For some, clover is a symbol of luck – others see it as a general ruin of the lawn. We explain how to remove the plant.
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Four-leafed and known as a lucky charm – that’s how many people remember the clover. In the lawn, the weeds tend to displace the lush green – which is a thorn in the side of some amateur gardeners. But why does the four-leaf plant grow so strongly and how can it be removed in the most natural way possible? We have answers for you.
What are the causes of clover in the lawn?
As soon as clover grows in your lawn, it is usually a sign of a deficiency. Most of the time, your lush green will then lack nitrogen – the grass is less able to compensate for this than the clover, since it cleaves to bacteria that bind nitrogen. It follows that the clover continues to spread as the blades of grass are displaced.
However, it always depends on the type of clover to determine the deficiency. These types of clover are particularly common in Germany:
White clover: characterized by white and spherical flowers. It usually grows on calcareous and nutrient-poor soil.
Sour clover: Its flower has the shape of a calyx and is white with purple veins. Its appearance is a sign of a lime-poor and acidic soil.
Horn clover: The flower is yellow and reminiscent of an umbel in appearance. It grows increasingly on a low-nitrogen soil.
Scarifying & Co .: How to remove white clover in the lawn
If your lawn is plagued by white clover, you are in luck: Because this is less stubborn than sour and horn clover. It can often be kept in check by scarifying the lawn.
The surface of the lawn is cut open so that it can breathe better. The clover and its roots, on the other hand, are weakened, which is why the grass gets the chance to recapture its area. After scarifying, you should therefore help your green and provide it with the right fertilizer. Bald spots are sown.
Permanently removing horn clover: these tips will help
Compared to white clover, horn clover is a bigger evil. Simple scarifying usually doesn’t help here. The only option is to cut out the weeds. This means that every single plant must be dug out of the lawn and removed together with the roots. This can be a tedious job, but it doesn’t harm the rest of your lawn.
Quite different than some weed killers. These are always recommended when fighting clover, but this often works not only on weeds, but also on the grasses themselves. In addition, it is easily washed away when it rains. So should you decide to use one, you should get advice on the right remedy at the hardware store and not mow the lawn before use. This is the only way to catch the entire plant.
In addition, horn clover, as mentioned, is a sign of a nitrogen-poor soil. So give him a good nitrogen fertilizer that contains little phosphate. This is what the clover loves.
Remove clover from the lawn: that’s why you should use horn meal
In this case, you can use horn meal as a proven fertilizer. Because the fine chips from cattle horn have a particularly high nitrogen content and hardly any phosphate. So it is the perfect way to strengthen your lawn without doing anything good for the clover.
Clover in the lawn: do I have to limewalk it?
The appearance of clover in the lawn also gives you an indication of the pH of the soil – and whether it needs liming. You can find out exactly by means of a soil analysis, for which you take a sample and send it to a laboratory.
However, clover is usually the messenger of an alkaline soil – that is, the pH is greater than seven and the earth extremely calcareous. In this case, you should never add more lime. If, instead of clover, a lot of moss grows in your lawn, the soil is quite acidic – only then should you limescale.
Without poison: How to remove the clover in a natural way
If you don’t want to use herbicides to destroy weeds, there are other proven methods: For example, simply by covering the clover. Because without light, the plant has difficulty spreading further.
That is why many hobby gardeners swear by having the clover completely disappear under a plastic film for two to three weeks, depending on how long it takes. The grass around it is weakened, but can recover better after the procedure.
Prevent the clover from growing by mowing properly
By mowing the lawn sparingly, you are also doing something good for your grass. Because as soon as you cut it, the clover gets more light and shoots up – faster than your lawn can. So only mow in a metered manner and do not shorten the grass to less than five to six centimeters. This weakens the stalks and also leaves more room for the more robust clover.
Removing clover in the lawn without poison: this gardening tip swears by hobby gardeners
All you need is hot water: this is poured directly onto the weeds – and nowhere else – so that the plants die. Then let it dry and remove the clover and roots by hand. However, be careful not to injure yourself.
