Bulky clover is one of the most common lawn weeds. Prevention offers the best help, because afterwards it is very difficult to combat it.
A lush green lawn makes many a gardener's heart smile. This sight can be clouded a little when weeds such as clover spread. On the one hand, this herb displaces the lawn plants, on the other hand, the magnificent flowers quickly attract bumblebees, bees and other pollinators. What is a reason for joy on the one hand can also become uncomfortable. Children playing on the lawn or barefoot people are particularly at risk of being bitten by insects. To prevent this, we have put together some helpful tips for you below.
Clover in the lawn: what is the cause?
A weakened lawn leaves room for clover. This reproduces via seeds or roots and is quite undemanding. Lawn, on the other hand, is in a certain sense a rather vain grass, which only grows stunted if it is not properly cared for or not cared for properly and is therefore less competitive.
Location conditions: Various location factors also play a role. Lawn requires sufficient light and loves loose and well-aerated soil, such as that found in sandy loam. Klee, on the other hand, is so undemanding, depending on the species, that this is an advantage on "poor" soils. Good soil preparation before sowing the lawn is therefore a good prevention against clover.
Cut too deep: Cutting too deep damages lawn grasses and allows light to reach the creeping shoots of the clover, which in turn encourages them. Since avoidable mistakes are often made when mowing the lawn, we have created an article on correct lawn mowing for you here.
Insufficient fertilization: With the help of special bacteria, the rhizobia, clover can use nitrogen from the air. As a result, clover has a decisive advantage over turf on nutrient-poor soil and asserts itself. Only a well-fertilized lawn can do something for the cloveroppose.
Wrong watering: Lawn grasses do not tolerate drought either. It is therefore essential to ensure that they are properly watered according to their needs if they are not to be harassed by clover.
Now the following question arises: How does clover get onto the lawn? Roots or seeds are often already present in the ground before the lawn is planted. Wind and animals also play a large part in spreading clover seeds.
Once the clover has established itself in the lawn, it is very difficult to eradicate it completely. Luckily, there are still a few tips on how to prevent and reduce clover in your lawn.
Fighting sorrel: home remedies and natural control
Annual horn sorrel (Oxalis corniculata) is less problematic because it does not form creeping rhizomes. Wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), however, is perennial and survives with the help of its roots. It forms outlasting buds for the following year just above the surface of the earth.
The control of the species differs in part:
Kliming: What all species have in common is that they like to grow on nutrient-rich, humus-rich and acidic soil. With a quick-acting lime such as our Plantura organic lawn & garden lime, you can increase a low pH value, i.e. neutralize the natural acids in the soil somewhat. Liming also increases the activity of microorganisms, which can increase soil fertility. Before liming the lawn, we recommend doing a pH test to distribute the right amount of lime.
Weeder: With the help of a weeder you can remove all kinds of wood sorrel almost effortlessly. It is important to be careful to pull out the entire taproot, otherwise the plant will regenerate.
Scarifying: With some wood sorrel species, scarifying can be seen as a proven method - but certainly not with wood wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella ) and Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta). Both grow creeping, as mentioned above. Scarifying these species would only encourage their reproduction by dividing and dispersing the rhizomes.
For other annual sorrel species such asWood sorrel (Oxalis corniculata), however, can be used to scarify.
When scarifying, the device must be used at the infested site until all the weed and roots have been removed. Reseeding the lawn afterwards is important in order to repair bald spots. Since wood sorrel is very tolerant of shade, overseeding with shaded lawn is recommended. This is adapted to the demands in dark corners of the garden and can therefore successfully assert itself.
cut out: If you don't have a scarifier at hand, you can use a spade. The resulting hole must then also be seeded again.
Covering: Mowing will not lead to success with sorrel, as it cannot be caught by the knives due to its small growth height. Instead, the plants can be killed by placing an opaque film over the affected area and weighing it down so it doesn't get blown away. After about six to eight weeks, the clover should have died. Of course, the lawn also suffers from the lack of light, but it recovers much faster than the clover.
New seed: If there is a large number of wood sorrel, there is usually no choice but to remove the top layer of soil and sow new grass, especially when it comes to perennial clover species. When preparing the soil for reseeding, it is important to meticulously remove every piece of root. Leave the area fallow for at least two weeks between the preparation and the sowing of the lawn - this way you can localize any root residues that you may have overlooked by the fact that they sprout. It is easier to remove the seedlings before sowing the lawn if the area can still be walked on without any problems.
