Ridding Your Lawn of Clover

Though St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, your yard may be covered in a reminder of this widely celebrated holiday. While a four-leaf clover is considered good luck by many, clover is most often found invading your yard as a three-leaf weed or round white and pinkish flowers.

Clover does have its benefits—growing in nitrogen-poor soil and creating a low-maintenance lawn—but many people look for ways to rid themselves of its invasion. If you’re tree trimming and you look down to see a lawn covered in clover, consider these tips as you tackle this potentially pesky weed:

• Keep your lawn fertilized: Like other weeds, clover can be prevented by making sure your soil is rich in nitrogen. As mentioned above, clover can thrive in nitrogen-poor soil. It is able to add nitrogen on its own from the air and soil around it. By using a lawn fertilizer in Newton, MA that is rich in nitrogen, you can improve your lawn’s fertility. This will prevent clover and other weeds from forming and allow your grass to thrive.
• Cut grass at an optimal length: Once that fertilizer helps your grass grow, make sure you aren’t taking any short cuts by lowering the blades on your lawn mower. Instead, aim for keeping your grass around three inches high. The lush, tall grass will keep the sun from reaching the much shorter clover, keeping the clover from growing. Taller grass also has deeper roots, making it harder for clover to take over your lawn.
• Remove clover manually: As soon as you spot clover in your yard, remove it by hand. To successfully remove the clover and its entire root, loosen the soil with your fingers or a spade and gently pull it up, checking to make sure the entire root has come up with it. If the root remains, the clover will come back.
• Deprive of sun and oxygen: If you have a large patch of clover that is too difficult to remove by hand, consider covering it with a sheet or plastic bag. Make sure the sheet or bag is secured tightly around the edges. This will deprive the clover of the sun and oxygen it requires, effectively killing it off in a few weeks. Be careful with this method, though, as it can also damage the surrounding grass—make sure the area is mainly clover to avoid any unwanted side effects.
• Douse with vinegar: Spraying the clover with vinegar will increase its pH, causing it to die off. You can use vinegar on its own or mix a gallon of vinegar with some dish soap. Spray the clover directly, being careful not to get any of the surrounding plant life, as this mixture will also damage other plants and grass.

For assistance in ridding your lawn of clover using lawn fertilizer or any of the other tips above, or for help with tree trimming in Newton, MA, give BBD Tree Service a call. We look forward to helping you achieve a beautiful yard this spring!

Categorised in: Lawn Maintenance

This post was written by Writer