Weed B Gone Clover, Chickweed and Oxalis killer is very effective at eliminating clover from grass. Two applications two weeks apart should do it.

Well Clover invasion is a symptom of another underlying problem. There are two reasons for Clover outbreaks:

1. 90% of the time it is telling you the nitrogen levels are way too low. Clover is Mother Natures defense mechanism to put nitrogen into the soil.

2. Phosphorous levels are too high, coupled with low nitrogen levels.

Yes, all of the above. And never use Round Up unless you are trying to kill everything. The product tiemco mentioned selects weeds like clover and does not kill the grass.

When were the last two times you fertilized? What did you use?

hmmm...well, this is a little embarrassing, but I don't remember when we last fertilized. We have only a small area of lawn left in the front and the pups have destroyed every bit of lawn in the back (another long story, but plan to rectify that situation in the next year-maybe as early as fall if the mongrel horde continues to calm down).

Thanks for the info on the Weed be Gone,Tiemco. I will get some this weekend.

Texas-weed and dchall, guess we should check levels and/or fertilize. I will research other posts on the forum about that.

Thanks to all three of you for your wisdom. I know gardens, but not lawns! Always figured if it was green, that was good enough, but now the clover flowers are making us the eye-sore of the neighborhood. I like natural but this is ridiculous! I need all the help I can get! :)

If your lawn is at least a mix of Kentucky bluegrass and fescue, the KBG will spread to fill back where the clover dies. If you have no KBG, you will need to reseed in the fall to improve your turf density.

Wait until you are over the spring flush of new growth before fertilizing with chemical fertilizers. Then you can go for it. If you are using organic fertilizer, you can do that any time.

If you are using a chem, you might split the spring app into two and apply them one week apart. The full dose all at once might be harmful to grass not used to the routine.

Hi dchall, I am not sure what we have. When we have overseeded in the past, we used a sun/shade mix or seed for shade. I have a bag of Scott's Winterizer that I bought several years ago, hoping DH would use it, but he never did. Other than that, haven't thought too much about what type of fertilizer to use. I will probably check out the options this weekend. Since all our neighbors have those lawn services to fertilize/kill weeds/etc., they have these lush wonderful lawns. I don't expect that success, but I sure would like some fairly decent-looking grass. :) We had grubs at one point and I got rid of them and reseeded, so we looked good for several years.

Thanks again. I REALLY do appreciate your taking time to help me with this!

Cynthia

I fight clover constantly in my yard. Occasionally I use Weed B Gone Clover, Chickweed and Oxalis killer and try to spray it just on the weeds, and STILL I end up with browned grass and incomplete control of clover. I fertilize regularly, so I don't believe the clover results simply from a dearth of nitrogen. I think it's just stronger than the grass! My main control method is hand pulling.

This whole notion that clover only pops up in low nitrogen soils is a complete myth. Clover's nitrogen fixation ability comes from bacteria in the root nodules, and it takes a while for this symbiotic relationship to form and will only do so if the bacteria is present in the soil, or if the seeds were inoculated prior to planting. Even when it does form, the plant is not releasing nitrogen to the soil like fertilizer. The plant uses or stores most of it, only when the plant dies will the majority of the nitrogen be released. It is one way clover can outcompete plants that can't fix their own nitrogen. The saying is or was "yellow grass and green clover means you need to fertilize", and I think a lot of people somehow twisted that into the myth of clover being an indicator of low nitrogen.

Thanks again Lisah, tiemco, and dchall. I am determined to have the little bit of grass we have looking good by next year!

We have the clover with white flowers and white on the leaves, so I guess ours is Dutch White Clover.

Thanks for the lawn basics, dchall. Yes, I agree that I CAN do this and have a better lawn than the neighbors without chemicals. (cue the cheering section!) I also sent your directions to my son since he has just moved into a new place and wants to seed the very small front yard.

Thanks again, all. I am now going to be following this forum as well as the gardening forums!

This whole notion that clover only pops up in low nitrogen soils is a complete myth.

