White clover is one of the most common weeds in all the lawns in the United States especially where cool season grass is grown because in the 1940′s and 50′s they put clover seed mixed in with Kentucky bluegrass. I have no idea why they did this, but it caused the weed to spread like wildfire across the country. Clover generally shows up in areas that are nitrogen deficient. If you fail to fertilize your lawn, then you are more likely to get clover in the spring and fall months. Clover is a perennial weed which means that if you don’t address it you could end up with the weed indefinitely or a minimum of several years. It is also known as a broadleaf weed which means that it doesn’t look or act anything like real grass. It loves to live in moist and phosphorous-laden soils as well so make sure to water infrequently and deep. Clover is pretty dad-gum difficult to get rid of because it spreads by an extensive root system that stretches above and below the soils surface. It also spreads through seed as evidenced by the mid-century blunder.
Let’s explore how to kill clover in lawn and landscapes. Your best line of defense against clover is to practice good lawn care methods throughout the year. That means that you will need to make sure that you fertilize at least three times a year, water your lawn correctly (deep and infrequent), and make sure to mow your grass at the correct height to avoid scalping. If you already have these weeds present in your landscape, then you will need to implement some kind of control. You can obviously simply pick the weeds from the grass, but this is the most labor intensive solution. There are also postemergence herbicides that can kill clover. If any clover comes back after treatment, you can always spot treat it.
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