My yard has been full of white clover and dandelions for many years, and the only changes to the very old lawn are these: 1) Much, much more rainfall and a higher water table resulting in pools on the yard. 2) Moss spreading. The clover, always abundant, is nowhere to be seen, even in areas that did not visibly flood and have no moss spreading. Strangely enough, violets are more in number than ever. This year,some (much fewer) dandelions, and zero clover. Any thoughts on this?
I did a bit of research and found that Clover actually can be susceptible to a few different viruses and it can kill off the stolen. The stolen is how the plant spreads.
Higher moisture levels that you mention vary well could of led to disease and die off of the Clover.
Want to use as a cover crop in raised bed garden
White Clover is listed as hardy in zones 9-10, so you are just on the edge of that.
I would suggest speaking with your County Extension Office to see if your region would support this as an alternative lawn. A bit of research can safe you time and money.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lawn-substitutes/white-clover/grow-a-white-clover-lawn.htm
https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_trre3.pdf
I,m going to fill in some shady spots by planting Dutch White Clover. Can clover be fertilized along with my lawn fertilization process...3 times a year? I live in north central Minnesota.
Some hardy varieties can tolerate light fertilization, but most won't tolerate that much nitrogen. They extract their own atmospheric nitrogen. The only thing to do will be to plant a few patches and see if they survive, until you find a cultivar that is not sensitive to feeding.
My yard is all chopped up and we do have some moles
Typically, you will want to find that information in the packaging instructions. You can also consult the manufacturer of the seed bag for more information.
This article will offer more information on microclover:
Hello, I dug deep in my lawn to remove weeds in prep for seeding clover, and I found several lawn grubs in the clay soil (I didn't know what they were at the time..) My question is will a large amount of lawn grubs kill or eat my newly-sown clover? Does it have a chance of germinating? Please advise me how and when to use grub products - since I've just sown the clover seeds, when is a good time for me to use a product before they mature? I so appreciated the last question I asked, and thank you in advance for helping me on this one, too!
A few here and there won't be a big concern. If there are enough to make you uncomfortable, then they will devastate your lawn.
Here is an article that will help you to get rid of them:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/get-rid-of-grub-worms.htm
I've lost one plant because the leaves start to die and turn brown. Other clover leaves are turning green
It looks like the fungus rust. This article should help:
I want to plant more clover but my yard is very weedy
The best way will be to cut as much as you can, as close as you can, and reseed with more clover. This will create enough competition to crowd out anything else.
This article will offer more information on starting a clover lawn: