Overseeding With Clovers

White Clover

• White clover thrives in wet conditions, but it also withstands drought. The shallow-rooted plant outcompetes other grasses when grown in shallow soil. The main reason for this growth has to do with the plant's ability to use atmospheric nitrogen as a nutrient. White clover is low maintenance, but its appearance in residential lawns improves with frequent mowing. Some lawn seeding mixtures include clover. Clover seed in excess of 8 ounces per 1,000 square feet results in clover-dominant lawns and pastures. Should clover appear thin after a cool winter, avoid overseeding, as clover replenishes the next growing season.

Red Clover

• Red clover is not as cold-tolerant as white clover. In cool regions it is grown as a short-lived forage grass and is reseeded each year in spring. In warm climates it can persist biennially if winters are mild. Red clover is not suited for home lawns. It is coarse, grows up to 18 inches tall and does not tolerate mowing. Instead, it is a forage grass found in pastureland, where it is grown alongside other forage legumes. Red clover tolerates wet conditions and acidic soils better than other forage legumes such as alfalfa. Some farmers overseed pastureland with red clover during the spring so it will grow and establish by winter.

Overseeding

• Red clover is often overseeded into alfalfa stands. Alfalfa is a forage grass cultivated by dairy farmers. These stands thin out during cold winter months. Overseeding with red clover and other legumes, cereals and perennial grasses helps protect remaining alfalfa. Red clover is also harvested along with alfalfa and is used for feeding dairy cows and other livestock. White clover is overseeded into residential lawns, as well as in grassy public areas. Damp areas and bare regions with poor soil benefit from the additional ground cover.

Considerations

• White clover becomes unattractive when aging flowers turn brown. Keep the area mowed to avoid this problem. Since clover spreads via runners, it has the potential to outcompete other grasses in a mixed lawn. In some areas clover is considered a weed. Prevent unwanted clover growth with broadleaf herbicides.