OPs original Reddit post text: ☘️TL;DR: clover is awesome. Mix with other lawn seed for sustainability and don’t ignore soil health.
Hello all! For context, I’m writing this post as a first time homeowner, permaculture newbie, and as a non-landscaping professional. This is simply my experience of trial, error, and perseverance, and wanting to share with anyone who may be in the spot I was 4 years ago.
Some background about our yard (zone 5b): previous owner was fined by the city due to noxious weeds throughout the yard. As a bandaid fix, sod was laid (likely without any soil prep). When we moved in, we discovered there was a pretty significant grub and mite infestation, and the dying sod could be pulled up like carpet.
Enter the conversion to a clover lawn.
Year 1: Establishing the clover was fairly straightforward and simply required a consistent amount of water to remain moist while germinating. We were starting from bare soil after all sod was removed. What I would’ve done differently: (1) instead of tilling, I would’ve over aerated. We tilled the compacted soil and were met with an abundance of purslane seedlings (remember the noxious weeds situation?). This meant hours of pulling purslane while the clover established. (2) I would’ve chosen a bio diverse mix of clover, grasses, and native ground cover (e.g. https://www.highcountrygardens.com/products/xeriscape-clover-lawn-seed-mix) instead of just clover.
Results: see reference pictures!
**Years 2-3: **clover took off and came back in the spring. We had a lush, whimsical, cottage-core lawn that only needed to be mowed if we wanted to mow it for a more uniform and cohesive look. It required minimal work in terms of maintenance (low to no mowing, no fertilization required. Though beware, if you do mow, everything touching cut clover will be stained green).
Year 4 (current): here’s where hindsight comes in. Given our poor soil health, I wish I would’ve done some things to help prevent where we are now. Clover is a short lived perennial, typically lasting 2-5 years. Last year I did not reseed nor did I incorporate any soil amendments, and this year thanks to an incredibly dry winter we have a patchy lawn battling purslane again (purslane is winning).
My plan moving forward with the knowledge I have now: 2x per year (spring and fall) apply beneficial nematodes (like ones from Natures Good Guys or Arbico Organics). This will continue to decrease our lawn pest problems. In the fall (and every 1-2 years moving forward): aerate the lawn to help with our compacted soil and amend with compost. 1x per year (especially after aerating) Reseed a biodiverse mix of clover, grass, and native ground cover to prevent patchy areas when clover dies out and to choke out hiding weed seeds.
While has been a long and arduous process, I’ve learned so much and have found a love in learning about permaculture. Open to recommendations from others, and happy to answer any questions about lessons learned.
My parents just moved to a new house, and I mentioned that they should replace their grass lawn with clover. Their reaction was negative, saying that it spreads like crazy and would creep into our neighbors’ lawns, getting us in trouble. I’d never heard of this being a problem before. Is this a thing, or are my parents being a bit paranoid?
Some people do consider clover as a weed. Although that has more to do marketing than it’s actual weedy nature. I have a clover lawn and it’s ability to spread seems to be overrated. But if the neighbors apply any herbicides clover will be killed instantly. Even regular fertilizer use slows clover growth
They’re probably thinking of clover’s look-alike, oxalis, which tends to be more spreading.