RDG: Clover Patching W1-W4 Update

Tweet

It has been a month since we first seeded the various sections and bald patches in the RainyDayGarden (RDG) with microclover and drought resistant grass/clover mix!

This follow-up post is to show the progress so that readers considering adding clover to their lawn will know what to expect. 

Vendors

Because we are running this clover experiment for a full year, we got seeds from two vendors just to be “safe.”

The idea is not to pit one source against another, but to see if we could get anything to come up at all. Still, if one grows and the other doesn’t, we’ll know it’s not us 🙂 If neither worked, then it is probably us…LOL.

Rocky Mountain BioAg (RMBA) and American Meadows (AM) were the two companies selected for our year-long clover “experiment.” We applied the seeds from both vendors to separate but similar sections of the RDG. The conditions (water, sun, etc) should be very similar. 

Both microclover seeds from RMBA and AM were nitro-coated. The coating ensures that each seed has access to high levels of live rhizobium so as to maximize the development of nitrogen-producing nodules.

Weeks 1-3

After the first week, we could see some sprouting of the seeds and a few clusters of growth. To help the clovers and grass get established, we made sure to water when the forecast indicated no rain.

Fortunately for us, the first two weeks were cool, overcast, and had periodic rain. The third week was sunnier, but still cool enough to not stress the new growth.

All in all, we had three weeks of near perfect conditions for getting the microclovers started and the results really reflected that!

Front yard (W1, W2, W3)

We took out all of the weeds from the front because we wanted the section to be more uniform. Also, It was where we compared the clover-only and the clover+grass mix. Both the clover-only and clover+grass seeds were from RMBA. 

Even though this section faced South, it is shaded because it is under a 40-foot high cottonwood tree. The seeds took about 10 days before they really got going. Once things started to happen, though, it was clear to see the clovers grew a bit faster than the grass. 

Side Yard (W1, W2, W3)

The side yard gets both morning and afternoon sun, and it is brightly lit all day long. We felt the clovers grew the best in this part of the RDG compared to others because of that. Clearly the rabbit thought so as well 🙂 

We did not sow any grass+clover mixed seeds in the side section, just the nitro-coated clover ones from both RBMA and AM. We used clover-only because this is a high-traffic area and we want to see how the microclover, once established, will hold up over time.

Back Yard (W1, W2, W3)

The back section of the RDG gets the morning-to-noon sun, before the light gets blocked by the building and the tall cottonwood trees in the front. It is a fairly high traffic area, as this is where the small herb garden, the trash bins, and such are located. Because of that, we also only used microclovers for the bare spots.

While there was no difference in the performance of the seeds from RMBA and AM, some patches absolutely did do better than others. We are not sure why yet, but this is one part of the RDG where we may have to put down more seeds in the Fall.

Miscellaneous (W1, W2, W3)

The miscellaneous spots were in-between the back and the side sections of the RDG. Those patches actually get the most sun, and even though they got a latest start, caught up quickly. Both the RMBA and AM performed equally well. Those patches may end up with the densest growth of all. Amazing!

Week 4 (Front, Side, Back, Misc)

Here are all of the sections after four weeks of growth. We couldn’t be happier with the progress. Of course, the cool drizzly weather REALLY played a big part in nurturing the growth of the microclovers. Still, for our first attempt in growing clovers, we couldn’t believe how well things worked out!!!

Final Thoughts

Planting the microclovers in the middle of June felt a bit late, but it turned out just right for Boston.

We could have done it a month earlier, but the weather was so wacky this Spring that it could have snow or hit 90º in May.

Regardless, both RMBA and AM’s microclover seeds performed well. After seeing the results, we concluded that sowing the seeds directly on top of loosened soil performed better than mixing the seeds with the soil after sowing. The latter technique still worked, but it took longer for the growth to make their way up.

We’ll post one more update in the Fall and a followup next Spring. We are just as eager as you to see the results 🙂

Links to items mentioned:

• RMBA MicroClover
• American Meadows MicroClover
• Garden Weasel Cultivator and Hand Tiller