How to Replace Grass With Clover

While most Americans have grass lawns, not all lawns need to be grass. While grass provides a comfortable walking surface, vast swaths of grass require a lot of care that some other types of lawn don't require. Lawn grasses not only need frequent cutting, but they frequently require yearly reseeding, fertilizing and, for the grass purist, weeding. Planting clover lawns reduces the upkeep and fertilization needs because clovers don't grow as high as grasses, and they fix their own nitrogen from the air.

Lawn mower
Sod remover
Monocot herbicide
Rake
Inoculated clover seed

Instructions

- 1
  Select a clover seed or mix of clover appropriate for your area. Contact the local university extension service for assistance.
- 2
  Mow the lawn as short as possible in spring. This may require mowing twice. Mowing as soon as possible will give you more time to establish your new clover lawn.
- 3
  Remove the sod using a sod-removing tool. Rent a mechanical sod remover or use a manual sod tool for smaller areas. Push a manual sod tool under the grass roots and break their hold on the soil beneath it by using short horizontal thrusts with the tool.
- 4
  Apply a post-germination monocot herbicide on a windless day when no rain is predicted for 24 hours. Monocot herbicides will also kill some garden plants such as iris, garlic, onions, lilies, grains like corn, and ornamental grass.
- 5
  Wait 1 to 3 weeks before seeding the clover, depending on the herbicide manufacturer's instructions. Rake the soil before seeding. Seed the clover at the rate of 4 to 6 lbs. of alsike clover seed per acre, 8 to 12 lbs. of red clover per acre, or the rate recommended by your local university extension for the variety of clover you are using.
- 6
  Water the seeds once to twice a day with a fine spray for the first two weeks until the seedlings establish themselves. A heavy spray of water may dislodge the seeds, causing them to clump and leave blank spots. Continue to water once or twice a week all season.

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Lawn Planting