When to Spray White Clover in the Lawn

Spray clovers with herbicide on a wind-free day.

White clover is either a preferred lawn substitute or a weed depending on your desired texture and look for the yard. When white clover is a perennial weed, gardeners must spray their yards with a herbicide that will not harm their own turf. In fact, spraying white clover at the beginning of its growing season gives you optimal control because young weeds are easier to kill than mature plants.

Timing

White clovers pop up in the lawn in the spring or fall. The weed thrives when air temperatures are cool and the ground is moist. Time your herbicide spray for the beginning of its growing season. If white clover patches are taking up large areas of the lawn, you will need to reseed after removing the weed to prevent weeds taking advantage of bare soil. Because summer is a difficult time to keep the soil moist for grass seed germination, plan to remove your clovers and reseed the areas in spring or fall.

Herbicide Preparation

Choose a time when temperatures have dipped below 80 degrees Fahrenheit to spray your white clovers. In addition, you need at least 24 hours of dry weather for the herbicide to absorb into white clover's foliage. Avoid mowing your lawn for two days before and after applying your clover herbicide. Mowing white clovers before applying the spray will make the herbicide less effective. The more surface area on the clover, the more herbicide absorbs into the plant.

Herbicide

Use a herbicide that contains the active ingredient MCPP. Read the label to ensure that the herbicide will not harm your turf and use the correct amount accordingly. If you plan on reseeding the lawn, wait three to four weeks for the herbicide to leach out of the soil. Herbicide residue in the soil harms grass seed germination or other ornamental plant seeds.

Overseeding

Overseed your lawn with your own preferred turf grass after the herbicide residue has left the soil. If growing a warm-season grass type, make sure you overseed your lawn before temperatures cool for the winter. It is important for warm-season grass to establish before winter. Failure to give your grass enough time to grow results in winter injury and more bare areas. Cool-season grass seed will have time to establish and grow, because this grass type thrives in cool temperatures.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension; Clover, How to Grow It/How to Eliminate It; Beth R. Jarvis
• Iowa State University Extension; Control of Broadleaf Weeds in the Lawn; Richard Jauron; August 1995