White Clover Description

White Clover is noticeable by it's white, ball like flowers, which can often contain fragments of yellow or beige colourings. It's trifolate green leaves grow on creeping stems which quickly grow, spreading the weed into often becoming large plants, and propagating new plants that will quickly take control of a lawn if left untreated.

White Clover is often seen as a nuisance when it invades lawns, creating an unsightly appearance. As a natural and preferred food source for bees, White Clover is often removed as a means of controlling bees and possible bee stings to children.

Spreading Of Clover

White Clover can be difficult to kiill, cure, or eradicate in our lawns because it can propagate from many sources. Seeds can spread the weed, as well as the running stems (stolons) propagating new plants. But that's not all, even small pieces of the stems that can fall onto the lawn, may propagate a new plant, even during lawn mowing, it is important to take care that pieces of the chopped up Clover aren't re-deposited back onto the lawn from the back of the catcher.

Clover Can Be A Sign Of Other Problems

Clover requires a pH neutral environment in which to flourish, and often having a significant and healthy clover invasion means that the lawn or soil in lacking in Nitrogen.

Cultural Management Of Clover

Always mow lawns with a catcher and ensure the catcher is in good condition.

Be sure not to drop pieces of chopped up clover onto lawns.

Apply a nitrogen rich fertiliser, and ensure lawn health is increased with proper nutrients, mowing regularity, and water.

Hand pulling small infestations of Clover may be an option, as long as the weed is not too established. Try to remove the roots along with the plant. Expect re-growth of the weed in some cases, followed by it's continued removal. Removing large and established infestations by hand is often a pointless exercise, as the smaller, newer weeds are often missed,

Clover Herbicide Control

Herbicides to kill White Clover are available to the general public from your local nursery. The nursery will supply the herbicide in concentrated form in bottles, the herbicide will need to be diluted in water before application by spraying or watering can.

Always take care, and always follow manufacturers recommendations when using herbicides on home lawns.