Natural Clover removal

[bubbaray]

Is there a natural product that "kills" clover in lawns????

DH is planning on using a toxic weed killer today. I'm looking for some alternative. :( Bah!


Melissa

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[Meatball Mommie]

I don't know of a product off the top of my head, but if you have an Agway near you, that's where I would go and ask. The people at my local Agway are super helpful in that regard. Good Luck!

Karen
Mommy to 2 wonderful boys!

[kristenk]

You might be able to use 20% horticultural vinegar. It kills anything it touches, so be VERY careful when spraying it. We have a couple of dead spots in our yard where some dripped.

For clover, we normally just pull it up by hand. Definitely time consuming, but non-toxic! :)

[writermama]

Currently I just leave it alone. Our house builder left us with terrible soil and I remember reading somewhere that clover is one of those plants that actually improves the nutrients in soil. Plus my DD loves to pick the flowers.

However, after I get the rest of the landscaping done and I'm ready to focus on the lawn, I think I'll use a natural weed and feed product called WOW (With Out Weeds) from Gardens Alive. It may be a fall/spring application rather than a spot treatment, though.

Links:
WOW Plus http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=2637

Original WOW: http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8862

If you look around on the site, they also have the same products offered in bigger quantities and there's a membership discount program you can join.

Oh, here's a spot treatment product, too:

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8206

You might also try calling your local agriculture extension office or master gardener's program.

[writermama]

I found this article on clover that covers a range of natural preventative strategies:

http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=569

[Jeanne]

We use Borax from the laundry isle in the market. Mix one part powdered Borax with 8 parts water and then just water the clover only. It's time consuming but it does the trick. Just be very careful to avoid a mass spray because it will also kill the grass.

If you go this route, plan to be very aggressive in wiping it out this summer. Because we haven't taken the time to get all of it out and our yard is large and really infested, it has spread back into the areas that we killed years before. It's the most taxing route to removal but the only pesticide free way we've heard of.

[bubbaray]

I'm not sure if any of these (great!) ideas will work for us. The back yard is now at least 50% clover. So, anything we do has to not kill the grass, but kill the clover, KWIM?

I'm leaning towards just leaving it. The only downside is that the clover attracts bees, and I don't want DD or the dog (or me!) stepping on one! But, clover does seem to be easy to keep green, LOL! ;)

Thanks for all the tips. I've sent this thread along to DH and "we'll see"!


Melissa

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