Clover Comeback: Learn All About the Benefits of White Clover
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I live out west & have an ongoing fight with bindweed & goat heads. Will clover displace these demon plants?
Hi Harri,
Sorry to hear about your issues with a couple of destructive weeds. Unfortunately, planting clover will not completely remove your unwanted growers. It will take time and persistence to fully eliminate your areas of concern, using a mixture of pulling, digging, and while not ideal, herbicides. These invasive and destructive plants are not easy to get rid of, but don’t be discourgaed because it can be done. It will just be a matter of staying on top of what needs to be done and when.
Here is a link to get you started: https://www.almanac.com/6-noxious-destructive-invasive-weeds-and-how-get-rid-them.
Hope this helps.
I have a very large Oak tree in my front yard. There have always been some patchy spots, I assume because of the roots of the tree. I have tried spreading clover seed, but it too is patchy. Any suggestions? I live in a rural area of Piedmont NC and as the trees have grown and all the rainy, cloudy weather the back yard has grown mostly moss. Only on full sunny days is there sun on the yard. How can I best turn this over to the clover?
Hi Alison,
You will want to make sure to chose a clover that grows well in shady locations because it will not get a lot of sunlight under your oak tree. You also want to plant it in either the spring or fall when the ground has adequate moisture. You should avoid sowing during dry spells or when heavy rain is in the forecast.
Try planting Wood Sorrel ( violets ) under the tree. They grow well in shady red lines and should do nicely under that oak. I have had white dogtooth violets under a shade tree and it looks so lovely.
I don't use pesticides at all on my lawn, despite my neighbor's fascination with perfectly clipped baseball diamond bluegrass. My yard is fescue, ajuga, violets, forget-me-nots, and clover. I laid down clover 10 years ago, and though my poor dog Caleb stepped on a bee and needed to be consoled for days, it really was wonderful. I had lots of wildlife, birds, bunnies and honeybees pollinating my herb garden and my lawn was GREEN in August when all the neighbors and their 4 step program had brown dead grass. I highly recommend it for those looking for an alternative for their yards. Love it!
What is the difference between white and yellow clover.i have a lot of yellow clover in my yard.
Hi Gary, if the yellow flower you see is yellow sweet clover, it can grow fairly tall (I've seen it up to 6' tall) and the flowers bloom along a 2" - 3" length. This is an invasive species. You might want to take photos of its leaves/flowers and get a positive i.d. There are plant identification apps you can use to find out. Even better, bring a clipping of it to your local cooperative extension office (if there is one in your area) to get it verified. If that's what it is, you'll want go pull it out, or cut it down to the ground several times until it gives up. Although pretty, it's a nasty invasive.
I live in Wyoming and wondering when to spread clover seed over my lawn. We still have snow on the ground but wanted to do it while ground is still wet because once snow melts and dries up, the ground is like concrete.
It’s safe to spread 2 weeks after last frost; Clover doesn’t germinate until the soil is consistently over 50 degrees and you don’t want seeds to rot.