Why this hardy, low-water groundcover might be your green grass alternative
With increasingly strict water rationing in most of our immediate futures, there is a lawn alternative that requires irrigation no more than once a week and can make do with even less. This alternative to green grass is miniclover, also known as micro clover. I learned about miniclover from a company in Oregon known as Outsidepride Seed Source (outsidepride.com) that specializes in the production of miniclover seed, selling to the general public.
Dutch or white clover is probably familiar to you. It has unmistakable white gumdrop flowers and deep green, trifoliate leaves known as shamrocks, with each leaflet bearing a white chevron. Often, in a rather yellow lawn, you will see outcroppings of lush clover. The reason for the dark green color of the clover is its identity as a legume, which means that it manufactures its own nitrate fertilizer through symbiosis with a bacteria that dwells in the nodules of its roots. Thus, lots of clover in a yellow lawn is an indication of nitrogen deficiency in the lawn grass since the only plant that prospers is clover, which does not need supplemental fertilizer to flourish.
Until the 1950s, white clover was considered a staple in lawn seed mixtures because of its ability to crowd out weeds and establish in poor soils. The development and application of broadleaf herbicides, however, killed clover along with dandelions and other leafy weeds so that, soon enough, the appearance of clover was considered undesirable. Thus, a previously friendly lawn constituent suddenly achieved the dubious status of a weed.
Dandelions, incidentally, are among the most nutritious greens you can grow, with an extremely high concentration of vitamins that render them more nutritious than even spinach or kale. The problem with dandelions is that they will quickly take over your lawn. Moreover, unlike dandelions, clover gives you a lush green look, inviting you to walk barefoot over it or to simply flex your toes in its soft, cool expanse.
Enter miniclover. Miniclover is the same species as conventional white clover (Trifolium repens), except its leaves are half the size. Like the conventional type, it is recommended for toughening up a lawn since it quickly germinates to fill in bare spots but may also be used to overseed a lush, but perpetually thirsty or weedy, lawn. When you overseed a water-guzzling grass such as tall fescue (Marathon) with white clover, you impart drought tolerance due to the greater depth of clover roots, reduce the need for fertilizer and inhibit the growth of weeds, which are crowded out by the rampantly growing clover. In the manner of Bermuda grass and strawberries, clover propagates itself vegetatively by stolons or runners.
The advantage of miniclover over conventional white clover is the more aesthetic look of its smaller leaves and its denser habit of growth. This density is especially significant should you decide to plant it from scratch as a lawn alternative since it will impart greater drought tolerance and stifle growth of weeds more comprehensively than when it is overseeded on an existing lawn.
Another miniclover advantage is that it flowers far less than conventional white clover. Clover flowers are a powerful magnet to bees and if you have small children who want to play in it, or if you want to walk barefoot in it, the fewer flowers the better. Moreover, if you mow your miniclover every now and then, you will not see any flowers at all. When planted as a monoculture with monthly mowing, miniclover becomes a tight-knit sward of green. You can mow it to a height of two inches and you don’t need to bag what is cut since the trimmings will quickly decompose in place. By the same token, if you wish to just let miniclover grow and never mow it, that’s okay too; unmowed, it will eventually reach four to six inches in height. It is also noteworthy that while lawn grasses are killed by dog urine, clover is not affected by it.
On the other hand, if you decide to grow clover for its toughness and pollinator status, and do not plan to walk barefoot or play on it, you may wish to allow your clover to flower freely. Clover flowers, in fact, are as bee friendly as any other flowers (think clover honey) and they attract beneficial insects, too, especially miniscule parasitic wasps. These amazing creatures lay their eggs inside aphids, whiteflies, and scales; after parasitic wasp larvae hatch out, they cannibalize their insect hosts.
If your existing lawn is somewhat tired, weedy, or showing dead spots, you may still wish to just overseed it with miniclover as opposed to starting a miniclover lawn from scratch. The reason for this is that grass is more tolerant of food traffic than clover. In fact, if you decide to seed a new lawn on bare soil, you may wish to consider a mix of tall fescue, perennial rye, and miniclover, since combining them will result in your benefiting from the advantages of each. If you go with a seed mix, clover seed should constitute 10%-15% of it to make sure it has a foothold sufficient to reduce watering, fertilization, weeds, and dog damage. If the mix contains more than this proportion of clover seed, it may overtake and eventually kill the grasses.
If you wish to overseed an exisiting lawn with miniclover, you will need one pound of miniclover seed per thousand square feet of lawn, and a miniclover monoculture as a lawn replacement will require two pounds per thousand square feet of area. A pound of miniclover seeds costs around $20 dollars. Like other small seeds, those of miniclover will spread more uniformly when mixed with sand, good garden soil, or finished compost. It is best to plant miniclover in spring or fall because it germinates better when the weather is somewhat cool so if you plant it now you will have to be attentive to its water needs on a daily basis until it is growing vigorously.
Send questions, comments, and photos to joshua@perfectplants.com