Why I'm giving up and putting grass seed back into my clover lawn.
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- Опубликовано: 19 окт 2024
- I spent years converting my entire grass lawn into a clover lawn. Now I'm giving up and mixing grass back in because the clover just isn't working for me. Find out what is wrong with it as well as get some great advice on ground cover techniques that are both efficient for general use and benefit the environment and your local ecosystem.
Fellow grass hater here 🖐️ I've found that the best way to grow beautiful clover is to plant it together with other plants, grass being one of them. I really recommend putting in some spring bulbs as well, something like narcissus and hyacinth. They are really frost resistant and they look gorgeous in early spring. Snowdrop and crocus pops through the snow in my backyard way before you can see any grass. And planting bulbs with clover also makes it really low maintenance.
I like that idea a lot. I do have spring bulbs in my garden beds. Tons of crocus, iris, daffodils, etc, but I never thought to put them in the lawn before.
There's nothing to hate about grass. Fix your soil ph and keep your grass canopy high you'll be conserving water and protecting the soil instead of hurting it by adding acid loving clover
@@GreenRescueLawncare but grass is ugly.
Depending on where you live, Crocus and Snowdrops are also an early spring option.
Wow that’s a wonderful idea that never occurred to me. Thank you!!❤
The title scared me a bit but I am relieved to hear that you're in Wisconsin. I'm in NC and plan to do my first micro-clover overseed this weekend. Wish me luck.
The climate in NC will allow most clover to stay above ground over winter. I wouldn't expect any issues. Some of the white ladino clover stays green all winter even here in Wisconsin. But we had a lot of nasty ice storms this year and they certainly don't like that.
Well. I did it. ruclips.net/video/xbeNFi7GrNY/видео.html
How did it turn out?
@@southrncadillac This is as of a couple weeks ago ruclips.net/video/xbeNFi7GrNY/видео.html
I'm in NC too, how did your lawn turn out?
We have a clover lawn here in zone 8. You had some good tips. We love our clover lawn because the bees need our help; we think it is beautiful, and if we ever want just a green lawn look, just mow it. It is nutritious for the soil and plants around it. It helps choke out certain pesky weeds, but doesn't choke out the grass. So much less maintenance like constant watering and mowing. HINT: DON'T use any "weed and feed" type products. Our neighbor thought he was helping and did this, and killled our clover. We had to re-seed, but it is doing pretty well this first season, with still some areas needing filled in. It handles drought MUCH better than the grass we had. However, if you have a super hot spell, with drought, you may need to do a couple of waterings during the season. Also, the grass needs much more water than clover, so if you have a grass-clover mix, the thirsty grass may be what is looking all brown as well as going a bit too long without watering the clover. Normally though the clover doesn't need much watering. As clover thickens up, it can handle quite a bit of traffic, although wouldn't make a good baseball, soccer, football ground cover - there you want grass!
Yes, it's amazing how drought tolerant clover is.
Fun fact! Bee populations are at the highest they have ever been. Great to know, for once, efforts paid off.
Thanks for this informative video. I removed most of the grass in my front, side, and back yards years ago, and now I'm trying to figure out how to have a more "natural" lawn in the small area that remains. I plan to add clover seed plus dense shade grass seed and leave a lot of the weeds there -- just mow over them. There's a lot of English violets, which seem to be indestructible, but there are also a lot of barren patches under a huge magnolia tree. I hope this will work for me and the critters! 💖💖💖
The only weeds I pull are bull thistle because the thorns are obviously nasty to deal with. Most things people consider weeds are just misunderstood plants that serve a purpose. Things like dandelions are amazing for the soil and pollinators. If people just stop using pesticide and herbicide many beneficial ground cover plants just show up on their own
I always leave the dandelions. They are pretty and the bees and butterflies enjoy them so much!
Thank you for the video - subbed and liked.
I pretty much let Mother Nature do it's thing, but have been thinking about going to an all clover yard for a while now.
I live in southern Minnesota and have scoured the internet and RUclips for any information on an all clover yard for this region - yours is the first video that gives any information on this.
