A patch of clover in my backyard shrank by half after I switched to a no-mow May this year.

I always thought leaving the grass long would make more clover, but it actually crowded it out, now I'm wondering if I should just let the dandelions take over for better bee food, has anyone else seen their clover patches shift like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

willow_morgan1mo ago

Last year my clover patch got so sad and thin after a bad mow that I actually counted the surviving plants... 17. That's it. Seventeen tiny clovers holding on for dear life while the dandelions just laughed and took over everything. I figure if the bees are happy either way, maybe I should just lean into the dandelion circus and stop fighting it. Let the clover do its thing wherever it wants, you know?

riley_west1mo ago

My clover count got so low I started naming them, and then accidentally mowed over Steve.

oscarw831mo agoTop Commenter

The 17 survivors thing hits close to home - I had exactly 12 clovers left after a brutal mow last spring and started marking them with little flags so I'd know where they were. What helped me was overseeding with white clover seed in the fall when the grass was dormant, gave them a chance to root without competition. Also raising my mower deck to the highest setting changed everything, those little guys can handle a trim but NOT a scalping.