Why Kill Clover In Your Lawn
Coupled with quackgrass, crabgrass, and dandelions, clover rounds out the most common lawn weeds list. If you dont want it in your landscape, its imperative to get rid of it immediately because it is considered highly invasive. It has an aggressive spreading habit that allows a single plant to multiply in size and take over your yard and flower beds quickly.
Use A Weed Killer To Kill Clover
If the clover is spreading rapidly and putting your lawn at risk, using a weed killer or a post emergent herbicide will be effective in killing the clover. These kinds of weed control products generally contain chemicals like Mecoprop, Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and Dicamba which disrupt the growth of the clover, causing its stems to crack and leaves to cup.
While lawn safe weed killers are selective and dont damage the grass around the area of application, they might be harmful to some beneficial lawn insects and garden plants. Therefore, if you are using chemical fertilizers, Eden recommends applying the weed killer to the problem spot directly instead of applying freely.
Reasons Clover Is Taking Over Your Lawn
Across Canada, lawns are being infiltrated by white flowered invaders of the 3-leafed variety, and many homeowners are not happy about this. White clover is a pervasive perennial that will keep coming back every spring if left alone and will choke out your grass plants.You dont need the luck of the Irish to get rid of the clover in your lawn, but you do need to know what conditions allow it to thrive and outperform your grass. Eradicating clover requires time and a lot of patience. Know your enemy! If you want to get rid of the clover, learn how to give your grass the growing edge! The experts at Nutri-Lawn Vancouver can help you create the lawn you want.
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Is White Clover Toxic To Animals
Large hoofed animals, such as the White-Tailed Deer, cattle, horses, sheep, and goats, also graze on the foliage of clovers. However, some wild strains of White Clover can be mildly toxic if it is eaten in quantity by such animals because its foliage contains a glycoside that converts to prussic acid.
Lawn And Turfgrass Weeds: White Clover
It is very prevalent in under-fertilized lawns and grows best in full sun however, it can also colonize turf areas that receive fertilizer and are partially shaded. White clover produces stolons and can creep into thin turf, forming patches. It grows well in spring, summer, and fall, and is most noticeable when flowering during late spring and early summer. Although some homeowners don’t mind having clover in their lawns, others object to its patchy appearance.
Figure 2. Patches of white clover in a home lawn. Photo: Peter Landschoot, Penn State
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What Causes White Clover In Lawns
Dutch clover is an indicator plant for low nitrogen, meaning that if you see it growing in your lawn, it probably means that you dont have enough nitrogen in the soil to support it. Clover is a fast-growing plant that can grow up to 10 feet tall.
Its a good choice for lawns that have a lot of shade, but its also a great choice if your yard is too hot or too cold for other plants to thrive. If youre looking for an easy-to-grow lawn plant, look no further than White Dutch Clover.
What Is The Best Nitrogen Fertilizer For Lawns
The Top 5 Best Lawn Fertilizers Scotts Green Max Fertilizer. If you want easy and quick green grass, then Scotts Green Max is the fertilizer for you. Miracle-Gro Lawn Food. This is one of the most popular lawn fertilizers for a reason. Safer Brand 9333 Ringer Fertilizer. Milorganite 0636 Fertilizer. Scotts Turf Builder.
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Deprive It Of Oxygen And Sunlight
You can kill clover by blocking it from all oxygen and sunlight. Take plastic sheeting or a garbage bag and place it over the patch, securing the corners with rocks to make sure it doesnt fly up. This should get rid of the clover in a few weeks. Be mindful that this approach will also kill any grass that gets under the plastic.
Get Rid Of Clover In Your Lawn Manually
Beyond using products to wipe out clover, you can always manually get rid of it.
#6 Mow Your Lawn High
While this is part of a proper lawn care regime, it is also effective in removing clover from your yard. Clover naturally grows low to the ground with a shallow root system. If you raise the blade height on your mower deck to at least 3 inches tall when mowing and leave it there for a handful of cuttings, the taller turfgrass will block the sun from reaching the low-growing clover. Without sunlight, the clover will die.
#7 Pull the Clover Out By Hand
Pulling plants by hand is a tried-and-true option that stops clover from spreading throughout your yard. As soon as you notice small clumps, loosen the ground around the base of the plant with your fingers or garden spade, and then pull the plant out, making sure to get the entire root system.
If its hard to pull, try watering thoroughly beforehand to help loosen the clover roots.
