If it is not the intended lawn grass, and it is growing in your lawn, it is a weed! Though white clover can make an effective ground cover or even a replacement for a lawn, many homeowners consider it a weed and wish the eliminate it. White clover can be recognized by the 3-leaflet leaf that is in the clover pattern and the white flowers. Two other weeds with three-leaflet leaves are black medic and oxalis (yellow woodsorrel) but both have yellow flowers rather than white. White clover is a member of the legume family and can convert nitrogen in the air to a form the plant can use as fertilizer. Therefore, clover is often seen in lawns that are underfertilized.
The best control for white clover is a thick lawn that is mowed high enough that sunlight does not hit the soil. Proper fertilization can help maintain a good thick lawn.
Controlling white clover can be a challenge. Small patches can simply be dug out and replaced with sod or reseeded. Larger infestations are commonly controlled with herbicides. Combination products that contain 2,4- D, MCPP and Dicamba are recommended. Such products would include Trimec, Weed-B-Gon, Weed-Out, Weed-Stop for Lawns and others.
Fall applications for control for white clover are more effective than those applied at other times of the year.
As a reminder, the Basic Master Gardener Training Course will soon start. If interested please contact the extension office at (316) 284-6930.
