3 Reasons Clover Is Taking Over Your Lawn

Across Canada, lawns are being infiltrated by white flowered invaders of the 3-leafed variety, and many homeowners are not happy about this. White clover is a pervasive perennial that will keep coming back every spring if left alone and will choke out your grass plants.
You don’t need the luck of the Irish to get rid of the clover in your lawn, but you do need to know what conditions allow it to thrive and outperform your grass. Eradicating clover requires time and a lot of patience. Know your enemy! If you want to get rid of the clover, learn how to give your grass the growing edge! The experts at Nutri-Lawn Vancouver can help you create the lawn you want.

What Does Clover Look Like?

This might seem like a silly question since many people, thanks to St. Patrick’s Day, know the familiar 3-leaf formation clover is known for. However, white clover is sometimes mistakenly confused for black medic and oxalis or yellow clover because of similar 3-leaf formations. White clover puts out small white flower clusters and is a perennial.

Advantage #1: Nitrogen

Because of a bacteria present in its roots, clover is able to produce its own nitrogen from the air giving it a huge advantage over grass that’s not fertilized. Nitrogen is what makes plants green. This means that if you don’t regularly fertilize, clover will vastly outperform your grass and stay green even when the rest of your lawn goes brown.

Advantage #2: Doesn’t Mind Being Mown

While your grass will stay healthier if left longer, clover thrives whether it’s left long or cut short. So cutting your grass short might mean you have to mow less frequently, but the advantage goes to the clover. Grass has a more extensive root system and will push out the clover, but it needs to be healthy and strong to do that. Read more about best mowing practices here.

Advantage #3: It’ll Be Back

Clover spreads rapidly and grows prolifically in poor soil conditions. It is, in many instances, more drought resistant than grass. Even if you think you’ve gotten rid of it, if you haven’t addressed the conditions that gave clover the advantage over your grass, it will be back. Clover is a perennial, so eradicating clover isn’t a once and done situation.

Chemical Solution

We have access to sprays that will eradicate the existing clover on your lawn. Repeated applications will be necessary and some patience will be required.

Organic Solution

Not everyone is comfortable with spraying chemicals on their lawns, so there are organic solutions available, but it will take more time and even more patience. Clover thrives where grass is weak, so the answer is to help the grass get stronger! Help your grass outperform the clover. Not everyone has the time or the patience, so give us a call and we can cover off your available options.

Adding fertilizer and overseeding your lawn at timed intervals over the entire season will really help your lawn get better established and will help push out the competition. And remember to raise the deck on your mower to keep your grass longer and give it a fighting chance.

There are many effective strategies available to help your lawn look great. Let the lawn care experts at Nutri-Lawn Vancouver put a plan together for you. Contact Nutri-Lawn Vancouver today for a complimentary quote.