cole crops like cabbage, kale, collards, and Brussels sprouts. Medium red clover, sub-terranean clover, and white clover are also excellent options. However, be mindful of white clover as it’s a perennial living mulch that tends to come back stronger each subsequent year.
Using clover as a cover crop is an effective way to reinvigorate the soil and eliminate weeds. Whether planting clover in rotation before a summer or fall crop or following spring crops with a summer planting, it can protect soil from wind and water erosion. Clover is also an excellent green manure option as it adds large amounts of organic matter to the soil when decomposing.
Another way to use clover in your garden is to incorporate it into lawns or mixed plantings as a living mulch or groundcover. Clover’s strong root system and dense groundcover suppresses weed growth, reducing the need for herbicides. Moreover, a living clover mulch keeps soil moist and cool, intercepting the sun and moderating soil temperatures while reducing evaporation.
Finally, clover is relatively high in protein and can be used as a food resource for animals. It’s not nutritious enough to be the only source of food, but it can be used to supplement other food sources. For example, you can let your meat chickens graze through it in the pasture or use it as a cover crop in areas where you eventually plan to plant vegetables.
Frequently Asked Questions About Clover Ground Cover
If you’re considering using clover as a ground cover, you may have some questions about its benefits and maintenance. Here are some frequently asked questions about clover ground cover:
1. How often do I need to plant clover seeds?
Clover has a shorter lifespan than most grasses, so you will likely need to plant clover seeds once every two to three years.
2. How much water does clover need?
Clover lawns tend to need less water than typical turfgrass lawns, but the frequency of watering will depend on how much sun, rainfall, and humidity it gets. The more frequently you mow your clover lawn, the less water it will be able to hold and the more you’ll need to water it.
3. What type of clover is best for lawns?
White clover (Trifolium repens) is the most common clover for lawns. It’s a rapid spreader that crowds out broadleaf weeds while growing harmoniously with grass.
4. Can I use clover as a cover crop?
Yes, clover can be used as a cover crop or green manure. It adds large amounts of organic matter to the soil and can help rejuvenate nutrient-poor soils.
5. How do I harvest clover as a cover crop?
There are three main ways to “harvest” clover as a cover crop: the “chop and drop” method, the “chop, drop, and regrow” method, and tilling the clover into the soil.
6. Is clover drought-resistant?
Yes, clover is extremely drought-resistant and can keep its cool-green color even during the hottest and driest parts of summer.
7. Will clover attract bees?
Yes, the flowers on clover plants can bring in bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects that prey on garden pests. If you’d rather not have bees visiting, simply mow your clover before it blooms.
8. Can clover grow in high-traffic areas?
Some of the newer micro-clovers are more tolerant of shade and can grow in high-traffic areas. However, since clover is not as hardwearing as grass, most landscape professionals recommend a mix of 15-20% clover seed to 80-85% drought-tolerant grass seed suitable for your area and location.
