Killing clover on my lawn

[Brer]

I have never had green fingers or been interested in gardening but I do have a small lawn about 12 metres by 6 metres  which is in good shape.

The lawn is a nice full green colour, I have no idea what type of grass, lately I have noticed clumps of clover growing and have pulled them out by hand. The clumps keep coming back and being lazy lately one clump has expanded into almost 2metres by 1metre just too much to pull by hand.

So I hoping someone can recommend some product to eradicate the clover without killing the underlying grass.

Also where to buy Global etc?

Thanks Brer

 

 

[fxe1200]

A most common reason for clover on lawns is dryness or poor nutrient (nitrogen) supply to the grass roots. You can kill the clover by pouring boiling water on it, and take out the dead plants later. First the lawn would look a battlefield, but it will recover. I further recommend to fertilize the lawn with horn meal.

 

A different approach would be the conversion of the lawn into a flower meadow, which I would prefer. It also keeps the clover at bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stouricks]

8 minutes ago, fxe1200 said:

A most common reason for clover on lawns is dryness or poor nutrient (nitrogen) supply to the grass roots. You can kill the clover by pouring boiling water on it, and take out the dead plants later. First the lawn would look a battlefield, but it will recover. I further recommend to fertilize the lawn with horn meal.

 

A different approach would be the conversion of the lawn into a flower meadow, which I would prefer. It also keeps the clover at bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How can I do this? Just sprinkle various flower seeds over the lawn? It looks beautiful, and sod cutting the grass. (Oh dear, just bought a new lawn mower)

[rwill]

I would find one of the local fertilizer stores and ask them.  They will have more knowledge than employees at homepro/global.  If the owner is well educated he will probably speak some english too.  

I get some in my yard that looks like clover and if allowed to flower gets these really sticky seeds that get all over my dogs fur.  I haven't used chemicals because of the dogs.

I manually pull it and try to remove the roots too.  I now pay someone a little baht to pull weeds once a week for a couple of hours.

 

Mow your grass at a higher level, around 2.5", helps the grass stay greener and helps keep weeds at bay.

 

You can cover a big patch with a plastic sheet to cook it to death.

look up using a solution of vinegar, salt, dish soap to kill weeds (and the grass too.) or pouring boiling water on it.

 

There is an organic clover killer called Adios but probably not available in Thailand.

Edited June 30, 2020 by rwill

[GreasyFingers]

Hope you get a useful answer here. I have tried the Thai supposed selective lawn weeding chemicals but they have killed the lawn as well.

[David62]

You need to cut the clover before it flowers and it will soon die off.

[GreasyFingers]

1 minute ago, David62 said:

You need to cut the clover before it flowers and it will soon die off.

If that were true I would be happy. It is cut every 4-5 days so does not have a chance to flower but still spreads.

[actonion]

One Thai approach to this problem says my Thai wife  is to sprinkle" Sugar" of the grass, as long as its watered in after which she says kills weeds  and feeds grass...  a   check in Google  verifies her thoery  a bit ..

Edited June 30, 2020 by actonion

[GreasyFingers]

22 minutes ago, actonion said:

One Thai approach to this problem says my Thai wife  is to sprinkle" Sugar" of the grass, as long as its watered in after which she says kills weeds  and feeds grass...  a   check in Google  verifies her thoery  a bit ..

I will ask the wife about that as she knows most things about growing plants. The trouble is that she likes the clover and often comments on how good it looks..

[Speedo1968]

33 minutes ago, actonion said:

One Thai approach to this problem says my Thai wife  is to sprinkle" Sugar" of the grass, as long as its watered in after which she says kills weeds  and feeds grass...  a   check in Google  verifies her thoery  a bit ..

Nice one !

[Speedo1968]

Although a vegan myself, perhaps a couple ( 2's company 1's loneleness ) of young lambs.

[Eric Loh]

Here is my 2 satang contribution if it is worthy of a read for getting rid of weeds.

3.5 L of white vinegar + 1/2 cup salt + generous splash of dish soap. Spray multiple times until weeds disappeared. Have not try this concoction yet but soon. 

[Brer]

????

looks like pulling it out by hand is the way to go as some chemical I tried on a small patch killed everything.

thanks for the replies 

[Guderian]

I used a bottle of bleach to remove old flower pot stains from the tiles on the pathway around my house. When I washed the bleach off the only place for it to go was onto the lawn. The result was a completely sterile patch of earth next to my path. I dug the top inch or two out and replaced it with fresh dirt, but the grass was still very reluctant to take root and the only thing that thrives there is clover. Never mind, at least it's green and looks better than the nuked earth, if you squint a bit you can almost pretend it's grass.

[digger70]

1 hour ago, actonion said:

One Thai approach to this problem says my Thai wife  is to sprinkle" Sugar" of the grass, as long as its watered in after which she says kills weeds  and feeds grass...  a   check in Google  verifies her thoery  a bit ..

