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Micro clover is on everyone's lips as a possible alternative to classic lawns. You can find out in this guide whether the mixtures are suitable for your garden.

In a nutshell

  • Micro clover is short, small-leaved white clover
  • easy to care for and resilient
  • supplies itself with nitrogen
  • Available as seeds or rolls
  • hardly needs watering

Micro clover as a lawn substitute

Micro or dwarf clover are modern breeds of white clover (Trifolium repens), which are used as a possible lawn alternative due to their properties. They differ from their original form in the following aspects:

  • half as high
  • much smaller leaves
  • extremely dense growth

For this reason, clover, which is also offered under the brand name "Microclover", is being planted more and more frequently instead of grass. Due to their characteristics, the small plants have certain advantages that make them so attractive:

  • less maintenance
  • high resilience (comparable to playing turf)
  • high drought resistance
  • well tolerated by cuts
  • suppresses weeds
  • regenerates quickly
  • closes gaps in the lawn

In addition, it supplies itself with nitrogen from the air via nodule bacteria. If you can no longer see classic, high-maintenance lawns, dwarf clover is an excellent substitute. Only the look is a bit different, which not everyone likes. If you have no problem with the following points, the Microclover will convince you:

  • herbaceous look
  • not completely flat
  • each different sheet size
  • not usable as sports turf

Notice: Another benefit of Danish clover is its side effect as bee pasture. If you let the area bloom, bees and bumblebees will find their way into your garden, which is only possible with a normal lawn through sprouting weeds.

Available variants

If you are interested in using dwarf lawns, there are various options available to you. They all meet the requirements for a dense "lawn" that they can use as a substitute. The classic variant is of course sowing, for which you need suitable seeds. In order for Microclover to grow as a dense area, it is offered in special seed mixtures, which are composed as follows:

  • 10 percent dwarf clover
  • 20 percent red fescue (Festuca rubra)
  • 50 percent Perennial Lark (Lolium perenne)
  • 20 percent meadow grass (Poa pratensis)

You can use the clover seed either as new or overseeding. You need one to two grams of seed per square meter, which corresponds to a price of 20 to 50 cents depending on the supplier. When used as an overseed, you don't have to worry about gaps in the lawn. The clover spreads so quickly and intensively over the spring and summer that the old lawn disappears over time and the area is completely closed. This is what makes the dwarf clover so effective as overseeding. In addition to seeds, micro-clover is available as turf. The prices vary between three and five euros per square meter.

Create clover lawn

Creating the lawn is extremely easy. If you have decided on the rolled goods variant, lay the elements like a classic rolled turf. On the other hand, if it is to be seed, follow these steps to effectively sow the clover:

  • Time: March to May
  • Sowing in May shortens germination time
  • Scarify the area thoroughly
  • Mix in the seed soil if the soil is poor
  • then sow
  • Germination time: 7 to 10 days
  • water daily
  • then take care of it accordingly

Care of clover lawns

The care of the micro lawn is extremely easy. Since you do not have to fertilize, the maintenance effort is significantly reduced. In addition, you do not have to do anything against weeds, since the dwarf clover prevents their growth. It only needs to be watered once a week if it hasn't rained. The condition of the ground is irrelevant. The most important care step is the cut. If you don't want to overseed the Microclover yourself every year, you should not fall below a height of eight centimeters. This leads to flowering and self-seeding. If you don't have a problem with reseeding, cut the plantlets down to 2.5 to 3 centimeters. The desired height determines the cutting rhythm:

  • 2.5 - 3 cm: weekly
  • min. 8 cm: as required

Tip: Due to the shading of the soil, it does not dry out as quickly. For this reason, the clover eats well in locations that struggle with intense sunlight.

frequently asked Questions

Which varieties are suitable as micro clover?

Micro clover is offered in different varieties that are part of the seed mixes. According to the Federal Office for Food Safety, three varieties are particularly suitable for your garden: 'Euromic', 'Pirouette' and 'Pipolina'. They are dwarf clover, which offers the ideal conditions for a dense clover area.

How can germination be optimized?

So that you can look forward to an even clover surface in the end, you should never sow clover seeds by hand. It is also difficult to use a spreader due to the size of the seed. In order to create an even "lawn" you should mix the seeds with quartz sand and distribute them. You need about five liters of moist quartz sand per square meter, which is mixed with the seed and distributed.

What should be considered after sowing?

If you have sown for dwarf clover, you must not enter it for a certain period of time either, so that the seeds can germinate in a relaxed manner. About two weeks are suitable for this, during which the clover-grass mixture has to rest.

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Garden design