So, just going to reseed some bald spots with grass/clover seeds and be done.
Again, thank you for the video!!!
Yeah, I've found most garden channels are in warmer climates, mostly California. There a few in the North but not as many popular ones as you'd think. Some of the stuff I see on RUclips I have to laugh and say that would not work here. Gardening is a whole different experience when winter lasts 6 months
Forest flooring Washington person here: Clover doing ok. Moss doing ok. Leaving some grass but not much. Spruce needles keep the grass at bay nicely. Got some other unidentified plants about. Mushrooms. Dig it (I think where I live is Zone 9? (Key Peninsula)
Wisconsin here too. Do you have an update? I've been racking my brain with what to do with our lawn since i have to do some regrading and fix some drainage issues. Doing that means I have to dig out the lawn and thought of doing a clover lawn but im glad i came across this video.
Liked that the intro was short. Good video.
I use grass on pathways through my wildflower meadows. It’s durable against foot traffic. In more shaded areas or higher traffic general purpose rock works best.
rock doesn't fertilize land and build topsoil, unless its rock dust which is ofc very helpful for gardens. rock is a nuisance, i just got done doing days worth of backbreaking work shoveling out rocks from my yard that the previous homeowner though would be a good weed barrier (it isnt) so i can turn it into a garden area
Thank you! I have foot traffic from my dog. I'm zone 5. My yard has so much mud patches.
Fine fescue or buffalo grass work well mixed with clover. Grass isn't just grass. Grass species are just as diverse, if not more than any other plant. There is a reason the plains used to be and to some degree still are mostly grass lands. Most of the issues you described can be fixed be grass. Ticks are not caused because of grass, they thrive is area where leaf litter comes in contact with bare soil then climb on tall, uncut grass and other plants waiting to attach to an animal or person. A dense stand of cut grass will not support ticks. Grass provides huge benefits in ways clover isn't able to. Grass has the ability to soak up and hold on to huge quantities of water that would otherwise cause erosion ans storm water run off. This water is then released in a controlled manner as temps rise cooling the soil. Grasses like fescue have extremely deep roots 6 to 8 feet deep. The roots go through a cycle yearly where they grown heavily and then die off. This process pulls carbon down into the soil, storing it there. It also continuously adds organic matter into the soil improving the humic layer. When there is a lack of grass or it becomes very sparse you end up with very compact dry soil due to the fact there is nothing growing in it. When the dirt becomes exposed the soil temps rise drying it and further leading to compaction. I'm a beekeeper, I realize the important of native flowers, but at the same time there are more benefits to grass than meets the eye.
Yes, it had a place in a diverse environment. But I'm not a fan of monoculture anything. Grass roots are too shallow. They go down like 4-6 inches max and don't break up clay. Red clover can have 4ft roots and produce nitrogen. The other problem I have with monoculture grass is the lack of flowers. It depends on your intentions. I'm attempting to build a diverse ecosystem that supports pollinators. Grass has little to no benefit for pollinators or any wildlife. That is unless you actually stop mowing it and let other species grow with it.
Yes, very sparse vegetation will lead to soil dryness, compaction, sun burning, etc. But it doesn't have to be grass that covers the soil. I'm 100% with you on the importance of soil coverage, just many ways to accomplish that while also getting flowers.
I believe you are correct......grasses can be very beneficial. What zone are you in? I'm in BC Canada, zone 5 ish. I was looking for a good grass to mix in with clovers and other things, and I wanted a grass that would put down a nice deep root system (to open up compacted soil and help to retain water during our often very hot summers). Do you think fescue would work in my zone? do you have any other recommendations? By the way, I also grow winter rye as a cover crop in some areas to build soil. But I don't want to use the winter rye in the 'lawn-clover' areas as I like to let it grow really tall before scything and using for mulch..........so I have it in a separate area, often mixing it in with other annual cover crops for mulch and soil amendment......
@@riverwalkersresearch2597 I'm in zone 6. Fescues work great for areas that go long periods with no water. Use fine fescue if you want to let it grow out a bit. If you don't mind cutting it more often then use a turf type tall fescue.
