So Over Clover These Strategies Might Help
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Q: How do I control clover in my lawn?
A: Seems that we have had many more questions than normal on how to deal with clover in the lawn this year. Although, clover is a cool-season weed it has still been noticeable in the lawn well into summer.
Clover actually is a popular plant for cover crops in gardens and in erosion control, however it can be a challenge in the lawn because it has creeping stems that produce roots and shoots along the stem, helping the plant to take hold and spread.
Jessica Strickland
How To Prevent Clover From Coming Back
Once youve removed all signs of clover, the best way to prevent it from coming back is to maintain a proper moisture level in your lawn. Water your lawn deeply once or twice a week, and only when the lawn shows signs of dryness. Soaked grass makes a proper environment for seed germination, while very dry conditions stress grass out, which also encourages weed issues.
What Do Clovers In Our Lawns Indicate
The presence of Clover in lawns can be an indicator of low Nitrogen levels in the soil.
Clover requires soil with LOW Nitrogen levels because this plant can pull its Nitrogen requirement from the air.
Lawns love Nitrogen in the soil, and thats why its so important to feed our lawns with Nitrogen in the form of Organic Lawn Fertilisers, Standard Lawn Fertilisers, or by leaving the clippings on the lawn after mowing.
As soon as lawn soils begin to lack Nitrogen the lawn will become in poor health. And a lawn in poor health will be highly prone to other weeds, pests, and diseases, and will not have the necessary strength to fight off these infestations naturally by itself.
When we remember the important basic principle of prevention being better than the cure in Organic Lawn Care, we see the importance of keeping our lawns in optimum health so they dont suffer problems that may later require chemical treatments. So, lets get our lawn back to good health, and keep it there.
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Best Time To Spray Clover In The Kansas City Area
The best time to white clover is before the temperature reaches the upper 80s. Retail products Clint Baxter, owner and operator of Green Seasons, recommends is a herbicide called Turflon Ester Ultra. It is most effective on clover during the warmer months. For cooler months Client recommends PBI Gordons Speedzone or Fertilomes Weed Free Zone. Like the Turflon Ester Ultra, these are more likely to be found in the specialty garden centers.
When in doubt dont hesitate to contact us and set up a professional evaluation for your lawns specific needs.
No Chemicals No Clover
With the above tips, you can rid your lawn of unsightly clover without resorting to potentially dangerous chemicals. Sure, these natural weed killing methods may take more time and effort than a chemical-filled herbicide, but they also pose little to no danger to animals and children playing in your yard.
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Killing With Home Vinegar
The home vinegar is also useful to kill white clovers. For this purpose, you should take a bottle of vinegar and mix it in 1 liter of water which means you should mix one bottle in 1 liter of water.
After this shake, it properly un till it mix exactly and then spread or sprinkle it on the clovers.
The sprinkling of vinegar is helpful in killing the clovers and mushrooms also. The vinegar damaged the growth of clover roots that why the clover growth stops and he eliminates it from the yard.
You should apply this method 2/4 times in a month and you get rid of clovers.
How To Treat Bur Clover In Your Lawn
I have had many calls this late winter on clover infestations in home lawns. Please remember, folks, that your lawn turf is still dormant and will not begin to actively grow until soil temperatures reach 70-75 degrees, and it may be quite some time before we reach those temperatures.
When your turf is not actively growing and your soil isnt as fertile as it could be, this combination creates a great medium for a weed infestation.
I ran across a great article written by a Galveston County Master Gardener that highlights bur clover biology, management and control in the home lawn. The bulk of the publication is printed below.
A common clover-type plant that grows in this area and is quite invasive is known as bur clover. Even though it is not a true clover, two species identified in this area are commonly known as large bur clover and small bur clover . Both species are dicots in the legume family and are closely related to the true clovers.
Large bur clover and small bur clover are native to Europe but brought to the States as grazing material for cattle.
Large bur clover can grow from 6-22 inches and has flower clusters consisting of 3-5 flowers, blooming in early spring.
Small bur clover can grow from 6-18 inches long with 10 or more flowers displayed per head .
In this region, bur clovers blooming period is from February – June, but it can grow year-round.
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The Soil Ph Levels In Your Soil Are Wrong
Clover can thrive in soil conditions that are unsuitable for grass. Grass does not do well in pH levels that are too low or too high, but clover does well in almost any pH level. The more acidic your soil is the harder it is for your grass to grow and much easier for clover. Luckily, you can use soil amendments like lime to balance out the pH.
Whats Causing Clover In My Lawn
There are multiple reasons you could have clover sprouting up in your lawn, most of which have to do with your soil.
- Wrong Soil pH: The ideal soil pHhow alkaline or acidic the soil isfor most lawns is between 6.0 and 7.0. If your lawns soil is too acidic, it will be harder for grass to grow, and much easier for clover. Luckily, you can use soil amendments like lime to balance out the pH.
- Poor Nitrogen Levels: Clover thrives in soil with poor nitrogen levels. Grass needs nitrogen in the soil to grow well, while clover can obtain the nitrogen it needs from the air, effectively making its own fertilizer. Your soil may be low in nitrogen because youve used too much fast-acting fertilizer. While they promote rapid grass growth, they can ultimately lower your soil quality. Switching to organic fertilizer like manure or corn meal can help you avoid this.
- Compacted soil: Compacted soil prevents your grass from getting the nutrientsincluding nitrogenair, and water it needs. Luckily, you can break up compaction with a core or spike aerator.