Check This :  

https://www.science20.com/bad_agronomy/sugar_weed_control_seriously

[BORRISGOODENUF]

you could try a blend of white vinegar water and a little salt. check google for more precise recipe

[Youlike]

We don't have clover  our lawn but in every single pot or raised bed it grows...i let it grow though because when there's clover nothing else will grow there...the clover stays low and looks pretty good compared to weeds and grass in the pots . Our clover has the yellow flowers

 

 

Edited June 30, 2020 by Youlike

[brianthainess]

4 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

the trouble is that she likes the clover and often comments on how good it looks..

Well i was thinking the same my garden has a myriad of different grasses and weeds i just mow over the lot, if it looks green that fine by me.

[jvs]

1 hour ago, Youlike said:

We don't have clover  our lawn but in every single pot or raised bed it grows...i let it grow though because when there's clover nothing else will grow there...the clover stays low and looks pretty good compared to weeds and grass in the pots . Our clover has the yellow flowers

 

 

Yes my idea also,just let the clover take over .Just as nice as grass to look at and needs less water.

I have seen a few clover lawns ans they are very nice to walk on barefoot also.

The dogs fur,i have no answer for that.

 

[tifino]

and as you have mentioned not knowing specifics - are you sure it's actually clover? 

weed identification

 

by the mention of its rapid spread, I'd say it is Bindi - which would be a pity, as it's highly Toxix - and mimics a very similar looking weed that is actually edible 

 

(even Brer Rabbit couldn't eat it)

Edited June 30, 2020 by tifino

[Dumbastheycome]

Sadly  clover does not grow in SAE. Nor Australia apparently.

[Dumbastheycome]

9 minutes ago, tifino said:

and as you have mentioned not knowing specifics - are you sure it's actually clover? 

weed identification

 

by the mention of its rapid spread, I'd say it is Bindi - which would be a pity, as it's highly Toxix - and mimics a very similar looking weed that is actually edible 

 

(even Brer Rabbit couldn't eat it)

I don't think this weed with the white  flower that looks like  clover is  Bindi either.

[tifino]

3 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Sadly  clover does not grow in SAE. Nor Australia apparently.

which of the 75 results match your SAE acronysm?

 - i reckon Saimese Algae Eater is a good one! 

 

 

P.S. Australia South/Eastern regions are aflush in Clover. 

Cows love it (pastural clovers) although too much of it is not a good thing...

[tifino]

5 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

I don't think this weed with the white  flower that looks like  clover is  Bindi either.

what colour is the stems? 

 

Have you got many spiny socks-grasping seed pods? 

 

a photo would be good!

[Dumbastheycome]

2 minutes ago, tifino said:

which of the 75 results match your SAE acronysm?

 - i reckon Saimese Algae Eater is a good one! 

 

 

P.S. Australia South/Eastern regions are aflush in Clover. 

Cows love it (pastural clovers) although too much of it is not a good thing...

Apology. South East Asia. Was not aware Australia has it  but  South East with more temperate  climate I guess  suits

 

[Dumbastheycome]

1 minute ago, tifino said:

what colour is the stems? 

 

Have you got many spiny socks-grasping seed pods? 

 

a photo would be good!

I have at least 3  varieties of Bindi  around. Two are  nasty spiny flat weed things and the other is  like a stunted  carrot top thing that  does not know when to  stop spreading and invading !

The spiny ones are interesting by the  fact that when leaves are touched they immediately curl up. Reddish/brown woody stems  that spread laterally and send down sucker roots. I have learned  not to try and pull them out with  bare hands ! White and  yellow  flowers. Have  seen the yellow  type carpeting  shallow  water reservoirs even !

[tifino]

one of these I have found does the best 'manual' job

 - and yes... the gloves

those roots can easily reach 15 ~ 18 cms deep. The above does a good job, and wetting the ground is even better

 and green. 

 Best attacked when young, and the seeds are still firmly attached - and Not flowered yet. 

Edited June 30, 2020 by tifino

[GreasyFingers]

2 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

The spiny ones are interesting by the  fact that when leaves are touched they immediately curl up. Reddish/brown woody stems  that spread laterally and send down sucker roots. I have learned  not to try and pull them out with  bare hands !

These are the bugbear of my life. Roundup will knock them over but does not seem to kill the whole root system. Besides Roundup, I dig them out or pull them out by hand when the soil is wet but they keep coming back. As well as turning up their leaves they will drop the leaves if persist on touching them. I would like to know what they are and how they spread seed as I never let them flower.

[tifino]

3 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

These are the bugbear of my life. Roundup will knock them over but does not seem to kill the whole root system. Besides Roundup, I dig them out or pull them out by hand when the soil is wet but they keep coming back. As well as turning up their leaves they will drop the leaves if persist on touching them. I would like to know what they are and how they spread seed as I never let them flower.

at home we call it Touch Me Not   

 

just looking see a reference... Mimosa Pudica 

[Dumbastheycome]

1 minute ago, GreasyFingers said:

These are the bugbear of my life. Roundup will knock them over but does not seem to kill the whole root system. Besides Roundup, I dig them out or pull them out by hand when the soil is wet but they keep coming back. As well as turning up their leaves they will drop the leaves if persist on touching them. I would like to know what they are and how they spread seed as I never let them flower.

Likewise! I think the seed  has a  long dormant soil life. Most success I have  had in in twitching out  any I spot when they are small and have not spread out. Once they have it seems the smallest sucker roots left will start them off  again.