How to Kill Clover

Clover is not an ugly weed, but it's still a weed.

While a four-leafed clover is thought to bring good luck to those fortunate enough to find or own one, the three-leafed variety of clover is more often thought of as a nuisance and an unwanted weed. Clover is a deep green in appearance, and is one of the most common weeds found in North America. It is also usually found among grassy lawns, and if left alone will often overwhelm the grass entirely. Fortunately for frustrated lawn-care enthusiasts everywhere, there are a couple of simple techniques available for removing clover from your lawn completely.

Things You'll Need

• Broad-leaf herbicide
• Lawnmower
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Mix up a batch of your preferred selective herbicide--it should target only the broad-leaf weeds so that it leaves the grass and other beneficial plants around the clover untouched.

2. Spray the clover with a liberal amount of the herbicide. There are no set rules about how much herbicide you should spray the clover with, but the general rule-of-thumb is to apply an even coat over the entire clover patch.

3. Wait for a day, then mow the lawn where the clover is located. Proper lawn maintenance--while not as effective as a good herbicide--will cause the grass to thrive and eventually overpower the clover.

4. Apply the correct dosage of your preferred fertilizer to your lawn as well. Clover is not able to make as much use of grass fertilizer as grass is, and eventually the grass will become stronger than the clover and overpower the weed.

5. Pull any small remaining clumps of clover by hand.

Tips & Warnings

• The best herbicides to use for this task have dicamba or MCPP as their primary active ingredient.

References

• Blades Lawn Care: How to Kill Clover
• The Lawn Advisor: How to Kill Clover Weeds