Clover is a plant that belongs to the legume family and is becoming a popular alternative to grass for home lawns, as it is inexpensive, easy to grow, requires little maintenance and is drought tolerant. It also attracts pollinating insects such as bees, does not need fertilizers, also grows in nutrient-poor soils, requires little care and practically does not need to be cut. If you wish, you can also sow it on an existing lawn and you will notice that it develops well among the grass.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Knowing the Basics
Step 1. Prepare the soil or lawn
You can grow clover on bare ground or sow it on an already stabilized lawn; in both cases you have to prepare the area so that this herbaceous plant also has a chance to take root.
- As for the lawn, cut it to the lowest possible height and then rake it to get rid of excess grass.
- If you have bare soil, plow it about a month earlier than planned sowing, trying to remove as much plant material as possible. Level the soil and start watering it; in doing so, you trigger the germination of the weeds and you can cut them within 2 weeks. At this point, you can sow clover in relatively weed-free land.
Step 2. Mix the seeds with sand or earth
To spread them more evenly, you need to mix them with sand or soil in equal parts. Clover seeds are very small and this technique allows you to sprinkle them all over the area you want to grow, rather than just one area.
- The type of sand or soil is not at all important; sand used for children's recreational spaces is also fine; however, it is better to avoid a fertile substrate, as it increases the risk of weeds developing.
- Consider adding a clover inoculant. This substance promotes a good adaptation of the plant to the bacteria in the soil, so that it can produce its own nitrogen.
Step 3. Sowing
Use your hands to spread the seeds evenly across the lawn. If you have a large garden, you can buy or rent a specific machine from garden centers.
Step 4. Water
The seeds must remain in moist soil while they sprout; wet them at least once a day, but at least twice when it's very hot. You need to keep this frequency for about 2 weeks until you see the sprouts and the clovers begin to settle.
Step 5. Do not use fertilizer
Clover alone produces the nitrogen it needs, since it develops a close collaboration with the soil (a relationship that you can foster by adding the inoculant at the time of sowing); the fertilizer would only stimulate the development of grass and weeds instead of clover.
Part 2 of 4: Prepare the Ground
Step 1. Plow the soil one month before sowing
It is best that clover sprouts don't have to compete with weeds until they are established; to get rid of stones, all vegetation and debris, plow or rake the area to a depth of about 20 cm.
- This gives the weeds time to grow back and you can pull them out before sowing the clover.
- An early plowing allows you to make the necessary adjustments to the pH.
Step 2. Change the terrain
Clover grows in most substrates, but prefers sandy and clayey ones; it grows best in an environment with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. If your garden soil is too rich, too acidic or too alkaline, you need to change it to suit the plant's needs.
- Add sand to deplete an overly oily earth.
- Add lime to neutralize too acidic soil (with low pH); chances are you will need to do this if there are conifers near the lawn.
- Incorporate sphagnum or sawdust when plowing to correct too alkaline soil (high pH).
- You can buy a kit to check the acidity level at garden centers.
Step 3. Water the area every day
To encourage weeds and latent vegetation to grow, supply the land with water by spraying it every day; this way, you can pull out the weeds within a couple of weeks, just before sowing the clover.
If it rains enough during the season, you don't have to worry about watering
Step 4. Remove the weeds
A couple of days before sowing clover, use a shovel or small shovel to dig out any weeds that have sprouted after plowing; in this way you protect the clover from competing with other plants and give it more chances of growth.
Alternatively you can use a scythe
Part 3 of 4: Sow the Clover
Step 1. Mix the seeds with the sand
Clover seeds are very small and light; to ensure homogeneous diffusion, it is best to combine them with another material to facilitate the distribution process. Just before sprinkling them, transfer them to a bucket and mix them thoroughly with an equal amount of one of the following substrates:
- Land.
- Sand.
- Sawdust.
Step 2. Spread the seeds
Transfer the mixture to a diffuser; open the flow lever and walk at a normal pace throughout the lawn in orderly rows.
If the garden is very small you can also distribute the seeds by hand, but using a machine speeds up the work and guarantees a more uniform coverage over a larger area
Step 3. Rake the area
Clover seeds do not grow if they are buried, but must be covered with a light layer of soil that holds them in place and protects them from the wind or predators; to do this, go over the lawn you have sown with the rake and gently mix the seed with the soil.
Do not insert the rake tines deeper than 5-6 mm, otherwise the seeds will not grow
Step 4. Keep them moist until the clover has settled
Water them immediately after spreading so that they adhere to the soil and germination begins; wet them with a light mist every day it doesn't rain until you notice the first leaves.
- During spring, summer, and the warmer months of fall make sure the clover gets 4-5cm of water every week.
- When planted during the warm months of spring and summer, clover seeds will sprout within 1-2 weeks.
Part 4 of 4: Choosing the Right Place and Time for Sowing
Step 1. Purchase the seed
You can find it in garden centers, online and in most hardware stores; you need about 60g of seeds per 90m2 of lawn.
- The most common types are white clover (a perennial that grows up to 20cm in length) and dwarf (a hardy plant that produces small leaves and short stems).
- There are also seeds already inoculated and are very popular because they spare you the need to add an inoculant. The process consists in covering the seeds with nitrogen fixing bacteria that allow the plant to produce the nitrogen it needs; remember to keep these seeds in a dark and cool place.
Step 2. Sow according to the season and climate
The best time to sprinkle clover is spring or summer; in the first case, make sure that the last frost has passed and that the minimum temperatures do not drop below 4 ° C. The best time to sow clover is between mid-March and mid-August.
- In warmer areas you can sow in September and October, but make sure the plant can develop for at least 6 weeks before frosts.
- In very hot regions where winter is mild, it rarely snows or temperatures do not drop below freezing, you can sow all year round.
Step 3. Choose a sunny area
Depending on the size of the lawn, the exposure conditions can vary widely from one area of the garden to another; consequently there may be spots that are not ideal for clover. It is a sturdy plant that grows well even in partial shade, but develops best when it can receive 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.