#8 Deprive It of Oxygen and Sunlight
If you have large patches you need to get rid of, one of the most effective ways to do this naturally is to deprive the entire patch of sunlight and oxygen. Place plastic sheeting or a garbage bag on top of the clover, securing the corners into the ground, so it doesnt blow away. In a few weeks, everything that was once growing in that spot should be smothered out and dead.
#9 Water Your Lawn Properly
#10 Seed Bald Spots
#11 Improve the Soil Fertility
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Does Clover Spread Quickly
Yes. Without a doubt, yes. Once clover is established, it will come back over and over until measures are taken to ensure that it wont. Also, clover is a type of plant that will self-seed. This means they spread their seeds into the soil, instead of spreading their seeds into the wind to see where they end up.
Use Nitrogen On Clover
Because clover thrives in environments void of nitrogen, you can control it with a nitrogen-rich weed-and-feed formula. One well-reviewed product to try is GreenView Weed and Feed. It killed most of the clover and dandelion within two weeks and the lawn is already starting to get that deep, dark green hue, says an Amazon reviewer.
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Control In Vegetable Gardens
Cultural Control: It is best to treat weeds before tilling the soil for a vegetable garden. Tilling can break up and spread weed seed and perennial weed rhizomes throughout the garden plot. Some methods used to remove weeds in the vegetable garden include hand pulling, mulching, soil solarization, fall cover crops, and post-emergent herbicides.
Hand-pulling white clover is only practical for small garden plots. If hand pulling is chosen, be sure to work when the soil is moist so that the roots can be removed easily from the soil.
Organic mulch can be used in the garden to help suppress white clover development. Before laying the mulch, apply a layer of 6 to 8 newspaper sheets to act as a weed barrier. Wet the newspaper layer to prevent weed development by blocking light to the weeds underneath and preventing their growth. Best of all, the newspaper should decompose before next spring. To prevent low oxygen levels in the root zone, keep organic mulch levels at a maximum of 3-inches deep. If triclopyr, atrazine, metsulfuron, or 2,4-D containing products are applied to lawns for weed control, do not use the clippings for mulch in vegetable gardens or around ornamentals, as plant injury or death may result. For more information on mulching the vegetable garden, see HGIC 1253, ControllingWeeds by Cultivating and Mulching. For information on fall cover crops to suppress white clover, see HGIC 1252, Cover Crops.
Why You May Want To Keep Clover In Your Lawn
You may not like the look of clover, but it can actually benefit your lawn.
- Natural Fertilizer: Clovers symbiotic relationship with beneficial bacteria allows it to absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere. Ultimately, it can make your lawn greener and more lush. However, this will keep it growing and outcompeting your grass.
- Weed Prevention: Mowing your lawn high will prevent weeds from growing, including clover. But if you like short, neat grass thats under 3 inches, letting clover flourish is a solid option. Clovers leaves cast shade over the soil, making it hard for other weeds to take root and grow and compete with your grass.
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How To Kill Clover
1. Post-emergent, lawn safe herbicides are the most effective way to kill clover. Using a liquid post emergent herbicide will kill the clover without killing your grass. Post emergent herbicides are also useful in killing other lawn weeds.
2. Pre-emergent herbicides are effective in preventing new clover seedlings from developing but it is important to realize it will not kill existing clover.
Pre-emergents prevent new clover seeds from germinating. If you already have clover in your lawn you will need to use a post-emergent herbicide in addition to a pre-emergent.
Pre-emergent herbicides are also the key to preventing other lawn weeds such as crabgrass, and dandelionsfrom taking over.
3. Maintaining a healthy lawn is the best defense against clover, or any lawn weeds. When you have bare spots in your lawn, it is the weeds that will claim the real estate. Stick to a simple lawn care program to keep your existing turf lush.
How To Get Rid Of Clover In Your Lawn Safely
Clover, with its nitrogen pulling ability, is hugely beneficial for your lawn. However, when it invades turf grasses, it spreads rampantly and chokes out the desirable grass due to its extensive root system. Additionally, clover flowers also attract pollinators like bees, which can be a problem for those with bee sting allergies.
While you can prevent clover infestation by mowing high, using a slow-release fertilizer, and addressing soil compaction issues, infestation may still be inevitable. In case clover weeds take over your lawn, the safest ways to remove them include manually uprooting the clover, using vinegar, water, and dish soap mixture, or to increase nitrogen content in the soil.
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How Can You Identify Clover In Your Lawn
Clover is a type of broadleaf weed that can commonly be found in lawns. Clover has small, round leaves arranged in threes along the stem. The clover flowers are white or pale pink and bloom in clusters. Clover is a relatively low-growing plant, so it cannot be easy to spot among taller grasses.
