Should I Get Rid Of Clover In My Lawn
There are several reasons you may want to keep clover in your lawn. Due to its symbiotic relationship with bacteria, clover acts as a natural fertilizer. Clover gets its nitrogen from the air and releases it into the soil. Another benefit? Clover outcompetes other weeds. So instead of something unwanted and unsightly, you could have clover.
Keep The Lawn In Good Health To Keep Clover Out
Keeping Clover out of our lawns, as well as most other weeds and diseases, is overwhelmingly a case of keeping the lawn as healthy as possible, including keeping up Nitrogen levels to the lawn soil.
If you havent already, begin implementing a good quality year-round organic lawn fertilising program.
This should be enough to help keep the lawn in good health and keep Nitrogen levels high enough in the soil that Clover will not take over again.
Apply Sugar And Water
Sugar, any type of cane or raw sugar will do, that is well watered onto the clover will help to kill it and remove it from your lawn.
This will not immediately remove the clover from your yard, but it will kill the roots while it helps strengthen your lawn, so the clover won’t be back next year.
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How To Remove Clover
The most effective method of preventing clover from dominating your lawn is to maintain a dense and healthy lawn. Thick lawns are more easily able to crowd out weeds such as clover and prevent them from taking hold. .
There are also a few strategies you can try to get rid of existing clover in your lawn without using herbicides.
Feed you lawn well
Clover will flourish in lawns which have low nitrogen and fertility levels. Unfertilised grass gives clover an advantage as it can produce its own fertiliser, whereas grass cant. If there is sufficient nitrogen in your soil to keep your lawn healthy, the clover will struggle to survive. Clover will be much less of a problem if you fertilise your lawn with a good organic fertiliser during spring to ensure optimum nitrogen levels. To see Horsham Turfs range of lawn fertilisers, click here.
If youre not sure about your soils nitrogen levels, you can conduct a pH soil test to determine if nitrogen is lacking, or take a soil sample to your local lawn care provider to find out the same thing.
Mow high
It can be tempting to set your mower blades lower than normal to scalp the clover, but this will only stress your grass instead. Low-growing clover with its shallow roots has no problem being mowed short, although your grass wont love it. Mow high and leave your lawn over 3 inches tall, to give your grass the advantage. The longer grass will shade the weed and prevent it from growing.
Remove it by hand
Organic treatment
Best Post Emergent Herbicides
Post-emergent herbicides are the best way to kill clover. Just keep in mind they require a little patience since it could take a couple weeks for the clover to die back.
My 3 go to products for killing clover are:
1.Ortho Weed B Gone Plus Crabgrass Control This is a great product to have on hand because of how easy it is to use. It comes with a battery operated wand so theres no need for a tank sprayer. Its the go to post emergent in my 3 product lawn care plan. It kills clover and other broad leaf weeds as well as some undesirable grasses such as crabgrass.
2.Ortho Weed B Gone Chickweed, Clover, Oxalis Kiler This is another Weed B Gone product that has different active ingredients which are more specific in targeting clover. If clover is your main problem and you dont have many other broad leaf weeds then this product is a great choice. It is sold as a concentrate so will require mixing with a tank sprayer.
3.Tenacity Tenacity is a concentrate that works a little differently then the other post-emergents. Rather then poisoning the plant, it works by blocking photosynthesis. With Tenacity, it might take 7-10 days before you begin to see whitening of the plant. Eventually it will look like your treated weeds are bleached.
Also note that you might see some temporary whitening of the desirable grasses but they will ultimately green back up.
Check out pic below from when I treated my clover using tenacity
10 days later and the clover looked like this
Tenacity Pros:
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Step #3 Mix And Spray Herbicide
To create an herbicide mix, begin by adding half the water called for on the herbicides label to the sprayer. Then add the specified amount of herbicide and mix with a manual or drill-attached paint mixer or by simply shaking the sprayer. Then add a surfactant, if needed of the recommended herbicides in this post, only the Hi-Yield Triclopyr would benefit from one and mix again. Finally add a a helpful addition that reminds you what clover you have sprayed and what you havent and the remaining water and mix a final time.
The lawn can either be sprayed in its entirety a technique called broadcast spraying or specific patches of weeds can be targeted a technique called spot-spraying. Spot spraying is the better and more responsible choice in most situations broadcast spraying should be limited to enormous lawns where spot-spraying is impractical or to lawns with a massive and far-reaching infestation of weeds. Note that herbicide and water ratios may differ depending on whether one is broadcast or spot spraying always refer to the herbicides label for the correct amounts of each.
Should I Remove Clovers From My Garden
While it is important to know how to get rid of white clovers without destroying the lawn, its equally as important to know why. Clovers do have many beneficial properties, so you dont always have to get rid of them if you dont want to.
Did you know that clovers can actually help to fertilize your lawn? Clovers have a symbiotic relationship with the bacteria in the soil. Sometimes, growing clovers can actually help your grass grow and recover.
