Imagine I mentioned there are a couple of things you might do that could permanently eliminate the need to feed your lawn? Would that peak your interest? Excellent. So let me share exactly how simple it is to set your grass up so that you can retire your spreader permanently.
Fact is you can get away with that if you have white clover covering as little as five percent of your lawn. That's because just scattered patches of clover can produce as much as two pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn. Which might provide half of the nitrogen your yard needs each year. And you can almost have a self sustaining lawn if you'll but mulch the clippings and leave them to break down in your lawn too.
Now don't you feel bad for considering clover to be a weed? Yet it wasn't always that way. No it wasn't until later into the 20th century that clover was put on the undesirable list by lawn fanatics.
In way of background clover is a legume. It takes free nitrogen from the air and stores it in its roots. Once the roots die the nitrogen is released back in to the soil. Which sounds like a virtual fertilizer factory in your yard, right?
But don't think that's all cover can do for you.
Clover can help your garden by attracting parasitic wasps and honey bees.
During dry spells it can add a splash of green to your otherwise parched lawn.
The nitrogen clover produces won't change your soil's PH as chemical based fertilizers might. Plus the fact clover is thriving tells you your soil is balanced and fertile.
A lawn having a mix of grass and clover is also less susceptible to weeds as clover can help keep pesky weeds at bay by shading them out.
Then too adding clover can give you a lower maintenance yard. It requires less mowing but does tolerate whatever mowing it's subjected to. And being somewhat drought resistant can mean lower water bills each summer.
Another advantage? It's a flexible plant. You don't need the most fertile dirt bathed in full sun to have success with clover. In that it will take to poorer soil conditions while tolerating shade too.
Now one advantage is also a disadvantage. How so? The bees clover attracts can be a problem if you're allergic. But less so if you mow more often to keep the plants from flowering.
Another flaw often cited is inability to do well when faced with heavy foot traffic. Yet one could argue that when protected by varieties of grass that do well despite the traffic this would be less of a shortcoming.
Now if this brief overview has changed how you look at clover you can get bulk seed locally at most garden centers. Likely for less than $7 a pound - with a pound covering about 4000 square feet in some cases. When planted in the spring, which is best, it should germinate in a week or so.
So given all these advantages, why not do your bit for the environment and throw some white clover into the mix? It's a smart choice for those who want to water less, mow less and fertilize less while still enjoying a green lawn. - 31813
Fact is you can get away with that if you have white clover covering as little as five percent of your lawn. That's because just scattered patches of clover can produce as much as two pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn. Which might provide half of the nitrogen your yard needs each year. And you can almost have a self sustaining lawn if you'll but mulch the clippings and leave them to break down in your lawn too.
Now don't you feel bad for considering clover to be a weed? Yet it wasn't always that way. No it wasn't until later into the 20th century that clover was put on the undesirable list by lawn fanatics.
In way of background clover is a legume. It takes free nitrogen from the air and stores it in its roots. Once the roots die the nitrogen is released back in to the soil. Which sounds like a virtual fertilizer factory in your yard, right?
But don't think that's all cover can do for you.
Clover can help your garden by attracting parasitic wasps and honey bees.
During dry spells it can add a splash of green to your otherwise parched lawn.
The nitrogen clover produces won't change your soil's PH as chemical based fertilizers might. Plus the fact clover is thriving tells you your soil is balanced and fertile.
A lawn having a mix of grass and clover is also less susceptible to weeds as clover can help keep pesky weeds at bay by shading them out.
Then too adding clover can give you a lower maintenance yard. It requires less mowing but does tolerate whatever mowing it's subjected to. And being somewhat drought resistant can mean lower water bills each summer.
Another advantage? It's a flexible plant. You don't need the most fertile dirt bathed in full sun to have success with clover. In that it will take to poorer soil conditions while tolerating shade too.
Now one advantage is also a disadvantage. How so? The bees clover attracts can be a problem if you're allergic. But less so if you mow more often to keep the plants from flowering.
Another flaw often cited is inability to do well when faced with heavy foot traffic. Yet one could argue that when protected by varieties of grass that do well despite the traffic this would be less of a shortcoming.
Now if this brief overview has changed how you look at clover you can get bulk seed locally at most garden centers. Likely for less than $7 a pound - with a pound covering about 4000 square feet in some cases. When planted in the spring, which is best, it should germinate in a week or so.
So given all these advantages, why not do your bit for the environment and throw some white clover into the mix? It's a smart choice for those who want to water less, mow less and fertilize less while still enjoying a green lawn. - 31813
About the Author:
Now that you're aware of the benefits of white clover maybe you need one of those spiffy riding lawn mowers to mow it. Better still maybe you're in the market for one of the used zero turn mowers. Problem is you don't know what to look for. You will once you visit MowerMania.com. That lawn care site offers a collection of helpful articles on related topics of interest.
