My soil is very poor and my lawn is all worn and patchy
Poor soil is a problem when trying to grow a grass lawn. Nutrient-poor soil causes grass lawn problems like brown spots, weeds (dandelions like poor soil), grass disease, Leather jackets and the inevitable bare patches.
There are two ways to grow a clover lawn.
I'm going to explain both; Seeding a new Clover lawn and Over-sowing a grass lawn with Clover.
Preparing the area for sowing clover seed
Over-seeding a grass lawn with clover seeds will help improve the existing grass and can be carried out from spring through until September, the warmer and wetter the quicker the seeds will germinate. To germinate clover seed needs soil temperatures to be at least 7-8 °C and must be kept moist.
Before Planting the New Seeds. Make sure to water the soil. This will kick start the process of germination and create an ideal environment for your seeds to grow healthy.
It usually takes between seven to 14 days for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow As the Clover seeds start to grow, water a bit longer, but less frequently. This encourages the roots to go deeper into the soil making them less dependent on watering in the future.