More so, clovers prevent the spread of harmful weeds. You can also find micro-clover varieties that give you all the benefits of having clovers on your lawn without the unsightly drawbacks.
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What Is A Clover
Clover is a perennial weed that grows aggressively in lawns and yards and is the most recognizable all around the world. It doesn’t grow tall and creates a persistent ground cover. However, it looks like lots of other common weeds.
So how can you know if you’re dealing with clover in your yard?
Unlike other weeds, identifying clover is quite easy. The clover is a bright, lush green plant. It has three small petal-shaped leaves with a white crescent on each half-inch-long leaf.
The clover’s three leaves are so ubiquitous that finding a four-leaf clover is considered good luck and hallmark symbol of St. Patrick’s Day. Statistically, you have one in a 10,000 chance to find a four-leaves clover, though.
Reasons For Clover In Your Lawn
You might be wondering what the reasons are for clovers in your lawn. Or what is causing clover invasion in your lawn. A healthy and well-fertilized lawn doesnt allow weed to grow. If the soil of your lawn is deficient in nutrients, dry and highly acidic soil, youre most likely to invite Clover to get over your lawn.
Lets have a look to learn about some of the causes of Clover in your lawn.
Clover loves acidic soil: A healthy lawn has a pH between 6.0 to 7.0. Too acidic and too alkaline soil promotes weed growth. Similarly, Clover can easily sprout up if your lawn has acidic soil.
Compact soil encourages clover growth: If the soil in your lawn is compacted, the essential nutrients such as nitrogen, oxygen, and water will hardly fulfill the plant requirements. Clover is drought resistant and doesnt need fertilizer to grow. Thats why it can grow well even on the compacted soil.
Poorly fertilized lawn promotes weed invasion: Normally, grass needs fertilizer for healthy growth and maintenance. In the absence of essential soil nutrients, weed invasion becomes easy. Clover plants make their nitrogen fertilizer by getting nitrogen from the air. It is the leading cause that these perennial weeds can grow even in nutrient-deficient soil.
Shorter turf provides an ideal medium for Clover to grow: Clover plants spread horizontally on the ground. If you mow your grass too short, these weeds receive sufficient sunlight to grow. Therefore, mow your lawn higher than 3 inches.
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Turf Builder Triple Action
For a larger problem of clover and other weeds, you may use the stronger solutions in this specific product. Do not forget to follow what the directions say on the label.
Besides dealing with clover, Turf Building Triple Action will also feed the lawn.
Finally, you will have thick green lawns. Compared to the previous product, there are more than three kinds of weeds that you can get rid of with this.
For the grass, it can handle the Tall Fescue, Fine Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Centipedegrass, Bahiagrass, and Bermudagrass.
Burn Clover With Ammonia
If you use ammonia to burn clover, you must do so correctly to ensure it is useful. The best time to apply ammonia to clover is one day after rain. If you dont want to wait for it to rain, you can water your grass and then apply the ammonia the next day.
Dont use household ammonia instead, purchase ammonium sulfate as it is made specifically for lawns. Follow the instructions and apply to clover once a month. Pair the ammonia treatments with proper watering for the best results.
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Use A Diy Natural Remedy
Sometimes a little DIY concoction can come in handy when combating clover. Spraying vinegar mixed with some dish soap can spot-treat clover patches.
Leslie Rutland, who runs the SeasonedHomeMaker.com blog, says she uses a mixture of 30% vinegar, 70% water, and 2 tablespoons horticultural orange oil in a heavy-duty spray bottle, and spot-treats clover in her Central Texas yard.
But heres the key: It should be applied in the heat of the day, above 75 degrees on plants that dont have any dew or rain on their leaves, says Rutland.
Theres also corn gluten meal, which works as a natural preemergent herbicide by inhibiting the seedlings of clover. And it doesnt hurt established grass.
To keep the winter and spring weeds to a minimum, I apply corn gluten as a preemergent in September and February. If the Texas weather is unusually warm and wet, I will reapply after four to six weeks, says Rutland.
Feed Your Lawn Regularly To Control Clover
Controlling any weed is best done by stopping the problem before it starts. Nobody wants to regularly battle weeds in their lawn, and if you are, that is a sure sign of a problem with the way you are caring for your lawn.
Clover thrives in yards that are underfed as the weed makes its fertilizer, as it pulls nitrogen from the air, not the ground. Proper lawn care requires feeding it with the appropriate fertilizer four times a year. These fertilizers provide your lawn with all of the nutrients necessary to grow strong and thick.
You can use commercial or organic fertilizers when fertilizing your lawn, as both produce excellent results. Always follow watering instructions included on each bag of fertilizer for a healthy and happy yard. The thicker your lawn the better, as lush greens crowd out weeds like clover.