I had a lawn in California that was so healthy. The soil was full of earth worms. I never had weeds because it was so thick. Now in N. Georgia my lawn is horrible. Weak, don’t know what’s the deal. Clover is healthy. Been pulling it out. Maybe I should do both grass and clover.
Thank god I live in VA. Clover all day baby
Thank you for the info!
I have planted Lippia Repens, a CA Native, as a lawn substitute in the front yard. Right now it’s a beautiful green cover like a green mat, not high at all. This is my first time so waiting to see what winter will be like. I am expecting it to turn maroon which I am okay with and then turn green once spring arrives. Wanted to do Lippia in the back but I don’t have enough to make cuttings from so giving clover lawn mix , with a bee planting mix a shot. Both are lawn substitutes. I want to lead by example and show that’s it’s possible to have a beautiful green cover without monoculture grass. Fingers crossed!
Man, I didn't wanna watch this bc I thought you were gonna talk me out of it!! Wrong! I'm in zone 7 !!
Thanks
Great video! I've bought a ton of white and red (or pink) clover for my yard this year. I read, watched videos and your doing the right thing..... add grass. Just raise your lawnmower blade a bit higher they say. I've also bought a ton of Creeping thyme also. But I thought it would be another addition for bees to feed on. I'm in N. Central Az. Mountains on one side and Prairie on the other. We have what we call, Bi-Polar weather. In April we can be in the 70's and even 80's after numerous snow falls from Dec. on. The day before Mothers Day, we can have 2 to 6 inches of snow....... That's the middle of MAY! Since every area is different in the USA. I'm trying to figure out which grass mixed with clover is the best. I have a lot of Vinca minor as a ground cover in certain areas. But it's not for walking on. One thing I need is, Chicken wire. Because I also have two dogs. So I'll need to fence everything off first.
Mixing white and red is the best way to go. I use dutch white, ladino white, and red. They all play well together and serve different purposes. Dutch is short and fills in underneath. Ladino is larger leaves, bigger blooms, and more cold hardy. Red is just immortal as it grows massive tap roots. Despite red being capable of getting really tall, it does still bloom of you mow it short. As far as what type of grass, I just grabbed a bag of a generic sun/shade mix. I'm not sure which is best so I went with a mix.
Interesting, we also have cold winters but very hot, dry summers.
I'm in Alabama and just put down the first seeding of cover.
On 2 acres and doing a section at a time until "like you said" I have a diversity of beneficial ground cover with cover EVERYWHERE.
Different types in different sections.
My first thought is if I was in your position I'd consider Winter Rye Grass mixed with White Cover
"For the Lawn"
Green All Year💚
Ty for your video! Fellow Wisconsinite here... we completely removed our yard and planted fluer de lawn last Fall.. a white/pink clover, yarrow, grass, flower mix. Initially it was beautiful after that little rough patch you described after Winter, as it recovered really well in the Spring. However, once the clover flowers were beginning to dry out, we decided to mow in hopes of springing new clover/other flowers. I am not sure what happened but between the combo I think of mowing (left it fairly high), our kids walking on it and the heat over the last few weeks it has gone brown and appears to be drying up. We have literally no shade and sandy soil and removed our lawn so we did not have to waste a ton of water and are now feeling disappointed. Do you know how often or for how long we should water it? Hoping it is more eco friendly than we are currently experiencing and we just need to learn how to properly water ... trying and hoping we can currently revive it but really hate using so much water to do so ...
Well clover actually needs half the water as grass. But yeah that heat wave was nasty. I have tons of plants in the garden that barely survived. Burnt leaves, dropped fruit, and stunted growth. Clover is drought tolerant but nothing likes 100 degrees and dry except desert plants. Normal watering concepts go out the window over 95 degrees. At that point every drop counts. Consider mulching to retain moisture and add organic matter to the sandy soil. Also trees go a long way in a nasty hot summer. Some plants can actually get sunburned.
