Do clover lawns have actual pros? Here’s what a California expert thinks of the trend

Swapping out grass lawns for water-saving alternatives has become the new normal.

But instead trading of your lawn for turf have you ever considered clover?

The idea has gained momentum online. A quick search on TikTok with the hashtag clover lawns has 14.7 million views. People have also taken to Reddit to ask if it’s worth making the switch over to clover.

Masterclass, an online education system, has also designated a class giving green thumb enthusiasts a play-by-play to starting their very own clover lawn.

We spoke with Lance Eicher, a Sacramento city water conservation specialist, to understand some of the benefits and drawbacks of making the switch to clover:

Benefits

It’s low maintenance

The weekly work that a traditional lawn requires isn’t necessary with clover. “Which from a sustainability perspective is great,” Eicher said. “You don’t have the two-cycle engines or lawn mowers and edgers and leaf blowers and all this stuff.”

Huge pollinator

Clover is a tremendous pollinator. Which, depending who you ask, can be a good or bad thing.

Kurapia is also a popular lawn alternative, Eicher said. It looks very similar to clover, but doesn’t attract too many bees.

You’ll water significantly less

There’s a lot that goes into achieving proper clover lawns, like soil type and irrigation systems, Eicher said. However, if done right, you can save a significant amount of money on watering.

“Clover or crop Kurapia alternative is going to require 25% of the water that you would typically need for a turf lawn area,” Eicher said.

Drawbacks

Bee attraction

Clover being a huge pollinator is a big pro environmentally, but if homeowners have children or pets it may not be the best option.

“If you’re trying to make an area for children to play, this is not a good alternative for small children and pets,” Eicher said.

Aesthetics

If you’re someone who wants to switch over to a clover lawn solely because it would look good, think again.

“Keep in mind that it’s not good for high traffic areas,” Eicher said. “It’s not the type of product that you would want to use to replace a terrarium for children to play in or for a dog that’s going to be active in a backyard, because they’re going to damage it.”

“It’s going to get damaged and it won’t hold up to that that kind of traffic.”