clovers overpowering the LAWN

[milo]

Is there a way to get rid of the clovers and I think the little white flowers than are overtaking the lawn....Are the little white flowers a part of the clovers,looks like it snowed in my yard

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by milo

Is there a way to get rid of the clovers and I think the little white flowers than are overtaking the lawn....Are the little white flowers a part of the clovers,looks like it snowed in my yard

Weedbegon concentrate, 1 oz. or up to 1 1/2 oz. to the gallon if they are realy stubborn. Their are some clover only mixtures, but I have never had much if any positive results from them.

[Raven]

You have to think of clover as free fertilizer

and yes the little white flowers are clover flowers

for one they sustain the bees and have few
insecticides being sprayed on them

remember that with out bees ALL our food supply stops
and they are in real trouble now

two, they harvest nitrogen right of the air
and store it in these mini potatoes on their roots

so they are attracting nitrogen to the soil so when some die
they furnish nitrogen for the grass roots
i've noticed they prevent those tiny ants from making mounds too

i wish my whole yard was white with clover
then i'd have no ants.
....damn things marching down the freakin AC cord

[milo]

dont know about that raven ,I got ants too

[Raven]

well milo, i am still not sure about it either to be honest

but i'd prefer a nice thick clover lawn to the grub infested
sparse lawn i now have .....with tenth thousand ant hills

i'm ready to buy clover seed red and white...
pesticides aren't in my budget ....

had to spray 7 on the crack in front of the front door
yesterday tho.... because carpenter ants were marchin in..

[Slipknot]

I have the same thing in my yard Milo, it's payback because we spend too much time fishing

[PRBuzz]

2nd Niko's Weed-be-gone. Buy the concentrate and mix stronger than recommended, make take several applications and don't worry about grass kill it will grow back. May take weeks but the battle can be won for those that do want a clover free lawn.

Don't try any solids as the pellets have to stick to the leaves to be adsorbed.

[ProfessorM]

be kind to the bees and apply it late in the day so you don't take too many out. I just finished up mowing my clover, friggin Congo humid out there. I am happy with anything green on the lawn. I go the au natural route.

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

be kind to the bees and apply it late in the day so you don't take too many out. I just finished up mowing my clover, friggin Congo humid out there. I am happy with anything green on the lawn. I go the au natural route.

Crabgrass stays nice and green throughout the summer until first frost. Doesn't even need to be watered.

Really tough battle to have no crabgrass, clover, dandelions, etc. and grubs.......

[Fishpart]

Clover is probably on eof th e"Greenest" ground covers to have. It moves the nitrogen into the soil and because of the root structure it can be mowed down to less than 1/2 inch and live and it doesn't need much water.

My lawn has been plagued with grubs except for where there is clover, I want more.....

[Goose]

Milo, I'll never look at you the same. Clovers...Huh

[milo]

Tony I wuz going to give u a buzz and ask you ,but you never answer your phone...and what do you mean? I dont mind some clovers but the white stuff its like winter is here

[Jenn]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess. Where I have clover is the only part of my lawn that looks good so I dont mind it. lol

Also thought I would mention that in my days of working in a garden center you wouldnt BELIEVE the people that came in wanting to plant clover in their lawns. I know it may sound strange but we couldnt keep clover seed in the place!

[MarshCappa]

Yea my wife wants me to get rid of our clover too. I'm not going out of my way to buy anything so unless she gets something and applies it herself, it stays.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by Jenn

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess. Where I have clover is the only part of my lawn that looks good so I dont mind it. lol

Also thought I would mention that in my days of working in a garden center you wouldnt BELIEVE the people that came in wanting to plant clover in their lawns. I know it may sound strange but we couldnt keep clover seed in the place!

i will plant red ,white, AND blue clover now LOL
i've only seen it online thus far....
plus you can typically cut grass shorter than clover will tolerate

home depots hummingbird mix of flowers grows like no tomorrow

[chrisjoe13]

If it weren't for all the clover, dandelions, and crab grass, my "lawn" would be a large patch of poison ivy and bittersweet!

[UserRemoved1]

i'll trade you moss for your clover

[Raven]

Originally Posted by milo

Clovers overpowering lawn

i have these circles of dandelions that are different from the common type with the huge leaves and big golf ball sized flower heads

they grow real LOW to the ground and have adapted to staying flat so the mover blades cannot kill them out...

I am going to transplant a flat of clover into the center of them and see what happens... this may be a low tech way of avoiding having to completely dig them out.

Thanks Milo

[FishermanTim]

2 other things to consider.

1.) You can have the kids (where applicable) go out and look for a 4-leaf clover for good luck. My mom found a 5-leaf clover in her back yard.

2.) Clover is a preferred food for a number of animals. We have a ground hog that will snack on the flowers from time to time. Then there's rabbits, deer and other herbivores that have started visiting our yards.

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

Crabgrass stays nice and green throughout the summer until first frost. Doesn't even need to be watered.

Really tough battle to have no crabgrass, clover, dandelions, etc. and grubs.......

I can tell you how to get rid of Crabgrass. Costs money, but it works.

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

I can tell you how to get rid of Crabgrass. Costs money, but it works.

No crabgrass in my lawn (no dandelions or clover either): Scotts HALTS before the ground reaches 65d or lilacs bloom!

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

be kind to the bees and apply it late in the day so you don't take too many out. I just finished up mowing my clover, friggin Congo humid out there. I am happy with anything green on the lawn. I go the au natural route.