Haha its because clover only likes highly shaded places to grow you can water it all you like wont help
@@JacobAschauer Hi, sorry I am just realizing you replied back, but thank you! I did just want to update to give others hope out there too that our yard just needed some time, and it has been doing really well! We didn't give up on it fortunately during that time of my last comment and after a lot of work... it looks so full and green now. So worth it! We are guessing each year it will only keep getting stronger. We have learned a lot! Thanks again!
Glad I watched your video before I seeded any clover in central MI. I have a lot of creeping myrtle on my place, and it is even green under snow, but I think it would not hold up well under foot traffic from dogs.
It's a love hate relationship. It's all back up and green again here and I love it again until next winter.
For overseeding grass with clover, do you have thoughts on the different options for clover?
Micro clover, White Clover, small leaf White Clover (different than white clover - not sure), Dutch White Clover (different than white clover - not sure), Crimson Clover, others?
Watched lots of videos on clover, but not found a good overall discussion of different clovers.
What about differences for lawns vs animal pasture?
Thanks for the video.
I’m in Minnesota and my backyard is now almost completely taken over by creeping Charlie. I think I’ll leave it alone. I might try to introduce creeping Jenny but it likely can’t compete without some intervention. It’s a light green and patches of it may be a nice contrast. I just wish Charlie didn’t need mowing or the high maintenance of keeping it off sidewalks.
There is a native cover weed that I love. The leaves are long-ish & narrow, super drought tolerant and so soft underfoot. I let it grow in a small patch as an experiment but it was like your clover. It went dormant too early in the fall and now it’s 10 days into May and no sign of life yet. ~sigh~
I tried a hardy low growing thyme but it attracted flies like crazy. Can’t remember the variety.
Creeping charlie did well this year. I did not know it was considered desirable. It was making me sad.
@@hermanhale9258 it’s desirable if you desire most of it’s qualities. What the neighbors think may be a different story so it advisable to be diligent in not allowing it to spread beyond one’s own yard. I kill vegetation by spraying a mixture of white vinegar, salt & a little dish detergent which is very effective & nontoxic for ppl & animals - not so for aquatics.
Lol, my lawn is so diverse, much of it is edible. I've got dandelion, chicory, narrow leaf plantain, violets, white clover, grape hyacinth, thistles, dead purple nettle, chickweed, grass, and crabgrass. Plus there are probably things I don't even know.
I think either way is funny, because here both just grow naturally. We have boatloads of like four different kinds of clover (at least) and we never planted it and have never taken care of it. It just appears. But on the flipside, so does grass. In fact, grass is the number one worst weed in our gardens. So if you have a grass lawn, to get clover you just let the clover happen, and likewise if you have a clover lawn to get grass you just let the grass happen. They’re both weeds until you decide you want either, you know.
Wonderful video. We have a one year old German shepherd who has destroyed our backyard lawn. I absolutely agree about lawns being a complete waste of space but we need something for puppy. I’m going to mix micro clover, thyme with some grass seed. We are in zone 6a Inland Northwest so it should be fine. Thanks for the great info!
Honestly I would love to just deep mulch the whole yard forever instead of grow anything in it. But that involves bringing in dump trucks full of mulch every year and it's just too much.
From University of Minnesota: While Creeping Charlie could be a good nectar source for bees, we are not recommending that you let it take over your lawn. In addition to the issues associated with nectar production, pollen (the main protein source for bees) from creeping Charlie is not readily available to visiting bees and other insect pollinators. Bees need a variety of food sources, and the best lawns have many kinds of flowers, hopefully with a range of bloom times. Creeping Charlie is invasive, and can prevent you from growing additional flowers in your lawn. Instead, if you are looking to promote pollinator health in your lawn or garden, we recommend planting a diversity of flowers that produce high quality nectar and pollen consistently. That being said, if your lawn/garden is already overrun with creeping Charlie, and you have not had a chance to eradicate it yet, take pleasure in seeing the bees buzzing around it...
I've been killing grass in NY for years now. Well my 3 dogs have and I was trying to find a solution to never having grass in my small lawn and I thought clover was the answer but I guess not. Your video changed my mind. Any suggestions for seed to plant for high traffic areas with limited sun?
