9 Reasons To Plant A Clover Lawn

It’s not just luck - Clover is a hardworking plant that has many benefits for a healthy, beautiful yard! Today, we know about the many ways that Clover can provide a solution to make your yard better. Dig in!

You can plant Clover just about anywhere. Most species thrive in full sun, while others can tolerate part shade. Some grow tall to create the look of a meadow, while others are low-growing to create the look of a traditional lawn. 

Long-blooming Clover plants will typically bloom from spring through fall, available in a variety of colors from white, to pink, to deep crimson. You can mix Clover into a wildflower meadow, sow Clover as a cover crop in your fruit and vegetable gardens, or sow seed directly into your lawn.

Clover’s reputation has waxed and waned over the last century – it was considered a sign of a well-managed lawn, until broadleaf herbicides were introduced and the manufacturers marketed Clover as a weed that needed to be removed. Now, gardeners are growing savvy to the benefits of growing clover - and you will too! With a wide range of species available, there is a Clover for almost any growing conditions.

Long-blooming Clovers are an easy way to supply a consistent food source for pollinators in your yard. 

Clover is one of honeybees’ favorite foods. (Clover and honeybees both have native ranges across a wide stretch of Europe.) Feeding pollinators is critically important to crop production on any scale, from large farms to our own gardens. Around one in three foods we eat depends upon honeybees for pollination! You will also find many other types of bees visiting Clover blossoms, including bumblebees, which are also important pollinators.

In addition to pollinators, Clover also attracts beneficial insects. Planting Clover and other flowers to attract these natural predators is a great way to manage pests in the garden without the use of chemical pesticides, which are harmful to people, plants, and animals.

Helpful garden predators such as ladybugs, minute pirate bugs, lacewings, and parasitoid wasps (specialized non-stinging predators), will feed on the nectar and pollen of Clover. These bugs are beneficial because they feed on insect pests that can be harmful to your plants, such as aphids, whiteflies, scales, cabbage worms, and others, helping to control pests naturally.

While pretty blooms charm above ground, below ground, Clover rejuvenates nutrient-poor soils and reduces the need for fertilizers.

How? Clover is a legume, a plant family that performs a unique service in the plant world: nitrogen fixing. They transform nitrogen gas, found in air pockets in soil, into organic compounds that help fertilize plants. Legumes partner with beneficial bacteria in the soil, called Rhizobia, which grows in rounded nodules along the plant’s roots. 

Once legumes fix nitrogen, surrounding plants get a boost of nutrients, as they can use the nitrogen compounds to fuel their growth. 

Beyond nitrogen fixing, there are even more ways hardworking Clover can protect and enhance your soil.

When used as a cover crop or green manure, decomposing Clover adds large amounts of organic matter to the soil, contributing to healthy texture, moisture-holding capabilities, and soil nutrients.

Clovers produce a combination of tap roots and fibrous roots that help aerate the soil and improve friability, the loose texture of soils. Clover's strong root system and dense groundcover will also suppress the growth of weeds, reducing the need for herbicides.

Like all groundcovers, Clovers can protect soil from wind and water erosion. Clover can act as a living mulch, preventing evaporation to keep soil moist, and blocking hot sun to keep soil cool.

Thanks to its contributions to healthy soil, and its deep, dense root system, Clover can stay green and lush even in the hottest, driest summer conditions. This trait is especially beneficial in healthy lawns - you want to enjoy a soft, cool, green lawn in summer, not dry, dormant grass. 

That means little to no watering is needed once your Clover is established! It’s a great solution to save time and money on watering, while still enjoying an attractive green lawn. 

Clover is pet-safe and resistant to dog urine. We love our pets, but they can bring a lot of wear and tear to a yard. One major perk for pet parents is that Clover is immune to “dog patches” left behind when dogs go potty on turf grass. In lawn areas, Clover fills empty brown patches and keeps lawns looking green and lush throughout the season. Plus, Clover provides a soft, cool, green carpet that feels great for playing with pets on a summer day. 

Plus, Clover is non-toxic and perfectly safe if eaten by pets (in moderate quantities, of course).

It’s possible to have a lush, green lawn that hardly needs watering or mowing, fertilizes itself, and prevents weeds and pests from taking up residence. How do you get this miracle lawn? It’s not magic — it’s clover.

Clover is the perfect solution for a low-maintenance lawn. It attracts beneficial insects to reduce the need for pesticides, improves soil health to reduce the need for fertilizer, keeps new weeds at bay to reduce your need for herbicides, and is drought tolerant to reduce your need for watering. 

Not only will it help you save time and money on lawn maintenance, it will keep your yard healthy at the same time. Caring for your lawn naturally protects people, pollinators, pets, waterways, and wildlife from the harmful effects of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. 

To top off the list, it's easy to grow clover to take advantage of its many perks. It's especially helpful for providing attractive groundcover on bare soil or building sites, filling in bare patches of lawn, or fixing areas where it's difficult to grow grass. Clover grows best in cooler conditions, so the best time to plant is spring or fall. 

Looking to dig in? See our helpful growing guides for tips!

One of the best things about growing clover? You CAN plant it over your existing lawn! Another way to grow a Clover lawn is to simply overseed, or add seed to, your existing lawn. 

When planting a new lawn from scratch, see our planting guide!
Learn More: How To Grow Grass, Groundcover & Clover Seeds

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How To Grow Grass & Groundcover Seeds