Clover is often considered a weed because it can crowd grasses and other desirable plants on your lawn. However, some people prefer clover on their lawns because it is a low-maintenance plant that does not need to be mowed as often as grass. Clover is also drought-tolerant and can stay green even during periods of drought.
Kill The Clover Organically
There is a great organic weed killer on the market that kills weeds in your lawn, without killing the grass. If you spray this organic weed killer on Clover, it will weaken the Clover without harming the surrounding lawn, giving your grass the advantage it needs to outcompete the Clover. Weed Beater Fe is the name of the product and weâve had great success using it to eliminate Clover and help grass thrive.
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Pull Clover Out By Hand
When you notice clovers springing up in small areas of your lawn, the best way to get rid of them is to do so by pulling the clover out with your hand. Make sure that you rip them out from the roots as clover propagates through stolons, that is through root connections in the soil.
You will need to use a spade or a weed knife to loosen the soil before you pull out the weed to ensure the root does not break and comes out completely. Loosening the soil will also allow you to spot any other hidden roots.
Spray A Vinegar Solution
Create your own non-toxic weed killer with this natural home remedy.
- Mix one cup of vinegar with a cup of water and one drop of dish soap.
- Shake it up and spray it onto any patches of clover. The vinegar will dry out the clovers leaves, and the dish soap will make sure it sticks.
- You may need to spray over a series of weeks to kill off the clover completely. Unfortunately, the vinegar can damage grass, so spray the solution carefully.
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S To Getting Rid Of Clover Manually
If you want to manually remove clover from your yard permanently, it will be necessary for you to remove the entire root system of the weed as well as the weed itself. You can do this with a spade or with your hands. Carefully loosen the soil all around the plant, and then pull the plant, along with its roots, out of the ground. You will want to make sure you get all the roots otherwise, the plant will just grow back. While this root removal can be a tedious and time-consuming task, when done correctly, it is a surefire way to reduce clover once and for all.
Another way to manually remove clover is to kill it by cutting off its access to sunlight and air. This could be done by covering the clover patch with a dark-colored trash bag or another type of plastic sheeting. Secure its edges to keep it in place. Make sure you havent covered any of your grass in the process, or it will be damaged or killed as well. In a few weeks, your clover problem will be solved.
You can also use a DIY mixture to spot treat the clumps of clover in your yard. Combine vinegar with a little dish soap and pour the concoction into a spray bottle. Spray directly onto the clover. Again, you will want to take care not to involve nearby grass or other plants in this treatment, or they will be destroyed along with the clover.
Use Corn Gluten On Clover
Another way to get rid of clover is to use corn gluten. Corn meal gluten kills off the clover without harming nearby plants. It works by releasing organic dipeptides into the soil. The dipedtides dry out the clovers seeds and make it hard for them to sprout. This well-reviewed product can be used by mixing three parts water to one part corn gluten. One liter of this mixture will cover about 1,000 square feet. Once applied, be sure to water well and then allow it to dry.
Note: While the dipedtides have worked to get rid of clover for some, corn gluten hasnt worked for all, and is therefore not universally regarded as a solution for dealing with clover.
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How To Control Clover
There are various further measures you can enact to control and prevent a clover lawn. These include:
How Do I Identify Clovers In My Yard
Clover is a legume that made its way to North America in the latter part of the 17th century and its origins can be traced back to Europe. Eden brings the three most common types of clover and their distinguishing characteristics to help you identify them.
- White clover : White clover is the most common clover species found in lawns. It is a perennial, low growing and hardy clover species that spreads really quickly through stolons.
- Red clover : Red clover can thrive in both dry or moist conditions. This type is bushier and taller than white clover and you can identify rec clover by the florets whose color ranges from red to magenta.
- Strawberry clover : The growing patterns of strawberry clover are similar to white clover, the difference being that strawberry clover can thrive in coastal areas or near river estuaries as it has a higher salinity tolerance. You can identify strawberry clover by its pink and white florets that are smaller than those of white clover.
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For Warm Season Grasses:
1. Celsius WG Celsius WG is a great all around liquid post emergent that kills a large number of broadleaf weeds as well as grassy weeds. It does a great job killing a variety of clovers. Best of all this is safe to use in most warm season grass types such as Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Centipede.
2. Image Southern Lawn Weed Killer This is another great all around post emergent herbicide that kills a number of broadleaf weeds, including clover. This is actually the go to post emergent I recommend in my lawn care program for warm season grass. Even though the front label says its safe on St. Augustine and Centipede, if you look at the back it says its also good for Bermuda, Zoysia, and Bahia.
