How to Switch to a Clover Lawn—an Easy Grass Alternative With So Many Benefits

Clover lawns look great and are a wonderfully sustainable alternative to the standard turf lawn. They require less water and fewer herbicides and pesticides; they fix nitrogen, help protect against soil erosion, and serve as a food source for wildlife and livestock. They don't require much mowing and are easy to maintain when given the proper care. And better yet, switching from a mostly grass turf to a mostly clover turf is easy.

If you're considering clover for your lawn, you can aim for full clover, but mixing clover into your existing grass is also a great approach. Ahead, we spoke to turf specialists who explain the steps.

Materials and Tools You'll Need

• Clover seed (about a 1/4 to 1/2 pound of seed for the average lawn, or 2 pounds per acre)
• Pelletized lime or clay cat litter
• Rotary spreader
  

Instructions

1. Mix the clover seed with a filler like pelletized lime or clay cat litter to weigh it down and help it spread more evenly.
2. Add the seed mixture to a rotary spreader.
3. Start spreading the clover seed mixture at the perimeter of your lawn. Depending on your lawn's shape, move the spreader in rows from the longest to the shortest sides for coverage.

It's best to seed the clover over your grass in late summer through fall to give the clover a chance to germinate and establish.

Our experts say you don't need to get rid of all of your grass first; you can seed the clover on top of the grass. "Clover will fill in the voids where it would do well anyways," says Jon Trappe, a horticulturist at the University of Minnesota Extension.

Still, if you want a mostly clover lawn, you may need to thin out some of your grass for the clover to take hold. "Probably the thinner the lawn, the better, such as following aeration or de-thatching," says Grady L. Miller, professor and extension turfgrass specialist in the Crop and Soil Sciences Department at North Carolina State University.

How Long It Will Take For Your Clover Lawn to Establish

Dutch white clover typically germinates within a month, but it might be a while before you see a lush green clover lawn. "It'll just sit there while its roots get established," says Trappe. As long as you've been able to seed your lawn at least 60 days before the first hard frost, the clover should survive the winter. It'll be several seasons to see the full effect of the clover on your lawn.

Tips for Maintaining Your Clover Lawn

Though clover, especially Dutch white clover, is an easy turf species to grow, there are considerations, such as how much to mow and whether to use herbicides.

Maintain Higher Cutting Height

You'll want to maintain a higher cutting height of 3 to 3.5 inches. "Mowing too much might encourage crabgrass to get in," says Trappe.

Skip the Herbicides

Some herbicides might hurt clover. "If you want to control certain weed species and choose to use herbicide, you'll likely hurt the white clover as well," says Trappe. You can certainly maintain a lawn without herbicides, but you may have to weed more regularly to keep it looking even.

Clover Should Grow Alongside Grass

Even if you're trying to get rid of the grass on your lawn for the benefit of clover, it works best as a balance. "The best grass we’ve found are the fescues, at least for the Midwest," says Trappe. "They are low maintenance and not overly competitive with the white clover." Miller agrees. "In our five-year trial, it was best to plant them with a cool-season turf grass, like fescues, towards the end of summer or very early fall."