If you see
a little white flower with four leaves in your lawn, it doesn’t necessarily
mean you have found a lucky charm – it means you have clover. In fact, customers often call in and refer to
“clover with yellow flowers”. Actually,
they are referring to an entirely different weed, known as oxalis or yellow woodsorell.
Both are perennial
weeds which grow easily in lawns from Elkins Park to Phoenixville and are
common throughout Pennsylvania. It became so widely found because grass mixes
in the 1940s and 1950s commonly included a dose of clover and it stuck around.
Clover
attracts bees because of the nectar in the flower and anyone who has experienced
a bee sting on the bottom of their foot knows it isn’t a pleasant experience. Clover
also reduces the uniformity of the grass because its texture, color, and growth
rate are different from that of grasses.
The most
commonly encountered form of clover is white clover. It is a shallow-rooted
weed that grows easily in overly moist areas of your lawn as well as areas that
are nitrogen depleted. It is also a weed
that actually competes with the existing turf and works to smother your
desirable grass if left untreated.
In some
cases, Weed Man rotates in a specific product that
specially targets clover and oxalis as well as other tough weeds, such as wild
violets and ground ivy.
Clover Management Tips
·
A
healthy lawn is a clover-free lawn – consistent fertilization and basic
maintenance practices are musts.
·
Don’t
let areas with excess moisture persist.
·
Keep
phosphorous levels low.
Consistent
application of a nitrogen based fertilizer to your lawn will help create a
healthy, thick lawn and is one of the best deterrents of clover. Keeping the pH
and nutrient levels consistent are important steps for keeping unwanted weeds
out. Clover is especially fond of phosphorus in lawns so keep that in mind as
you fertilize.
