How to Plant White Dwarf Clover
White dwarf clover, also known as Dutch white clover or simply white clover, is often incorporated into lawns to add a touch of color or to hide areas of weak-growing grass. You can even mix white clover seeds in with grass seed to create patches or individual sprouts of clover throughout a landscape. Some benefits of planting white dwarf clover around your lawn include the prevention of soil corrosion and the addition of nitrogen to your soil, which can be beneficial for both vegetable and flower gardens. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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New Grass
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1
Till the soil in the area where you want to seed grass with a tiller. Break up the surface soil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches to create a nice base for the grass to form roots.
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2
Throw the grass seed first at the rate recommended on the grass seed packaging, such as one bag per 1,000 square feet of land. Spread the seed as evenly as possible by taking a handful at a time and sprinkling in across a section of the ground. Then grab another handful and sprinkle the seed across an area of the same size as the first.
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3
Spread the white dwarf clover seeds once you spread all the grass seed. Versicolor Lawns recommends a seed rate of one part white clover seed to 15 parts grass seed. You can accomplish this by spreading one handful of clover seed over an area 15 times the size of each area you covered with a handful of grass seed. This does not need to be exact and can generally be done without measuring.
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Rake over the entire seeded area lightly so that soil covers most of the seeds. Roll the seeded area with a grass roller to press the seed down into the soil.
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5
Water the area where the seed has been laid with a garden hose until moist. Water as often as necessary to keep the area moist until the grass and clover begin to sprout.
Existing Grass
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6
Add clover seed to the ground in early April before frosts have ended for the winter. To seed at this time, Versicolor recommends using the natural cracks that occur in the ground after frosts. Wait until midday when the ground thaws some from the previous night and the ground cracks open. Drop clover seed into these cracks at a rate of roughly ¼ cup per every 1,000 square feet of lawn.
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7
Throw clover seed onto existing grass in spring, just as you seeded the lawn originally, if you have missed the last frosts of the year and cannot seed after a frost. Throw the seed at the same rate of ¼ cup per 1,000 square feet.
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8
Rake the lawn where you have thrown the clover seed to work the seed down into the soil. After raking, go over the yard with a grass roller to further press the seed into the ground.
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9
Water the clover to keep the ground moist once the frosts have passed until the clover begins to sprout, which can take from two days to a week or more, depending on how early in the spring you planted. Once the clover sprouts, cut the watering back and water at the same frequency that you normally water your lawn.
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