RDG: Patching the lawn…with clover

Tweet

We stopped using weed killer about a decade ago, and the RainyDayGarden is better for it. Sure, we get the occasional unwanted visitor taking up residence in spots we would rather have something else. However, that is absolutely not a reason to just blanket-poison the lawn with chemicals designed to kill everything but grass. One cannot have a truly “green” lawn by dumping a bunch of weed-killer on it.

When we thought about it, we came to the conclusion that growing just grass was kind of ridiculous, if you consider the money, effort, and chemicals needed to enforce that kind of artificial condition. Does it make for a healthier garden? No. Does it feed the insects? No. Does it benefit anyone? Uh…the chemical companies.

So what to do? One word: clover.

Why a “clover lawn?”

We took over the lawn care duties from the ground maintenance folks for out section of the property a long time ago. Since then, the native white clovers have slowly been making their way back. However, there are patches in the RainyDayGarden that seemed to be resistant to grass, clovers, and other things green.

We decided this year to fix the “dirt only” areas by introducing clover to them, in the hope that the clover would not only take root, but would spread, and eventually be an equal partner in the health and well-being of the lawn.

The reasons for a grass and clover lawn are many:

• Less water: clover’s deep(er) roots make it more drought resistant;
• No fertilization: the clover fixes nitrogen and improves soil quality;
• Food for insects: clover blossoms feed bees and other pollinators;
• Resists pets and pests: clover does not brown from urine (from dogs, wood chucks, etc.), un-affected by blight and mildew;
• No herbicide needed: clover out-competes weeds;
• Way less mowing: it’s clover.

Rocky Mountain BioAg

When we started looking for a good source for that would help us enhance our “clover situation,” the name Rocky Mountain BioAg kept popping up.  We took a look at what their deal was and liked their science-based, probiotic/organic approaches in helping good things grow!

After a brief phone consultation with one of their friendly, knowledgeable, and super helpful staff (thank you, Brandon!), we got the following items to start our “clover lawn conversion” journey:

• RMBA MicroClover;
• RMBA Drought-resistant Blend (Grass + MicroClover);
• RMBA Microbe Manna Liquid; and
• RMBA Microbe Manna Dry.

We won’t be using all of these products at once. We have a bunch of experiments and tests we plan to do with these products over this year and the next. At the end of the 12 months, we hope to have some interesting results to share with our RainyDayGarden readers as to what works where/why, what we had trouble with, and maybe even some tips to help those considering following in our footsteps.

Long time RainyDayGarden readers know we don’t typically use fertilizers, but the Rocky Mountain BioAg Manna seemed like a normal, natural product, so we are happy to try it out.

Prep spots

We chose a few different spots to test out how the micro clover and the drought-resistant blend fare in a variety of conditions:

• Partial sun (mostly shady, late afternoon sun);
• Partial shade (mostly sunny, late afternoon shade) and
• Shady all day (under a tree, a bit of sun).

Once we have a better idea of how the seeds respond, we’ll try them on the more difficult areas like heavier traffic and heavy shade.

Getting the bald spots ready was a simple matter of breaking up the soil in those patches, removing the (never-ending, tiny to very small) rocks, and giving them a good soaking.

The spiky tiller (Garden Weasel) is super handy for and made short work of this kind of task.

Patch with Microclover

Microclover is excellent choice for fixing lawns because its non-clumping growth pattern gives a lush, even, beautiful green, and is hardy to Zone 3 (-40 to -30°F)!

The seeds from Rocky Mountain BioAg are from DLF. DLF has plant-breeding programs around the world to produce varieties that handle harsh climates, challenging soils, and the most demanding and critical applications, like the World Cup!

These clover seeds are nitro-coated and look like little pellets. The coating ensures that each seed has access to high levels of live rhizobium, in order to maximize the development of nitrogen-producing nodules.

The coated seeds does not clump together. We sowed them by hand and was able to get a nice even spread.

Microclover is a hybrid miniature version of the Dutch White Clover. Originally created in Denmark and the Netherlands as a ground cover for golf courses, the use of toxic herbicides targeting broadleaf plants basically eliminated this clover from U.S. lawns.

We expect that the bald patches will become home for the microclovers. If successful, we’ll seed the rest of the RainyDayGarden with the types we found that work best in the different conditions in the yard.

Patch with Grass + MicroClover

We had one section that was completely messed up by the snow plowing a few years ago, and had never really recovered. Prepping the area was done the same way as the others. Because of the cottonwood trees, there are a lot (a lot) of roots, and the seedlings will have to compete with them for water.

Looks like the perfect test for RMBA’s drought-resistant grass+microclover blend!

The drought-resistant blend looks more like traditional grass seeds. Just as with the microclovers, we sowed these seeds by hand, worked them lightly into the soil, and gave the area a good watering.

The key to all this is keeping the seeded patches hydrated, so that germination and deep root growth can occur. The forecast for the next 10-days is “on/off rain and overcast,” which seem like great conditions for helping the clovers and grass seeds to get going.

We’ll be keeping a keen eye out for what our new lawn chums do, and will post an update in July of their progress/lack thereof.

We are very hopeful and look forward to our continuing transition to a healthier lawn, for both the insects and for us!!

Links to items mentioned:

• RMBA MicroClover
• RMBA Drought-resistant Blend (Grass + MicroClover)
• RMBA Microbe Manna Liquid
• RMBA Microbe Manna Dry
• Garden Weasel Cultivator and Hand Tiller