Question
QUESTION: I am from Wisconsin and we planted our grass last September.  Because of an unusually cold couple of months it did not grow well.  We had our landscaper come back and replant the grass this year.  Within a few weeks we had more clover than grass and now I do not know how to get rid of it without killing the grass that we have spent the time and money planting and watering.  Please help us find a solution for this now!:)

ANSWER: Some people call them Weeds.  I call them Nitrogen Fixating Superfactories!  The flower is very sweet and this plant is an amazing little wonder.  Back in the 1950s EVERYBODY was adding Clover to their mix.  They didn't stop doing that until someone named Scotts started pushing Broadleaf Weedkiller -- which killed Clover.  Suddenly Clover was a 'Weed'!

Although you are complaining about Clover, this is definitely something you ought to include in your Lawn. Because Clover is EXCELLENT for adding Nitrogen into the soil -- and Nitrogen is what makes your Grass tick!

The folks at Pennington Seed explain the science behind these amazing little plants in their '10 Great Reasons for Growing Clover':

http://www.penningtonseed.com/section/forage_02.asp?type=articles&id=243&home=re  

'Annual clovers, ladino or white clover, and red clover often fix 60 to 150, 100 to 150, and 150 to 200 lbs per acre per year, respectively...Because of their symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria, Clovers and other legumes provide homegrown slow release Nitrogen, which is more environmentally friendly than commercial Nitrogen.'

There's another benefit besides Nitrogen fixing that Clover brings to the table.  Disease and Pest resistance!  They note, 'A disease or insect pest is less likely to devastate a mixed forage stand.'

One Lawn fashion expert believes that "Clover Lawns Are In Vogue!" (versicolor.ca/lawns/docs/trends).  To tell you the
truth, I don't think even I am ready for an all-Clover lawn, but I am not livingin a drought-struck region.  With global warming, who knows what we'll bedealing with 10 years hence.

But for now, it would do your Grass WONDERS to add some clover to the mix to fix Nitrogen into your soil.  Clover makes Nitrogen out of thin air, literally, and injects it right into the soil where your Grass can use it. Your Lawn will LOVE it.  And it's a very pretty plant to put down there.

The best Clover looks like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_clover

But anything called Clover will do.  Keep the Clover.  In the fall, overseed.  Say no to chemicals.  The Earth is round.  Thanks for writing.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: This sounds great but our lawn is mostly clover and our subdivision doesn't care for it.  We had just overseeded this year and the clover is beating our grass.  How do we change the ratio from clover to grass

Answer
Your subdivision should wake up and smell the coffee, dear. But there is a solution.  I'll explain how it works.

If you plant Clover and Grass in somewhat deficient soil, the Clover thrives, the Grass does not.  The Clover has more N than it knows what to do with.  The Grass NEEDS more N.  So the Clover makes N, pours it into the soil, the Grass says MMMMmmmmmmm delicious! and uses the N.  Now you have LOTS of Clover, but you have MORE Grass because the Grass is LOVING that Nitrogen.  And the Grass gets stronger.  And the Clover begins to struggle.  Because Grass is tougher than Clover when it's healthy.

But ONLY when it's healthy!

So now the Grass gets very busy using the Clover's Nitrogen, and the Clover weakens.  And it thins.  And the Grass fills in.

Now there's LOTS of Grass and VERY LITTLE Clover.

Ooops!

Where did all the Nitrogen go?

Clover's there, but not that much anymore.  And we have TONS of Grass.  The Grass is not feeling so strong anymore.  The Grass begins to thin.  The Clover fills in.  The Clover is big and strong, and feeling better every day, and it makes MORE and MORE Nitrogen.  Until....

the cycle begins all over again!

You can correct this by feeding your Grass Nitrogen.  Slow release and steady.  And then the Clover won't be needed and it will begin to feel weak in the knees and little by little, it will disappear.

You have to be careful, because if you feed with a synthetic fertilizer high in Nitrogen, you will set your Grass up for a Fungus attack.  You need that like a hole in the head.

I prefer Organic fertilizers for many reasons, not the least of which is their long term lasting effects.  But you don't have time for 'long term'.  You need to get this over with.

There is a new slow-release fertilizer called 'Nitamin' invented by Georgia-Pacific available in a limited number of states so far.  Here is the website including a link to places you may be able to buy it:

http://www.nitamin.com/about.html

Remember, this is a fairly new product and the language in much of their literature and promotional material is not going to be tailored for you -- yet.  It is also not sold everywhere.  The reason I am so impressed with Nitamin is that although this is a chemical Nitrogen, this is a new system of slowly releasing it, for 90 days, so that the plant is able to use a significantly larger amount of the applied Nitrogen that you give it.  MOST of the Nitrogen you put down in regular fertilizer INCLUDING SLOW RELEASE FERTILIZER evaporates or washes down into the ground; very little ever gets into the plant.

If you can't find Nitamin, get another slow-release Nitrogen fertilizer, and water it in well so that you do not burn the Grass.

Your subdivision is in the Dark Ages.  Enlighten them.  The Earth is Round.  Clover is Green and Earth Friendly.  Only Scotts has anything to gain by putting Clover out to pasture.

But Clover will not compete with healthy Grass.  Mow, and it will fade into the background, and disappear.