Overview: Fighting Wood Sorrel
- lime
- Scarify
- cutout
- Covering
- New installation
Fighting white clover in the lawn
The perennial white clover (Trifolium repens) shows its typical bushy flowers in white to slightly pink between May and October. It spreads creeping with runners and is the dominant species on German lawns. Unlike wood sorrel, white clover prefers neutral to basic soil. Applying lime against white clover in the lawn is therefore not effective. More efficient instead is onelawn fertilization. Klee is adapted to growing on low-nitrogen soils, but needs a comparatively large amount of phosphate to do so. In the case of grass, it is exactly the opposite. Therefore, our Plantura organic lawn fertilizer contains a lot of nitrogen and potassium, but only a small amount of phosphate. This ensures an optimal supply of nutrients to the lawn and does not encourage weed growth.
White clover should never be scarified, as this will only spread it further in the lawn. Individual plants and their roots can be dug out deeply with a spade.
Covering with an opaque sheet for about eight weeks in the summer can eliminate white clover over larger areas. However, the lawn then needs to be reseeded.
With a growth height of 5 to 20 cm - inflorescences even grow up to 30 cm high - white clover can easily be caught by the blades of the lawnmower and thus weakened. However, it should not be cut too deep. Check out our article on mowing your lawn for helpful expert tips.
Overview: Preventing and controlling white clover
- Fertilize
- cutout
- Mowing
- Covering
Fighting red clover in the garden
The deep-rooted, perennial red clover (Trifolium pratense) creates a colorful contrast in the lawn with its violet flowers from April to October. He has similar preferences as the related white clover. It is therefore also combated with high-nitrogen and low-phosphate fertilization, cutting out and covering with a dark foil. Because of its very deep roots, weed cutters and the like have to be planted deeper. In addition, it grows quite high at 15 to 80 cm and can be kept short with the lawnmower. It is important to ensure that the entire area is not cut too short, as this would rob the lawn of its strength and make it easier for the red clover to multiply. A good cutting length is 4 to 5 cm.
Overview: Fighting Red Clover
- Fertilize
- cutout
- Mowing
- Covering
Prevention of clover in the lawn
Prevention is the best strategy when it comes to clover in your lawn. Here's what to keep in mind if you're not welcoming clover to your lawnwant:
Fertilizing: As already shown, an adequate supply of nutrients is the be-all and end-all to combat and prevent clover in the lawn. A fertilizer high in nitrogen and low in phosphate, such as our Plantura Organic Lawn Fertilizer, is perfect for this.
Kalken: To ward off wood sorrel, the soil under the lawn should be kept slightly acidic to neutral - if it is too acidic, wood wood sorrel feels particularly comfortable. It is advisable to do a pH test first to find out how much lime needs to be distributed. If the pH test shows that the soil is too acidic, a fast-acting lime such as our Plantura Organic Lawn & Garden Lime can help.
Soil: It is best to make sure before laying out a lawn that the soil is loose, not too clayey and well aerated. To improve heavy clay soil, sand can be incorporated into the top layer of soil. Before clover has spread, it is possible to scarify and sand an existing lawn, especially if the soil is rather clayey and heavy. Scarifying should be repeated every few years, because scarifying too often also inhibits grass growth.
Right choice of seed: Sorrel species can also grow well in the shade. However, this is not the case for most lawn seed mixtures. Therefore, find out about shaded lawns to prevent clover in your lawn.
Watering: An improperly watered lawn is less drought tolerant than the more robust clover plants. It is therefore important to water the lawn in a balanced way - in fact, lawns are often not watered optimally.
Pruning: Weekly pruning measures ensure good branching of the grasses, thus ensuring a densely planted area and thus reducing the risk of clover being able to settle.
Overview: Preventing Clover
- Sanden
- Scarify every few years to keep the lawn tight
- Fertilize
- Water as needed
- Mow weekly
- Lime if necessary
- Use Shade Lawn for Shaded Areas
A he althy lawn is the most effective way to combat and prevent clover in your lawn. For the implementation of all important measures we have helpful tips in our articleLawn care compiled.