How to get rid of clover in lawn

Finding a four leaf clover might bring good luck, but having a lawn full of it might leave you feeling less than lucky. What some people love about clover is exactly what others hate, and unfortunately, the fast growing three-leafed legume can quickly overtake a yard.

At Jim’s Mowing, our customers have a wide variety of visions of ‘the perfect lawn’, and if yours doesn’t include clover, then here is how to stop it from growing in your yard. 

Is Clover Bad for Lawns?

Clover isn’t technically bad for your lawn, but its presence is generally a good indicator that your soil is in need of attention. Clover thrives in low-nitrogen soils, and since nitrogen is needed in pretty high amounts by flowers and plants, getting clover-confirmation of nitrogen deficiency is a bad sign for keen gardeners.

If, on the other hand, you prefer a more natural, less groomed garden to support your local environment, clover can be quite good. This is because the leaf attracts beneficial insects and gives them a welcoming environment to do their work in. While this is great for the environment and may suit some homeowners, others, including those with pets and children, don’t necessarily want to invite bees and other insects to stay. If you fall into this category, then getting clover under control is a must!

Removing Clover from Your Lawn

If you’re worried about your yard and wondering what will kill clover but not grass, you’ll be happy to hear that there are a number of ways to manage clover while improving the overall health of your lawn.

Pre-emergent treatment

One way to stop clover in its tracks is to tend to it before it begins to emerge, and pre-emergent herbicide is the way to do this. Double check what grass species is on your lawn and make sure you choose a herbicide that is safe to use on it. Pre-emergent herbicides are the most effective when applied in early spring and autumn, as clover seeds start to germinate as soon as the temperatures drop and continue to stem throughout the winter.

Corn gluten meal is a natural alternative to pre-emergent herbicides. A by-product of the corn milling process, the grain releases peptides into soil that dry out clover seeds, making it harder for them to germinate, grow, and spread.

Manual removal

If the clover isn’t too widespread, you can simply try pulling the clover out of the ground – sometimes removing clover manually will be enough to stop it from returning if you can pull up the entire root. The key is catching the plant before the flowers open up fully. Once the clover is flowering, it’ll be much harder to eradicate by simply pulling it out, as seeds will spread from the flower itself.

To manually remove clover in your lawn, use a shovel or trowel to loosen the soil, and then gently but firmly remove the plant. Carefully comb through the soil to ensure all roots have been removed. Make sure to dispose of the clover properly in a bin, as if left on the lawn, it can easily regrow. While it may seem suitable for your compost bin, disposing of clover here can cause it to spread further throughout your garden as the compost is used. Instead, place the pulled clover into your green bin.

Vinegar treatment

Did you know that you can use vinegar to get rid of clover? If you’ve already got a nice lawn and you’re simply looking for a way to remove the clover, then spot treating it with white vinegar might do the trick. Simply pour small amounts of white vinegar onto the leaves and stems of the clover, then wash it away with water. This works as the acetic acid in the vinegar changes the pH balance of the soil, which in turn makes it difficult for clover to survive. White vinegar can be an effective way to get rid of clover in lawns without damaging the grass itself.

Fertiliser

As we mentioned before, clover loves soils with low nitrogen content, so it makes sense that increasing the amount of nitrogen in your soil will discourage clover growth. NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) lawn fertilisers are the most common, and come in varying strengths. Applying a product with a higher nitrogen concentration and boosting that nutrient will naturally inhibit clover in your garden. If you can get your hands on some quick-release nitrogen fertiliser, this will be great for stopping clover from growing in your grass.

How will I know when my lawn is clear of clover?

While there’s no real way to be 100 percent sure your lawn is free of clover without testing soil samples, there are a few simple ways to work out if your lawn is clover-free. These include looking for:

• New weed growth in your lawn and in any areas where clover was previously growing. If your lawn is free of clover, you shouldn’t see any new growth on your grass.
• Browning or yellowing of the grass in areas or patches where clover was present. If this begins to occur, it might indicate that the clover is returning.
• New growth of clover in the spring and early summer months, as this is when it tends to grow the quickest. If you spot any new patches of clover, be sure to remove them before they begin to flower.

Professional Lawn Mowing

A simple way to keep clover at bay in your lawn is to keep it well-maintained and mowed high. When you do this, you allow grass to grow higher than the clover, eventually cutting off its access to sunlight and stopping it from spreading so prolifically. With our lawn mowing services, you can have a Jim’s Mowing professional tend to your lawn and help get it looking picture-perfect in no time.

Contact Jim’s Mowing today to speak to one of our friendly garden experts. We can lend a helping hand with whatever you need, whether it’s mowing, pruning, or any of our extensive range of services.