Hi Brittany, I left a comment previously. I think your dogs would do just fine with a clover lawn. Once it thickens up it can handle quite a bit. It makes many other things much easier - hardly any watering or even mowing, unless you don't like the flowers, then you might want to mow it. However, we love the flowers and love that the bees love the flowers. Bees really need our help and this is a good way to not only feed the soil (clover feeds, grass sucks out the nutrients), but help nature. Cycle of life and all. Plus save water.
Just as diverse as possible. Clover, grass, thyme, anything that will grow. Took me awhile to get there in that video, but that was supposed to be the big takeaway. Diversity. Get the benefits of multiple plants. If you don't use any herbicide or pesticide eventually nature will start filling in the lawn with things like chickweed etc too
Hey Jake, I’m on the border of zone 6 and 5b. Do you think this is worth a shot or will I run into problems every spring?
Thanks for the video, good insights. One of the major issues we’re having is ticks like you mentioned. Literally daily on my dog…. Hoping the clover may help.
Unless you have an unusually bad winter, it should stay up there. Ladino white is the most cold hardy. I'd mix ladino and dutch with your grass. Keep in mind that clover doesn't actually repel ticks. Clover are insectary plants. Insectary plants are those that attract insects. As such, beneficial insectary plants are intentionally introduced into an ecosystem to increase pollen and nectar resources required by the natural enemies of the harmful or unwanted insects pests. So basically it encourages a healthy ecosystem that includes predators of ticks. Now there are plants that actually repel ticks like mints and thymes. Incorporate those wherever you can.
I live in Glasgow and its hardiness zone is 8B. Do you think it is ok? I was thinking about having turf but I was told clover lawn is much more beneficial. My son will play on it as well.
We have tons of wild clover growing all over the place in Northern Alberta. Maybe you used the wrong species of clover? Maybe the hardy northern varieties of clover aren't available for sale?
Well i've tried every clover sold except micro clover. They are hardy and do come back every year, but they just die down over the winter. This is greatly increased by any foot traffic. In a protected area with zero foot traffic a lot of clover stays above ground or green over the winter. But unfortunately this is a high traffic open lawn we are talking about.
So I live in zone 8b and just planted micro clover in my back yard. We had done a lot of work in the yard and it was basically down to dirt, but in the last several weeks grass has been growing (not sure what kind). I went ahead and overseeded with the micro clover and now just watering and waiting. I'll keep it mowed to 2 1/2"-3" and we'll see what happens!
Micro clover is the only one I have never planted. It just cost too much for me. Dutch is pretty short already so it's close enough. I've found that every kind of clover handles a lawn mower just fine, even the tall red clover.
Hi. I live in zone b as well. We have landscaped rocks and wanna switch to clover. How's it going with yours?
@@coturtleco I planted them, but grass has been growing. I think they are under there, but it's hard to tell. I've been watering every day. I'll let you know in another week or two
reseed on top of the snow?
That’s interesting, bc in interior Alaska we have harsh winters and my dads clover lawn never looked ugly like your pics! Maybe it’s bc of the way the snow melts here?
Well to clarify, it's the combination of winter and the dogs. Does your dad have dogs? Basically in areas with no or light foot traffic the clover holds up better than in my back yard where it gets stomped for 6 months. I've noticed before that once it frosts, where my foot prints are the clover dies down for the winter. The combination of freeze and physical assault is too much.
Its not temp its shade id assume the sun is lower
I live in Zone 7 and want tio replace my front lawn with clover. Can you recommend the easiest way to remove the grass before planting clover?
I did the long game on that. I deep mulched everything which killed the grass then the next spring I seeded clover. I had more reasons than just killing the grass though. My soil was horrible and I had a lot of muddy areas from the dogs. I wanted to create a whole layer of healthy top soil, stop soil erosion, and get some organic matter into the barren clay. If you don't want to wait that long, you can try doing a sod flip. Dig up the grass in sections and flip it upside down. it kills the grass but leaves all the top soil. Another technique that's popular is covering the grass with plastic, a tarp, or cardboard, etc until it dies.