After killing clover, if you have large patches of dirt, lay down some grass seeds and cover with a thin layer of mulch. Water the seed regularly to promote new growth. Follow the instructions on the package for fertilizing and mowing.
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Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Clover In Your Lawn
Does your lawn have clover? Do you just detest the sight of it? Believe me, I know how that feels. But while clover may not look so great in your all-green lawn, especially white clover, it has its benefits.
However, if you are looking for how to get rid of clover in your lawn, I have put this guide together to offer you a solution.
How To Kill Clover Without Chemicals
by Alec McClennan, on April 28, 2020
Does your lawn look like the lawn pictured below? Are you seeing a lot of white flowers in your lawn and don’t like the look of them? Maybe you’re concerned about the Clover attracting bees and making it more likely for your kids to get stung? If this is your lawn and you’d like to have more grass and less Clover, keep reading to learn more.
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Should I Remove Clover From My Lawn
You better remove the clover as soon as you see it. It can spread quicker than you imagine by seed and its creeping stems. If the amount of clover in your lawn is minimal, the most appropriate step to take is to remove it by hand. You should loosen the soil to make it easier to remove the entire clover root.
Clover In Lawns: It Was On Purpose
Prior to the 1950s, a standard practice was to add clover seed to lawn-seed blends. Clover effectively competed with other weeds and provided a fairly low-maintenance lawn by providing nitrogen to the grass. Some grass seed blends today continue to include clover seeds.
The suburban, middle class, along with single-family homes with carpets of lawn, grew significantly after World War II. Some of the chemicals developed during the war were now becoming available commercially to homeowners. The first residential herbicides were available in 1945 and was used to kill broadleaf weeds, which includes clover. This made it more convenient to eliminate clover from lawns than promote it.
Although were seeing a trend to again introduce clover to lawns, most homeowners continue to prefer the clover-free, weed-free lawns that have been in vogue for the past seven or eight decades. These folks want to kill clover in their lawn.
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Why Is There So Much Clover In My Lawn
There are multiple reasons you could have clover in your lawn, most of which have to do with your soil condition and soil fertility.
- Wrong Soil pH: The alkaline or acidic soil of the soil is measured by its pH. This is usually between 6.0 and 7.0 for most lawns. If your lawns soil is overly acidic, grass will struggle to grow, while clover and other broadleaf weeds will thrive. Luckily, soil amendments such as lime can help to level the pH and prevent clover growth.
- Poor Nitrogen Levels: Clover is a perennial weed that thrives in low-nitrogen soils. Grass needs nitrogen from the soil to thrive, whereas clover can get its nitrogen from the air and thus its own fertilizer. You may have used too much fast-acting fertilizer, resulting in a nitrogen deficiency in your soil. While they promote quick grass growth, they might ultimately degrade the quality of your soil. You can avoid this by using organic fertilizers like manure or cornmeal.
- Compacted soil prevents your lawn from accessing the nutrients, air, and water it needs. With a core or spike aerator, you can naturally break up compaction in your lawn and help stop clover in your lawn.
How To Get Rid Of Clover Naturally
Manual removal of clover in your lawn can be very difficult. Since its roots are well spread, and the plant is mixed in with large sections of grass, it can be near impossible to segregate the clover from the grass.
If your looking for more effective natural ways to get rid of clover then check out: How to Get Rid Of Clover Naturally
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Why Do You Have So Much Clover In Your Lawn
Clover is a perennial plant that grows aggressively. It thrives wherever it finds a favorable condition. Contrary to common perception, clover is also beneficial to your garden.
For example, the white clover has a broadleaf and grows along with common grass. It can grow in more robust areas such as poorly drained soil or too shady areas where other vegetation may find it challenging to grow.
The other species of clover is red clover that grows taller than white clover and blooms small purple flowers. Clover is a natural fertilizer as it contains bacteria that convert nitrogen into the fertilizer.
This ability of clover to fix nitrogen from the air allows clover to grow in nitrogen-poor soil. While other plants may struggle to grow properly due to low nitrogen in the ground, the clover finds space and less competition to thrive in any harsh environment.
Aggressive growth of clover in your lawn may indicate the nitrogen deficiency in the soil. This deficiency may be due to inherent poor soil quality, use of excessive fertilizers, over-irrigation, or low temperature.
You may find clover growing in lawns that aren’t well kept or undernourished.
Improving the soil quality and nutrient level for your lawn care encourages the other plants to grow and reduces the ability of clover to grow unchecked.
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Advantage #: Low Mower Deck
Another advantage clover has over your grass is that it doesnt mind being mown short. Mowing stresses your lawn, keeping your grass mown short gives clover a head start over and over. Many times on our blog we have recommended that homeowners keep their grass a little longer in order to help the grass stay healthy. Raising the deck on your mower and keeping your grass a little longer evens the playing field, so to speak, and helps your grass get ahead.
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