Micro Clover Lawn Pros And Cons: Should You Have Them?

For some obvious reasons, many people hate the clovers. But many of us don’t know about so many advantages of having clovers on the lawn.

Blooming clovers can really stand out on the lawn!

Naturally, some homeowners have no problem growing clovers while many others hate it.  So, it’s a good time to check the micro clover lawn pros and cons to having a clear understanding.

Pros And Cons Of Micro Clover Lawn

Let’s check its pros and cons briefly first:

Now, I will first talk about some advantages of having micro clovers. Then I will also talk about why you should eliminate such clovers from your lawn.

Ultimately, you will make your decision. And if you decide to have clovers, I will talk about how to grow micro clover in your lawn too.

Pros Of Micro Clover Lawn

First, let’s check some of its advantages:

• Always Green

Without any efforts from your end, micro clover can stay green all summer in most parts of the U.S. That means requiring little to no watering too!

During the hottest summer, most of the lawn grass begins to turn brown. But clover can remain green during those scorching times.

Micro clovers are drought-tolerant and it greens up early in the spring and keeps green until its frosting. In the southern region of the U.S., it can stay green all the winter too.

• No Need for Fertilizer or Water

Clovers can give you a low-maintenance lawn where you don’t have to apply any fertilizers. You don’t even have to water them.

That’s why more and more people tend to have clovers in their lawns. Clovers don’t need fertilizers at all to flourish simply because it’s a nitrogen-fixing legume.

Meaning, they can create their own fertilizers by pulling nitrogen from the air. Not just for themselves, your lawn grass can be benefitted from that nitrogen too.

As a bonus, it delivers much-needed nitrogen for your lawn grass too! So, if you have intermixed lawn with your favorite grass and clovers, your lawn will be greener and healthier without much maintenance.

For environmentally-conscious homeowners who hate chemical fertilizers, micro clovers can be your easy solution.

• It Attracts Bees

Clovers attract beneficial insects like bees to your lawn. You need those beneficial insects to pollinate your garden. More so, clovers can help you control the insects in your lawn or garden too.

You see, in addition to inviting bees, clovers can attract parasitoid wasps that are completely harmless to humans and pets but deadly to insects like whiteflies, aphids, and scales.

Huge mini clover lawn advantages, right?

• Fix Bare Patches And Control Weeds

Micro or mini clovers can act as your excellent lawn filler. If you mix it up with the right grass seeds, they can fill the gaps and add more green hues to your lawn.

Because of the hardy nature of the micro clover, it can prevent weeds from germinating creating a dense canopy. Out competing for the weeds is easy for clovers!

So, micro clovers can reduce the need for expensive herbicides keeping invasive weed growth in check.

Other Benefits of Micro Clovers

• To naturally aerating your lawn soil, clovers are second to none! The clover roots can reach very deep underground. That makes other plants get access to water supplies easily.
• Clovers seeds are extremely cheap. In fact, you have to spend more or less $5 for your 4000 sqft. lawn!
• It can tolerate a wide variety of soil types. So, if you have poor soil like subsoil that is common in new homes, give mini clover or micro clovers a shot!
• Walking barefoot on clovers is a luxurious treat! Micro clovers are very soft and lush and when blooming, you will have a pleasant smell!
• It prevents your lawn from being discolored due to dog patches.
• They grow very close to the ground. You won’t have to mow a lot due to the clover growth. They can grow as high as 6 inches only!
• Being legumes, they improve the soil’s health and fertility of your turfgrass.
• Some people use clovers as a cover crop when they decide to left their yard fallow for some reason to fix the nitrogen in the soil naturally.
• You can eliminate them any time you want using any decently effective weed killers.

Cons Of Micro Clover Lawn

You have already learned plenty of reasons to have clovers in your yard. But there are many people who want to get rid of it. There are some valid reasons behind that.

So, let’s check some of those reasons:

• If you want to maintain a pure clover lawn, you may need to reseed your lawn every 2 to 3 years because those are short-lived perennial weeds. But if it’s a mixed lawn, clovers can reseed it to have a consistent presence all year round.
• Sometimes, it can create an undesirable appearance in mixed lawns.
• Clovers can’t survive high foot traffic areas. So, if you have family members who walk on the lawn directly, clovers may not be your option. But you can always install stepping stones to avoid unnecessary trampling!
• Clovers can stain your clothes more than other lawn grasses.

So, yes there are some valid reasons to be concern about micro clovers. But more and more people are searching for traditional labor-intensive American alternatives due to the increased cost of energy and water.

And, micro clovers make an excellent alternative!

Are Clovers Bad For Your Lawn?

Even though in the past people used to get rid of clovers from their lawns. As it’s considered as weed, people wouldn’t want to have them on their lawn.

However, that scene has changed over time. So, to answer the question, no, clovers aren’t bad for your lawn.

People over time have realized all the benefits and value clovers have in your lawn. Instead of removing them from the lawn, people are opting for clovers on their lawn these days.

They are even becoming an alternative to the grassy ideal lawn homeowners usually love to have.

Grass Or Clovers, What’s Better?

Getting clovers on your lawn is better than having grass for all the benefits you get from them. However, the best solution is to have a mixture of both grass and clovers.

It’s the best way to get the stronger plant growing on your lawn.

Now, the thing you should consider here is the type of grass. Certain grasses blend very well with clovers. Some popular choices you can try out our Kentucky Bluegrass, Dwarf Perennial Ryegrass, and various Fescue grasses.

You can go for fine fescues or tall fescues, depending on their suitability in your lawn.

With the correct grass, you can create a great lawn mixed with micro clover. So, instead of choosing grass or clover, try getting a lawn with both of them on.

Growing And Maintaining Micro Clover

A great thing about clovers in your lawn is that you don’t necessarily need to get the seeds to plant them. You can encourage the growth of existing clover in your lawn.

However, if you don’t have clovers growing on your lawn, you can surely opt for seeding them.

Or you can also try going for both the options; that way; you will end up with a complete micro clover lawn much faster.

Now, if you want to start with the existing micro clovers, you can start by mowing them with the blades on your lawn. Just make sure to keep the blades at one and a half-inch to two inches.

Also, stop mowing right around the middle of summer to promote better growth.

As for seeding, you should always try spreading or sprinkling the seeds on the surface. Or you can try raking them into the soil lightly.

Don’t try to plant clover seeds deeply because that doesn’t work very well.

Also, if you are seeding, then choose an appropriate place with full sunlight. You can go for places with a bit of shade, but don’t opt for places with full shade.

Clovers don’t grow that well in places with full shade.

If you are opting for an area with a bit of shade, then use more seeds. As an estimate, you can double the amount to get the best growth of your clover.

Make sure to keep the area moist where you have planted the seeds. Do this until the clovers start to establish in your lawn.

Coming to the maintenance factor, you don’t need to go through too much maintenance after being established. Just mowing them once in a while and watering does the job for you.

Final Thoughts

After checking all the micro clover lawn pros and cons, do you still hate it? Well, it’s your choice but like many others, I like to have clovers on my lawn.

To me, the advantages of clovers supersede its disadvantages in many ways. If can maintain the growth carefully and just let them grow on the bare patches of your lawn, it can make a huge difference!

About Author

Den Hicks

Traveler, food lover, interior designer, and blogger. I love gardening a lot! I designed my home myself with the help of my beloved wife. You are welcome!

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