Clover

[Mike]

Hello,

Anyone know how to get rid of lots of clover from a lawn?

Also, has anyone used these books that have these home remedies for great lawns? I've heard of using soap, etc.

Thanks. Mike

[G Henslee]

Sheep.

[Doug Kanter]

Slow down with the weird remedies. I've read in multiple agricultural sources that clover indicates either a nutrient imbalance or a problem with pH. Both are easy to deal with, without using any sort of chemical nonsense (other than lime and/or the right lawn food). Where are you located? And, what's so bad about clover?

[Steveo]

Weed b gone liquid, 1.5 ounces per gallon of water. Don't do it if it's above 82-88 degrees, or if it's gonna rain within 12-24 hours.

[Stubby]

Bonide Broadleaf weed killer

[Mike]

We are in north NJ. The front lawn is zoysia grass and clover just doesn't fit in with the look we would like. I have limed and fertilized it but still got the clover all over. :) How do you figure out the nutrient/pH imbalance and what do to?

[Rolling Thunder]

snip

Check your PH value. It is likely acid based which lime will correct and also minimize the clover.

Thunder

>

[Doug Kanter]

First, I'd find your cooperative extension on the web. I spotted it once. It's part of Rutgers, if I recall, and I seem to remember that they provide soil analysis services for homeowners. Then, speak to someone about how to adjust in order to deal with clover. It's been years since a had a printed article about it, so I can't help you with more details. But, it's definitely do-able. In any case, you have to do a soil analysis before you keep throwing random nutrients at it.

[Doug Kanter]

And, if that's the answer, he won't see fast results. It'll take a season, at least.

[Suzy O]

It's neither a nutrient nor a pH imbalance. Somehow clover got in with your lawn grasses -- sometimes people plant it cuz they want it there. Apparently you don't. Use a broadleaf herbicide when the weather is on the cool side (50's or 60's) for it to be most effective.

Suzy, zone 5, Milwaukee

[trader4]

"Slow down with the weird remedies. I've read in multiple agricultural sources that clover indicates either a nutrient imbalance or a problem with pH. Both are easy to deal with, without using any sort of chemical nonsense (other than lime and/or the right lawn food). Where are you located? And, what's so bad about clover? "

Another fine example that demostrates Doug's ignorance about lawn care. He thinks any lawn problem can be easily solved without using chemicals. In fact, clover grows quite nicely in exactly the same soil nutrient conditions and PH ranges that lawn grasses do. You can fiddle with nutrients and PH till the cows come home and the clover will still be there.

Clover is actually beneficial to the lawn, as clover puts nitrogen into the soil. However if you don't like the look, you can fix it quite simply with an application of any of the broadleaf weed killers. It should not be done in very hot weather though.

[Doug Kanter]

And be sure to keep kids off the lawn for a couple of months.

[Doug Kanter]

Just be sure to keep the kids off the lawn for a couple of months.

[Suzy O]

Months? The typical broadleaf herbicide contains three ingredients: dicamba, MCPP and 2,4-D. All the sources I've seen report that it's safe to enter a treated area after the product has dried. If you have other information, please correct me.

I should add, however, that I am not a proponent of any pesticides, especially as a first line of defense. I did try to suggest that it's not necessarily undesirable. But I probably should have explained why, as clover (like many legumes) fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, meaning you can cut way back on fertilizer.

The OP, however, asked how to get rid of the clover. So what do you suggest as an alternative? I'm all ears!! Sincerely.

Suzy O

[Doug Kanter]

Suzy, since these things cannot be properly tested for safety, I'd be interested in knowing who all your sources were. Seriously. I'm genuinely interested.

I don't have an alternative. I was just telling you to be careful about using your lawn for a period of time. Admittedly, the period of time I suggested was a random choice, but absent any testing method you can trust, hey....sometimes you have to guess.

[Stubby]

Type "2,4-D" to Google. The first thing it found was

[Doug Kanter]

harmful to health is to feed it to the population in question, within the limits of a controlled study, as is done with new medicines. So, these products cannot be tested. Sorry.

[trader4]

"Good site. But, the only way to reliably determine whether ANY substance is harmful to health is to feed it to the population in question, within the limits of a controlled study, as is done with new medicines. "

Yes, I'm sure a lot of people have been used in controlled studies and fed things like the plastics that are used for food containers, aluminum foil, carpet cleaner, lysol, room deodorizer, fantasik spray cleaner, soaps used for washing dishes..... Get the idea?

[Doug Kanter]

None of the products you just mentioned are designed to kill things.

Meanwhile: Here's the source of the toxicology data for the chemicals at that web site. Do I need to explain the significance of this information, or can you extrapolate on your own?

INDUSTRY TASK FORCE II ON 2,4-D RESEARCH DATA B-26 Cedar Point Villas Swansboro, NC 28584 Information Line: U.S. and Canada [phone] FAX [phone]

[trader4]

Yes, I'm sure a lot of people have been used in controlled studies and

"None of the products you just mentioned are designed to kill things. "

Last time I checked, Lysol contains chemicals specifically designed to kill germs on contact. So do many of the new soaps used for cleaning dishes. Any of those been put through tests where humans eat them? Doooh, there goes that argument! And since when does not being specifically designed to kill things mean that something is automatically safe? I don't think gasoline was designed to kill things either, but I wouldn't drink it.