Dead lawn from the heat and drought? Think clover.

Having a clover lawn instead of a traditional grass lawn has been all the rage on social media lately.  In fact, #cloverlawn has more than 65 million views on TikTok alone.  A well-manicured grass lawn is a very traditional vision in the minds of Americans.  These are the same people who spend hundreds of dollars on harsh chemical products and sprays to rid their yards of “weeds” such as clover and dandelions.  But the truth is, a clover lawn can actually be far less expensive, easier to maintain, and better for the environment. 

With wildfires, droughts, and heatwaves impacting much of the United States this summer, and extreme heat anticipated for years to come, a smooth grassy lawn might become more than a pipe dream for many Americans.

Let’s look at some of the basic pros and cons of switching to a clover lawn. 

Pros:

• Clover thrives in poor soil, which means less money spent on improving your soil quality.  The grounds of many new builds have low-quality subsoil.
• Clover requires far less water than grass, therefore it is nearly drought-resistant.
• Clover requires no fertilization.
• Dog owner?  Pet urine will not discolor clover.
• Clover grows slower than grass and also doesn’t get as tall, which means it is much lower maintenance in terms of mowing needs.

Cons:

• Once clover begins to flower, it will attract bees and other pollinators, which is great for the environment (pro), but can be a problem if anyone in your home is allergic to bees (con).
• Clover roots can spread rapidly and widely, which can end up impacting nearby flowerbeds that you may not necessarily want the clover reaching into.
• Clover stains are harder to remove from clothing than grass stains.

Overall, clover may be the future of lawns and grass will be a thing of the past, especially with new builds.  Another great benefit of clover?  You don’t need to rip out your current lawn and start fresh.  Just don’t do anything to prevent the “weeds” in your current lawn.  Stop killing off the clover and let it move in, allow it to take over and before you know it, you’ll have naturally converted your grass lawn into a clover lawn. Clover won’t completely take over any lawn since it’s competing with everything else, but you might find is more appealing from many angles.