Step 2
Add clover and other grasses.
If you’re lucky, you already have some clover in your lawn. If not, it’s easy to add it by overseeding, or planting on top of what’s already there. In spring or autumn, rough up the surface of the lawn with a metal garden rake. Mix the clover seed with sand or finely screened compost to ensure even distribution. Sow two ounces of clover seed per 1,000 square feet for a moderate clover cover, or up to eight ounces if you want the clover to dominate the turf. After sowing, water your lawn deeply and keep the soil surface moist until the clover germinates. The result will be a soft, cushy, deep-green lawn that stays lush through spring, summer, and fall.
If you can’t give up the idea of an all-grass lawn, you can still go organic without clover. Use the same overseeding technique to introduce a low-maintenance turfgrass, such as hard fescue or sheep fescue, to your Northern Lawn. In the South, try buffalograss or blue grama-grass. If you’re starting over, consider an ecology-lawn mix that incorporates turf-type fescue with flowering plants, such as English daisy and yarrow. More than a lawn but less than a meadow, an ecology-lawn mixture can be mowed and used like turf.
ref: Warren Schultz