Not according to all the university studies I have read and the USGA.

Here is a quote from University of Kentucky

The two most important soil fertility factors in growing white clover are pH and phosphorus. Soils should be limed to a target pH of 6.4 for seeding white clover. For late winter or spring seedings, perform soil tests in the fall and apply lime at this time, if needed. Applying lime in the fall will give it time to dissolve and increase the pH before the clover is seeded. Phosphorus and potassium could also be applied in the fall. Soil test levels of these nutrients should be maintained at medium or higher for good white clover growth.

Nitrogen should not be applied on white clover. White clover is able to "fix" nitrogen from the air with the help of bacteria that live in nodules on the plant roots. Fertilizer nitrogen reduces nitrogen fixation and increases competition from grass and weeds. This becomes even more of a problem when seeding white clover into grass pastures. Increased grass competition from added nitrogen can cause failure of white clover seedings.

Source line = http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr93/agr93.htm

Did you even read that Texas-Weed? First of all the article is about establishing clover in a pasture, which is mowed much less often than a lawn, if at all. Also in the article it states that "White clover grows best in moist, fertile, well drained soils." In my book a soil low in nitrogen is not called fertile. In this paragraph, "Nitrogen should not be applied on white clover. White clover is able to "fix" nitrogen from the air with the help of bacteria that live in nodules on the plant roots. Fertilizer nitrogen reduces nitrogen fixation and increases competition from grass and weeds. This becomes even more of a problem when seeding white clover into grass pastures. Increased grass competition from added nitrogen can cause failure of white clover seedings. " It's clear to me that fertilizing with nitrogen in a pasture enviroment will cause the established grasses to grow fast and tall, overshadowing clover seedlings and using most of the water. In a lawn enviroment, shade from the grass isn't too much of an issue if cut at the appropriate height, and if you irrigate water shouldn't be an issue either. I have clover in my lawn, and I can assure you I am not low in nitrogen. If you took to pots of soil, one high in N, the other very low, and planted clover in each, the one higher in N would probably have the better looking clover.

"White clover grows best in moist, fertile, well drained soils." In my book a soil low in nitrogen is not called fertile

Have you ever seen a soil test where nitrogen is NOT depleted. I have not in 35 years of farming.

I stand by my original statements. If people want to believe that the reason they have clover is because their lawns need nitrogen, then so be it.

I'm here to agree with tiemco. I put Scotts Turf Builder on my lawn about six weeks ago. I now have MORE clover than before I fertilized it. And we've gotten a ton of rain over the past month, so I know it's not because the grass is stressed.

I'm getting the clover with the larger white flowers and the clover with the small yellow flowers.

Any suggestions on a yard-wide clover treatment?

Weed B Gone Clover Chickweed and Oxalis killer, applied with a hose end sprayer. Read all directions on the label before applying.

That's what I use, though I mix it in a Round-Up pump spray bottle. It does seem to really stress and maybe kill some of the clover, but it doesn't shrivel up and go away.

I had a ton of clover a few weeks ago. I think it may have been the heavy rains and possible needing fertilizer. My lawn service gave it a heavy dose of fertilizer and possibly weed killer. I have hit each area twice with Weed B Gone and things are looking pretty good today :)

The WBG product tiemco has been talking about does not make plants shrivel up and go away. Instead it acts kind of like a steroid. The plant leaps into a hypergrowth stage and literally burns up all the nutrients it has over a 2-week period. It is really cool to see the effect in dandelions. The plant shoots up a seed head so quickly that the stem curls into a 360 degree loop on the way up. And then the plant dies. Anyway instead of seeing the plant suffer you will see it look particularly healthy for a few days.

I cut my bermuda very low last season and lost it, this year I am mowing fairly high and am now losing my lawn again. I am probably cut my bermuda about 2.5 or 3 inches. should i be cutting it lower. I have plain bermuda not a hybrid .The bermuda is sahara seed I bought from lowes. Planted 2 years ago and have put down high nitrogen .