My Spring Gardening Experiment - Microclover Lawn

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

There was an earlier discussion (by Joann & Spud I think) talking about what would be the most dog pee tolerant grass.  In that discussion someone mentioned that clover is suppose to be very tolerant.  That got me thinking and googling clover seed.  I found several sites that talked about microclover and fescue grass seed mixtures.  Microclover is about a third of the size of regular white clover and will not grow higher than the fescue and is a natural fertilizer for grass as it puts nitrogen back in the ground.  According to Outsidepride.com it will grow in North American garden zones 3 - 9.  We live in zone 7.  I thought to myself, "What the hey, let's give it a try.  Anything has to be better than mud pit we have in the back yard now.".


This is what our backyard looked like before seeding with a fescue and microclover mixture (excuse the rocks... we are in the middle of fixing our spill fountain):

In early April we put down the seed mixture. It has sprouted and just about ready for its first mowing.  This is what the backyard looks like now:

You can see the new clover and fescue starting to thicken up.

I will continue to post pictures over the summer to show progress (if any) of what I hope will be my new green, dog tolerant backyard.

[Sharee & "Hope" Peterson]

I also will be following your experiment-my once almost pristine lawn (small as it is) before Hope now, it is a muddy mess with several  holes filled with OREGON rain water here n there.  

But I have to say Hope is still worth it all.   It is just the mud on Hope & having to wash her up every time she goes out? I will be watching this --Group- closely for H.E.L.P.