Your neighbors must get quite a view when you mow the lawn "au natural"

[ProfessorM]

nah i'm Irish

Lay on the chemicals and you will have a weedless lawn. An expense I don't want. I can't see putting chemicals on my lawn with pets and kids running around all the time. I have so many plantings that every year I lose a few yards of lawn as they grow. Soon it will be able to be cut with scissors.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

No crabgrass in my lawn (no dandelions or clover either): Scotts HALTS before the ground reaches 65d or lilacs bloom!

Scott's products might be easy to dump a bag into a spreader and
march back and forth to apply

without really having to think to much about it.... and have a truly perfect lawn....
(without considering the earthworms)

But multiply this by hundreds of thousands of lawns
and or millions of lawns...

then the drainage / run off begins and some of these chemicals get into the WATERSHED
....and into the fish and into the wildlife that eat the fish......
and on an on it goes. not a good practice.

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by Raven

without really having to think to much about it.... and have a truly perfect lawn....
(without considering the earthworms)

I have a very healthy population of earth worms in my yard. Key there is I never bag my glass clippings when mowing but as a price I mow more frequently. I return the blades to the ground for recycling. I also never have to aerate it.

[FishermanTim]

Originally Posted by Raven

Scott's products might be easy to dump a bag into a spreader and
march back and forth to apply

without really having to think to much about it.... and have a truly perfect lawn....
(without considering the earthworms)

But multiply this by hundreds of thousands of lawns
and or millions of lawns...

then the drainage / run off begins and some of these chemicals get into the WATERSHED
....and into the fish and into the wildlife that eat the fish......
and on an on it goes. not a good practice.

I hope I am remembering the facts correctly, but isn't the Delaware River suffering from this plight?
The fertilizer and animal waste are running off into the river, and has caused numerous fish kills and bacterial outbreaks in the fish populations where it enters the Chesapeake Bay area.

[Fishpart]

Narragansett Bay as well...

[Raven]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

I hope I am remembering the facts correctly, but isn't the Delaware River suffering from this plight?
The fertilizer and animal waste are running off into the river, and has caused numerous fish kills and bacterial outbreaks in the fish populations where it enters the Chesapeake Bay area.

========================================
Humus

without sufficient quantities of it (humus) in the soil
it cannot handle heavy rains

this is basically what comes out of the south end of an earthworm in the form of castings...and bacteria make it too...just slower

without the earthworm burrows
there there's no freakin drainage holes

organic matter or humus holds
ten times its weight in water
a virtual sponge...

chemical farming not only depletes the existing organic matter
but creates havoc....|LATER|
especially after the soil gets "mined "of certain minerals that used to be there in abundance...

then weird diseases show up or bugs start finding the vegetation more appetizing due to these mineral deficiencies,,,

so the farmers have to spray even more insecticides or herbicides to get that big product that used to be easy to get originally.
a vicious circle

now, ya take that same patch of ground and ya encourage worm growth and roto till in seaweed and compost and maple leaves real heavy along with grass clippings on top to keep it cool and weed free so that the worms thrive....and no chemical "run %$%$%$%$ fertilizer would even be required.

Run off would be drastically reduced and the soil wouldn't be laced with so many chemicals. Bugs hate seaweed spray and it gives the plants a special resistance to bug infestations.

[FishermanTim]

Originally Posted by Raven

========================================
Humus

without sufficient quantities of it (humus) in the soil
it cannot handle heavy rains

this is basically what comes out of the south end of an earthworm in the form of castings...and bacteria make it too...just slower

without the earthworm burrows
there there's no freakin drainage holes

organic matter or humus holds
ten times its weight in water
a virtual sponge...

chemical farming not only depletes the existing organic matter
but creates havoc....|LATER|
especially after the soil gets "mined "of certain minerals that used to be there in abundance...

then weird diseases show up or bugs start finding the vegetation more appetizing due to these mineral deficiencies,,,

so the farmers have to spray even more insecticides or herbicides to get that big product that used to be easy to get originally.
a vicious circle

now, ya take that same patch of ground and ya encourage worm growth and roto till in seaweed and compost and maple leaves real heavy along with grass clippings on top to keep it cool and weed free so that the worms thrive....and no chemical "run %$%$%$%$ fertilizer would even be required.

Run off would be drastically reduced and the soil wouldn't be laced with so many chemicals. Bugs hate seaweed spray and it gives the plants a special resistance to bug infestations.

Well said!

I used to find it amusing when people would spend tons of money to get a "manicured lawn" that they NEVER set foot on, or play on. I guess the thought is that a "perfect" lawn is like a priceless picture: basically useless except to look at.

I can remember the tug-of-war I had with my parents when I started them on composting. Once it was set up, they couldn't believe how truly clean and simple it really was.
Collect organic kitchen waste: fruit cores and peels, coffee grounds, corn husks and cobs, moldy bread, egg shells (worms LOVE bread and egg shells) even old newspapers if you don't recycle.
I start off by digging a small pit and layering the materials in a brown/green/brown alternating fashion. after a couple of weeks, depending on how "inocculated" your soil is, the bateria and worms will be well on their way to creating some really great organic compost. Think of the best potting soil you can get for virtually nothing. All you need to do is turn the pile, which I do whenever I add new material, and sift whatever you plan on using (to remove large uncomposted pieces).

The only chemicals I use (on RARE occaisions) is to kill poison ivy.
I do make a mean bug spray from chewing tobacco and dish soap, but that's a different post entirely.

[missing link]

White clover is one of the best things to have in your lawn , it is mixed with some of the best seed mixtures just mow it it has so many good things to add to your lawn
DON'T KILL IT I might not know much but you go and kill it say GOODBYE to the rest of the lawn trust me ,
if your on the Cape or SE ma. just GOOGLE //// C.L. FORNARI and ash HER the Question /// 95.1 FM Sat morn. GARDEN TALK
ML