Learn how to supplement or replace your traditional lawn with Microclover. This eco-friendly lawn alternative will help you use less water and save both time and money.
What You’ll Learn:
- Lawn Alternatives
- Microclover Seed
- Benefits of Microclover
- Lawn Alternative Landscape Supplies
Replacing your traditional, grassy lawn has never been easier. With great products like Microclover on the market, you can create a landscape that is way more ecofriendly than your current, resource-sucking lawn.
All the time, energy, and water, so much water, you’ve wasted trying to keep your lawn green has led you to this point. Instead, imagine a low maintenance lawn that requires no more fertilizing and less time spent on the upkeep of your traditional lawn because you decided to be proactive. Good for you!
In this podcast (and on the page below), learn more about this great lawn alternative, tools and supplies you may need to get started, and resources to help you begin your journey!
In “Microclover- What It Is and Why You Should Use It” – DIY Garden Minute 108 – learn about microclover and its benefits. This episode is meant for any gardener wanting to create or learn more about eco-friendly, drought-tolerant gardening.
If you’re looking for one way to get started now in creating a more water-wise landscape any time of year, there are several tools, supplies, and strategies that will work together to lower the overall water use in your yard.
For example, this specific water conservation tool by Orbit would be a great start for your low water landscape! It’ll help you monitor the time your water is running and therefore lessen the amount of water that is used. Plus, you can set the timer for when it goes off!
Our water timer has been a huge benefit in our yard and we couldn’t imagine life without it (yes, we’re a tad bit dramatic but we really love it)! Pick up your own today!
Next, read on to learn about alternative lawn options or jump to the section you need:
Lawn Alternatives
Have you ever wanted to make a BIG change somewhere in your landscape that you weren’t sure would work?
Well, this past winter we did something crazy. We decided to follow through on one of our (many) landscape renovation projects and tore out our whole front lawn! It was unattractive, hard to keep green, and required a lot of maintenance.
We knew we wanted to eliminate all the water, time, and effort spent trying to keep our lawn healthy so instead, we created a front yard garden!
We filled our new water-wise landscape with drought-tolerant herbs, low-water perennials, gravel, and started growing tons of food. As it turns out, our neighbors love our new front yard renovation and stop by all the time to chat about it!
In addition, this fall we plan to re-seed our backyard with this microclover seed from Nature’s Seed (see below for more on this seed) to further improve our low-water, eco-friendly garden goals.
These are just a couple of ideas for lawn alternatives that you could use to replace your traditional lawn.
Examples of lawn alternatives:
- Microclover
- Creeping thyme
- Mulch
- Drought-tolerant plants
- Xeriscaping
- Ornamental grasses
- Synthetic, artificial turf
- Moss
- Stonecrop
Microclover Seed
This lawn alternative is the BEST option for your eco-friendly landscape, especially if you still want the green look without the need for fertilizing or massive watering.
Microclover is a small variety of White Dutch Clover seed that has been bred to have smaller leaves. It can be used as a standalone, groundcover or as a lawn seed mix to use with your existing lawn. Plus, it is dog-friendly, can be walked on without harming it, and doesn’t bloom as much as normal clover (so fewer bees to worry about stepping on).
We plan to use this microclover seed to re-seed our backyard lawn as a seed mix. It would be best added in the fall or spring and will establish quickly.
In addition, this clover can also be used as a cover crop in your raised garden beds because it fixes nitrogen in the soil. Basically, it acts as a self-fertilizer. This characteristic helps it stay green all year with very little maintenance required. You can mow it, but you don’t have to. Plus you never have to fertilize!
There are so many beneficial reasons to use microclover. Below are some of its many benefits.
Benefits of microclover:
- Stays green all year (due to the nitrogen-fixing in the soil).
- Great for pets because it can tolerate pet urine.
- Safe for kids because it can be stepped on.
- Low-growing and doesn’t flower often so fewer bees (compared to other clovers).
- Light watering required.
- Does not require fertilizing.
- Considered drought-tolerant.
Lawn Alternative Landscape Supplies
Now that you have picked out your microclover seed, you need the proper tools to maintain it for a low-water garden. Luckily, there are so many ways to alter your landscape in order to use less water as well as less of other resources.
Below are also several tools, supplies, and books that we use and recommend for you to add to your drought-tolerant collection!
For example, this water timer is a great tool for your alternative, eco-friendly landscape. By setting the timer to the length or frequency you want, you’ll save time and money on precious resources and bills. We love our Orbit water timer and we feel good knowing that we only use water as needed. Pick yours up today at the link below! (They also have timers with only one hose attachment or as many as three).
Other Recommended Supplies:
Gilmour 75′ soaker hose (or drip hose)
Flexzilla watering hose
RTS Rain collection barrel
Thanks for Listening!
That’s all for this podcast episode! You can find other beginning gardener topics on
our podcast page by clicking here or go to SpokenGarden.com and click on the “Listen” tab. Also find us on your favorite podcast platform and smart speaker!
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