How to Kill Clover Weeds

As a landscaper, I am often asked how to kill clover weeds. If these weeds are located in your lawn, use a post-emergent, selective herbicide. If the clover weeds are in other areas such as sidewalks, patios, and beds, you can also use a nonselective herbicide.

Description of Clover

Clover is an annual broad-leaved weed. It has several different varieties. White clover and Burclover are the problem varieties in most lawns. White clover has shamrock-shaped leaves with a white or pink ball of a flower.

Clover forms thick patches that choke out grass. It creates in uneven appearance in an otherwise smooth lawn.

Clover reproduces by seed and survives with an aggressive above and below-ground root system. It grows best in moist soil with low fertility.

Clover in Lawn

The best way to kill clover in lawn is to use a post emergent, selective herbicide. This will eradicate only the weeds, not the grass. Post emergent selective herbicides are sold under different brand names in garden centers. Read the label. The most common ingredient will be dicamba or MCPP.

However, it is not enough to kill the weeds in your lawn and call it a day. You need to replace those weeds with new grass because your existing lawn will not spread quickly enough to fill in the bare spots by itself.

Clover in Sidewalks, Patios, Plant Beds

Use a nonselective herbicide to kill these weeds in areas such as sidewalks, patios, and plant beds. The term nonselective herbicide means it kills any plant it touches.

Garden centers sell nonselective herbicides under many brand names. The most common brand name is Roundup, whose main ingredient is glyphosphate. This chemical causes weeds to stop producing proteins and they starve to death in 7 to 10 days.

More than One Application

Spraying weeds is never a one shot deal. Landscapers need to spray weeds several times a year. Nature is persistent. So stock up on weed control.

If you get tired of battling weeds or don’t want to be exposed to pesticides, have a local lawn treatment company do it. I like how you can sign up online for a free estimate.

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