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Use Clover Killer And Organic Herbicide
These below are the best valuable artificial clover killers that help you to remove clovers from the lawn. The best thing about these items is that they are grass protected which means it only works for clovers killing not grass damaging.
- Ortho Nustedge clover killer
The ortho Nustedge is the best spray to remove all types of clover and oxalis from your lawn. Because it consists of an amazing 32 Ounce power and amazing yellow purple Nustedge killer.
It has 2 in 1 quality means 2 items in one price that helps to remove clover and weeds also.
The Nustedge is the best choice for northern and southern yard grasses because this removes clovers on such a climate very fast as compared to other areas.
The weed B gon is also good functionality of killing creeping charlie and wild violet. This acts fast to remove creeping Charlies roots and damaged their soil fertility as well. So this is 2 in 1 spray that helps you to remove your lawn clovers excellently.
- Ortho B weed BGon
This is our second Otho weed clovers killer choice with good results. It has amazing oxalis killer qualities with 16 OZ. This is available on many options.
The main advantage of this it kills weeds to the roots. It also kills creeping charlie and wild violet. The ingredients of this are access to roots and kill the clovers root family which helps to stop his growth.
- Bonide BONE61
- Nataria Herbacide weed killer
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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Do Natural Methods Work For Killing Clover
While there are many natural herbicides on the market that are quite effective they are all non-selective. This means they will kill clover, other weeds, and any desirable grasses as well. Using these to kill small patches of clover might be okay in a warm season yard meaning one planted to bermuda, centipede, zoysia, St. Augustine or bahiagrass as these grasses will quickly spread and fill in any dead spots, but in a cool season yard meaning one planted to bluegrass, fescue or rye using them will likely require reseeding any areas that were sprayed.
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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Reasons For Killing Clover
With so much going for it, you may wonder why some homeowners consider clover a weed. But they do, and here are some of the reasons they would give:
- Lawn purists often crave uniformity in a lawn. They feel that a lawn should be composed of nothing but grass, giving it a clean, even look.
- Clover puts out a flower that attracts bees. If you have small children playing on the lawn, this can be an unpleasant experience for them.
- Likewise, due to the fact that clover attracts bees, adults may wish to kill it if they are active on their lawns during the summertime.
- If you will be putting your property on the real estate market soon, you should be tailoring your landscaping to what the average buyer wants. Most people prefer the look of a lawn with no weeds, including clover weeds.
However, there is a way to deal with the concern over bee stings without killing your clover. To be on the safe side, simply make sure to mow during the blooming season for clover .
Benefits Of Clover In The Lawn
You may consider leaving your clover alone! Only recently, when herbicides became popular, has clover come to be considered a weed. In fact, lawn seed mixes used to deliberately include clover something that some seed providers are now starting to do again due to its potential benefits.
Clover takes nitrogen out of the air and soil and makes it available to your lawn, helping it to grow healthier and more pest-resistant, and reduces the amount of fertilizer required. It also requires less frequent mowing, attracts honeybees and other pollinators , and breaks up compacted soil. The one drawback to including clover in your lawn is that it doesnt stand up to heavy foot traffic quite as well as lawn grass.
So, perhaps its time to reconsider what a healthy lawn should look like! Maybe youd be happy with a lovely swath of green with beautiful white clover flowers throughout.
If not, give us a call at to see how we can remove clover from your lawn or contact us online.
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How To Plant Clover In An Existing Lawn
This article was co-authored by Benjamin Hansen and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden. Benjamin Hansen is a Landscape Contractor and the Owner of Artscape Gardens, a boutique landscaping company in Los Angeles, California. With over 12 years of experience, Benjamin specializes in transforming properties into aesthetic, functional, and drought-tolerant oases. Benjamin uses color scheme, dimension, and water conscious spaces to inspire the design and installation of soft scape, hardscape, patios, pathways, irrigation, drainage, fencing, concrete, lighting, and electrical work. Artscape Gardens covers all areas of the C-27 landscape contractor classification.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 1,115 times.
Clover is affordable, easy to maintain, and , its great for pollinators! Adding clover to your lawn is a great way to cut down on maintenance, and its also a reliable source of food for any grazing livestock. In this article, well tell you how to prepare your lawn and the best way to plant clover for a lush, green lawn in no time.
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.
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Treat The Whole Lawn With A Selective Weedkiller Concentrate
If Clover is running amock in your lawn along with other weeds like Dandelions and Daisies, then spot treatment isnt the best idea.
Instead, youll need to treat the whole lawn with a selective weedkiller concentrate like Scotts Weedol Lawn Weedkiller Concentrate. Again, this is your best option for killing Clover, as well as other weeds.
Its is designed to be mixed with water and applied using a watering can or knapsack sprayer.
When using weedkiller concentrates, however, you need to read the instructions carefully and dilute it accurately. Make it too strong and you risk killing the grass but diluting it too much could result in the weeds not dying.
Your Lawn Lacks Essential Nutrients
Other plants in your lawn need essential nutrients such as nitrogen, but clover will grow in nitrogen-deficient soil. If you find an excessive amount of clover growing, it is an indication that your soil is love on nitrogen. The best way to improve your lawns nitrogen levels is to add fertilizers to improve the conditions. If you are not sure about your lawns nutrient levels call the professionals at Green Seasons to help with your lawn fertilization needs.
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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.