Clover just started growing on the dead zone..my yard after removing ground cloth…though, I am looking for red clover
What do you think the best type of grass would be to pair with clover? I live in North Dakota and was wondering about all clover and this was my main concern
Definitely not a grass expert. I just buy a bag labeled sun and shade Midwest mix. When I looked at the contents of all the grass seed bags at the store. They are basically the same mixes with different labels. Whatever you can find locally I'm sure it's fine.
Are you northern Wisconsin? 5a or 5b?
I found a missouri grass that is said to go down several feet I will intersperse with my microclover.
Do you have advice for what to grow to discourage ticks? Thanks
Ticks hate anything in the mint family and other strong herbs like oregano, chives, alliums. Having tons of border herb gardens can help. Also, a lot of birds and other wildlife eat ticks, including predatory insects. I have an army of birds, herbs, and beneficial predatory insects everywhere and I don't get ticks on my property despite other areas around here having tons of ticks. The reason I say ticks love monoculture mowed grass is that there is nothing there to keep them in check. A natural diverse ecosystem full of herbs and beneficial wildlife takes care of this stuff on it's own.
Plant winter rye? It'll keep your lawn green while the clover is dormant.
Will they actually grow in a zone 5 winter?
@@JacobAschauer it will at least give you something that will hold together even if it's growth does stop, but I doubt it stops entirely. With regular annual rye here in zone 7 I have to mow at least as much in the early winter as I do during the early summer. I'm putting winter rye down this fall just to see how much of a difference it makes. I expect I'll be mowing once a week until late Jan / early Feb. I may get a couple weeks off before spring starts happening.
You know it!
Any updates? I’m in WI and have been wanting to add more clover to my yard.
Go for it you will learn your lesson
Almost all gardening advice is location specific. I can't tell where you're located. It doesn't say on your about page either. Would be really helpful to know the location.
You just saved me.
How so you avoid your backyard from looking like a wild field?
I don't, ha. That's the goal.
Subscribed! I'm in wisco and really want an ecologically beneficial lawn but I'm not good at gardening or plants at all. Help 😅
All you have to do to grow clover is literally throw seeds. The only thing you really need to do for a diverse lawn is don't use pesticides or herbicides.
Turns out, grass makes sense.
Michigan here, I have enough unintended clover for everyone, come-n-git it.
Welcome to the resistance 😀
Ha, I'm not sure I'm in the resistance. I still love clover. Just monoculture anything doesn't work as well as polyculture.
Jake. All lawns are artificial. Unless you live on a ranch in Montana, somebody once planted your lawn, on purpose. And it’s not a ‘monoculture’ as you say, I guess you think that’s a bad thing. My lawn is made up of mostly tall fescue, but it’s an old lawn and has some different varieties, clover, some moss in shady spots, etc. it’s teeming with life! It prevents runoff, converts CO2 to O2 and deadens sound and cools the ground underfoot. Squirrels & birds love to nose around in it. So while I understand that clover lawns are fashionable for the hip kids, I’ll still be growing grass.
People forget the advantages of a lawn.
Hi Jake! Love your video and how your trying to kill your lawn. I want to replace my lawns in Southern California. Do you think clover will grow in our warm climate with drought conditions? Thank you !!
i'm not really sure how dry you are talking about but clover is for sure more drought tolerant than grass. So if you were growing grass with no problem then clover will need less water than that.
@@JacobAschauer Thank you !
@@JacobAschauer Does the mini- clover attract bees like the white clover does?
@@KatzMeow268 that's the only one I've never planted, but it's just a short cultivar of white clover so as long as it gets to flower then absolutely. The bumblebee bees here prefer white clover over.
I mix in wheat during fall. I live in zone 6 and I have issues with clover die off with cold weather. Oversees with wheat. It coms on faster than clover in the spring and dies off with hot weather. I’ll mow my clover it stays thick. Another issue is crap grass. Late summer it gets thick. You can’t spray most crap grass killer it will kill clover as well. Just my plan.
Grass won't die and you can't kill it? That's where you lost me.
What I was referring to is that all my grass stays up all winter and handles foot traffic better than anything. If you can't keep grass alive maybe mixing it in with the clover will help strengthen it.
