Question
my entire lawn is white clover. can you sujest a weed killer that will take care of this problem.  I am located in long island new york

Answer
Hi Mike:

>>"...a weed killer ...?"

CHEMICAL CONTROLS for CLOVER:

Weedy Clovers tend to form dense patches in lawns as well as dispersed smaller islands of infestation.

>Use POST-EMERGENT Herbicidal Chemicals on weeds already actively growing and visible.
>Use PRE-EMERGENT Herbicidal Chemicals to PREVENT weeds arising from seeds resting in the top-soil.

Weed seeds can sometimes remain dormant in the soil for many years to sprout when conditions are to their liking,... so using a pre-emergent chemical is a very effective way to become weed-free...eventually.


TREATING DENSE CLOVER PATCHES in LAWNS:

DENSE PATCHES of  clover in lawns can be efficiently eliminated by the use of a chemical called 'GLYPHOSATE'.  This is a powerful broad-spectrum herbicide which kills almost any non-woody green plant.  This chemical (Glyphosphate) will work great and leave a dead area which you will have to re-seed or sod with turf grass.

Sometimes it is just more practical to manually work to eradicate small weedy areas than to spray-kill the weeds and have to re-establish lawn.  Most warm-climate grasses will eventually spread to fill-in the resultant bare areas where the weeds once grew.  Water and fertilizing can speed-up the recovery process.

Glyphosate is popularly sold as Monsanto's product called 'ROUND-UP'.  The same active ingredient can now be found marketed under several other brand-names.

DISPERSED BROAD-LEAF WEEDS in LAWNS:

Clover is a BROAD-LEAF type of weed.  Chemicals sold at your garden center may list the name
"clover" or "Trifolium" on the label IF these types of plants are TARGET WEEDS for the  chemical. Another rather common weed called "MEDICAGO" may be listed on an herbicide label; any chemical which can control weedy Medicago will probably also work on clover. Read the labels and follow directions.



To control the broad leaf weeds (Dandy-lions, Henbit, Chickweed, AND CLOVERS, etc.)... a post-emergent herbicide product that contains a mixture of the following three chemicals is recommended:

> 2,4-D (often sold and used individually as "Weed-B-Gone" formulations)
> MCPP (Mecoprop)
> Dicamba.

You should be able to find these chemicals or slight patented variations and mixtures of these at most lawn and garden/farm centers in either a granular (spreadable) or liquid (sprayable) product form.

Sprayable forms seem to work best especially when weeds are young. March to late May is the usual time to find these weeds, although with a mild winter they can pop up much earlier, go to seed and be more of a problem, so keep an eye out for an invasion and spray accordingly.

ABOUT SPRAYING:

Many of the liquid-form herbicides are now sold with a convenient hose-end applicator bottle packaging.  With adequate water-pressure and a good garden hose this form of the commercial herbicide can be applied to the entire lawn in one easy application.

Using your own sprayer and mixing-up the CONCENTRATE forms of the product will be the most cost-efficient method for using sprayable chemicals.

Reliable home-sprayers which can deliver 1-3 gallons of chemical are priced around $10 up.
Most liquid concentrates are mixed-up at a rate of around 1-3 ounces per gallon of water for application to so many square-feet area (usually 1,000 sq.ft.).  Calculating and brand-comparing the per-cent of active ingredient per gallon or per packaged form can give you a general idea of the costs and/or savings involved herbicide use.

 Different species of weeds may require different concentrations of resultant sprayable forms to be optimally effective.  Be careful in mixing-up any herbicide to be intentionally more concentrated than the manufacturer recommends.  Having an herbicide made more concentrated may or may not mean its action will be any more powerful than usual, so you are advised to follow manufacturer's directions.  Extra concentrated herbicides may also kill your lawn grasses as well as the weeds.

Keep sprayers cleaned after use and they can last indefinitely.  Doing your own pest-control is easy with a home sprayer and this can save you lots of money if you have been used to calling the Weed-Control Tech or commercial Exterminator.

Keep pets and their water/food bowls away from treated areas for several days after using any pesticide chemicals.  All EPA approved chemicals eventually bio-degrade in the top-soil to become generally safe for human use.  Some people and animals can be hypersensitive to certain chemicals, so be aware of this concern.

Once you have the invasive weedy plant under control in your lawn, you can keep a small amount of herbicide handy in a spray-bottle or purchase the chemical packaged in this form for SPOT-SPRAYING any small random patches or single plants that can persist to pop-up here and there.  Just a few of these plants can become the parent sources for next year's weed problems if they can produce seeds in the area',...  So look for these and spot-spray periodically to avoid having to deal with any more major invasions of the weed.

Read product labels and store and use the chemicals as directed. The herbicide concentrates can remain on the shelf for several seasons to be mixed-up and be used again for several treatments which may be necessary.

Note that weather conditions can greatly affect the efficacy of an herbicide, and several treatments may be required. Check the weather reports before spraying chemicals and never spray liquid pesticides on windy days.

Treat all pesticide chemicals as potential toxins and become well-informed in their use.
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To re-iterate:

Use a PRE-EMERGENT HERBICIDE regularly and as directed with the product and weeds will never have a start. This is THE most efficient method to be weed-free. Note that you must suspend the use of this type of chemical whenever you re-seed with a wanted grass seed so plan ahead.

List of eight Pre-emergent chemicals by their Brand Names:
Dimension
Gallery
Pennant
Pendulum
Surflan
Snapshot
Treflan
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In summary, to become clover-free,... spray kill what exists and work to prevent future invasions by preventing seed formation and dispersal.  Start using a PRE-EMERGENT chemical in the mid-winter months and early spring to keep many early cool season weeds from even getting started.

Look for the technical name  of clover plants "Trifolium" on herbicide labels or use it in web searches at GOOGLE.com for the best control data concerning Trifolium clovers and their relatives.

Another excellent web-site for information and images for about any and all types of plants is the USDA National Plants Database:

http://plants.usda.gov/index.html


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I Hope this has answered your question(s)!
Have the best Summer ever!

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