Killing clover in lawn

[Pilot]

What's the best time of year to spray clover in grass? I have heard the fall was best; I have found that spring doesn't work, does it really work to spray clover in the fall?

What chemical do you use?

 

[rswyan]

I have been using Gordon's products for weed control in our lawn - mostly Trimec and occassionally Amine 400 - largely because they are available in quantity at TSC. They've done a good job at putting the hurt on broadleaf weeds in our lawn - however they don't kill clover (some types ?) or crabgrass.

For that Gordon's recommends Trimec Plus which has an extra ingredient, MSMA. As for time of year I can't say as I haven't tried it yet. I tried to pick some up at one of the local TSC's and they were out ..... when I asked the manager when she thought they might be getting some in she said that they "wouldn't be getting anymore in this year" !!! Guess they've never heard of fall lawn treatments ......

 

[patrick_g]

Pilot, As a general rule spraying while the plant is actively growing is best. This increases the plants uptake of the chemical. There are exceptions with pre-emergents etc but in general do it when the plant is actively growing. I have had to avoid several kinds of pasture chemicals to avoid killing arrowleaf clover.

To increase your chances of a good kill I suggest you positively identify the clover as to species (lots of clovers) and get a recommendation from your extension agent or reputable chemical manufacturer, like Dow.

Although label info may be, in general, correct it is often a chore to try to find what you need without consulting a ggod source such as the extension service or a specialty chemical mfg who makes herbicides.

If you are into NATURAL then...

A multi-year program of applying natural corn gluten meal, which will have the added benefit of killing all of your other seed-based weeds and adding nitrogen to the soil, too. Remember that corn gluten meal will suppress germination of grass seeds as well, so time your applications away from reseedings.

Pat

 

[deere755]

I have always had real good luck with 24d in the spring. I mix about 4ounces per gallon and drive pretty slow with my tow behind sprayer. Sometimes I have to go back and touch up a couple areas but I have real good luck killing clover and other broad leaf weeds in my lawn this way.

 

[ToadHill]

Why would you want to kill clover in your lawn. It fixes nitrogen and cuts down on your fertilizer needs. No weed killer will kill crabgrass. It is a grass just like the rest of the grass in your lawn, if my memory serves me right a monocot. Weeds are dicots and that's why the weed controlls work on them and not on the grass. The only way to control crabgrass is in the spring before it germinates with a product like PreM or Deminsion. Since crabgrass is an annual and comes up from last years seed, you need to put something down that will stop germination.

 

[hazmat]

I just sprayed a Dow product - I'll have to look up the name. It was $200 for a gallon of concentrate at the Local LESCO -treats 3+ acres depending on concentration. I worked like a charm - better living thru Chemistry.

 

[hazmat]

It was spotlight

Here's a pic where I didn't get close enough to the fence. The bare spot is where the clover once grew

 

[jyoutz]

Toad Hill's comments are correct, but if you want to do this, do it anytime that the plants are actively growing. The cheapest, most effective herbicide is 2-4-D. You can buy a 2.5 gallon jug of the concentrate for about $40 at a Helena Chemical Company dealer. The product is called Weedar-64 and at 4 ounces per gallon of water, a 2.5 gallon jug will make 40 gallons of finished spray. That's enough to kill alot of weeds also. The best thing about 2-4-D is that it absolutely won't harm grass or any other monocot species, just broadleaf plants (weeds). I've been using it to rehabilitate some native grass areas that were choked by weeds during last year's drought. Great results in 2 days.

 

[hazmat]

I had spot sprayed 2-4D this spring - It worked on Dandelions and a couple other weeds, but the clover made it thru unscathed. Clover is listed on the label as one of the target species - but my research on university extension websites & lawnsite indicates that if clover is your primary target, there are far more effective chemicals to use.

 

[rswyan]

Same here - like I said I've used Amine 400 (2,4D) and Trimec, which has 2,4D as one of the three active ingredients - multiple times this year - and it isn't touching the clover.

Having said that, the clover I have now appears to all have yellow blossoms. At one time I had some white and pink clover .... so the chemicals I used may have killed them .... but the yellow stuff just keeps on coming.