@@JacobAschauer That makes sense now and I agree. Thanks for clearing it up for me. Is it hard for clover to grow back after a cold winter?
@@vicioustigris Not at all actually. It comes back nice and thick every spring so that's not the problem. It's simply just winter coverage. Especially since we have freezing weather here for 6 months or more. First frost is usually Oct/Nov and last frost Apr/May. That means months of early spring mud pit.
What is your soil? Clay?
Yes, solid clay
or you could just have a lawn that is forest... bush, tree, just letting it be a natural part of ground, unmowed or touched....
idk why people are so obsessed with having grass lawns
I would absolutely love to do that, but my city government is a bunch of assholes and will fine people for that. We have ordinance that mandate you have a lawn that is cut to less than 6". The only way around it at all is lots of garden beds
I am hoping to kill my weeds and "grass" this spring and just do creeping thyme. Do you have an advice for me?
Creeping thyme is a great ground cover but keep in mind that it takes much longer to grow, the seeds cost a lot more, and depending on your climate it might also die back to the ground in the winter. I have tried it here in Wisconsin and it never established well at all. Thyme won't outcompete other plants. I would recommend starting with a small patch of thyme and test it out before you try to seed your whole lawn with it.
Biodiversity is the way, lawn is like a micro forest
Exactly. I'm complaining about mud and foot traffic in this video a lot. But my goal here is basically biodiversity while remaining functional. It's harder than you'd think.
@@JacobAschauer Personally I go the lazy way and let everything grow than mow
Yep clover dies out in Illinois too
It's so coming back now at least. Just a rough few months at the end of winter. We had just got above freezing at night a few weeks ago.
@@JacobAschauer i just put in 5 or ten # every midwinter or spring. Next time I am trying fall and spring
If u have grass init, it is hard to decide when to mow lol
@@tiffanyclark-grove1989 Yeah I just mow it whenever I have time and treat it just like grass. Once it's established you can cut the hell out of it and it doesn't hurt anything. I've found the more you mow it, the shorter it stays actually. It just start flowering at a lower height.
Plant some berry plants
I have tons of berry plants just not in the lawn. You can't exactly walk on them. Although I do have any extremely large strawberry patch I walk through. I'm going to be making many videos about all my berries but it's been a crazy spring and I had to take a break from creating new videos. I'm finding it hard to make time right now. I'm growing 5 different kinds of rasperry, a dozen blueberry, jostberry, gooseberry, a ton of strawberry, grapes, and honey berry.
Guess I'm not planting clover. 😭😂
Just plant other stuff with it. Diversity.
Genetic engineers get on this.
try dwarf Carpet of Stars Ruschia 'Nana'
That can’t survive below 20°. Not hardy enough for Wisconsin winter :(
GRASS IS KING UNTIL CLOVER TAKES OVER THE WHOLE DAMN LAWN.....SHOULD I BE HAPPY??
I've found they mix week together. After this video I seeded grass and clover together and the grass over took much of the clover. I suppose it depends on conditions more than anything. If the growing conditions are better for one than the other then you'll get unbalanced
@@JacobAschauer Thank-you actually enjoying the clover now hardly any weeds to be seen lovely colour less mowing !!.
Good luck growing grass with dogs.
Yes, ha, you are totally correct. One of the reasons I switched to clover was the dogs were destroying everything when it was monoculture grass. That's what the next option to try is mixed along with other ground cover as well. If this doesn't work then I guess I'm just screwed.
This guy explained he has wild violet, creeping Charlie? Clover works? It's because he has Low Fertility and a soil PH Imbalance. That's why your grass sucked =]
Yeah I had no soil fertility at all. Solid clay garbage. It's much better now after I deep mulched almost the whole backyard and got some actual organic matter.
No adding organic matter to an acidic lawn will only deepen your acidity. This won't change the amount of nutrients your soil can uptake if your soils ph is jacked. You need to apply lime to neutralize your soil. Only then will you get lush grass it prefers neutral soil. Fix your soil not add more acidic loving plants.
And clay is not garbage it holds on to many things such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium much better than alot of other soils it just needs to be fed correctly