 

[Tom_H]

I've used Trimec. Have also used Weed-B-Gone, which is inexpensive and suppresses well. It's true the clover fixes nitrogen, but during wet season when I can't cut, the clover takes off too much and needs to be supressed.

 

[lcisled]

One of the three ingredients in Trimec, etc. is Dicamba. This product, along with 2,4-D is pretty good on clover. Trimec 992 has higher concentrations of both.
The best time that I have found to kill broadleaves in grass is right after the first killing frost (4 hours or more of below 28 degrees F). Plants move nutrients into the root zone to survive the winter. When the grass greens up in the spring, spray again.

For Crabgrass, Drive 75DF from BASF or Acclaim Extra from Bayer.

 

[ToadHill]

rswyan The yellow stuff in your lawn is probably black medic. it's in the clover family and is difficult to control.

 

[Pilot]

Well, let me throw some new info into the discussion.

We have a "master gardener" program here in Oregon & I suppose the Extension Service runs similar programs in other states. A master gardener told me last week that herbicides actually work better in the fall. I do know that is true in regard to killing blackberries, Scotch broom and other hard to kill perrenniels with Roundup. Roundup really does a job on them in the fall, but as with most herbicides, the label says to use it when the plants are actively growing. The reasoning for using it in the fall is that the nutrients are being translocated down to the roots & they will take the herbicide with them. Does not make sense for annuals. Since clover is a perrenniel, I thought the master gardener might be right.

My herbicide of choice for my lawn is Weedmaster, which is a form of 2,4-D & dicamba. Labeled for bur clover, not white clover, but it is not labeled for blackberries & it works pretty well on them & Scotch broom, too--in the spring.

So we have contradictory info and recommendations. I think I'll give it a try in a couple weeks & I'll report back when I can see results. Don't expect an answer soon as you don't see results on blackberries for at least a couple months.

 

[hazmat]

Pilot - with the spotlight I saw results in days (yellowing) - It was completely gone (bare spots) in 2 weeks.

 

[rswyan]

The yellow stuff in your lawn is probably black medic. it's in the clover family and is difficult to control.

Paul,

Yeah - I think you got it. I googled it and from the pics I saw that looks like it. Trimec should be killing it.

I need to do some plumbing in the basement - all our outside faucets are run straight from the pressure tank so the water I've using to mix my spray solutions is hard. I'm going to pipe in another feed with a valve so that I can use softened water instead .... mebbe that will help some.

 

[GEB]

Really?
Hard water soft water, does it make a difference?

Paul,

Yeah - I think you got it. I googled it and from the pics I saw that looks like it. Trimec should be killing it.

I need to do some plumbing in the basement - all our outside faucets are run straight from the pressure tank so the water I've using to mix my spray solutions is hard. I'm going to pipe in another feed with a valve so that I can use softened water instead .... mebbe that will help some.

 

[rswyan]

Really? Hard water soft water, does it make a difference?

I've seen some mention of it in the instructions for some of the chemicals I've used - I think the most recent was the pamphlet for Roundup Max, mentioning less effectiveness with extremely hard water. I personally don't know how much of a difference it would make but I do know that when I shower with hard water it leaves a film (soap and minerals) - also the soap will not suds up as much as with soft water.

We've had guests that shower here that have never done so with soft water - they usually complain that they feel slimey after rinsing .... what that actually is, is all the soap coming off (and no mineral scum) ..... they are just used to finishing their showers with a residual soap and mineral coating.

 

[clover hater]

What's the best time of year to spray clover in grass? I have heard the fall was best; I have found that spring doesn't work, does it really work to spray clover in the fall?

What chemical do you use?

I have found the only chemical that will kill white top clover is [Me-camine-D) But I can not find it offered to the homeowner
this will keep out the clover for two seasons, before needing to be reapplying.

 

[Bird]

I've had some white blooming clover in my lawn for years but I didn't spray it last year, and so far not this year, so it's really spreading. Got to get after it as soon as I get my right arm out of this sling.