Good day all,

For several weeks, I've noticed a patch of my lawn (about 1 metre diameter)
that is a yellower shade of green than the rest of the lawn. On closer
examination, I find that this patch has been invaded by an unusual-looking
variety of clover which has totally smothered all the grass that was once
there. Like your usual clover, each leaf is in triplicate, but the leaves
are smaller and more triangular, and each leaf has a brown speck in the
middle. It seems to be spreading via runners. The dark brown runners are
particularly strong and wirey. Is anyone familiar with this invader, and
can you suggest a way to eradicate it?

Many thanks, on this grey drizzly day!

Al

On 27/06/2014 11:32, AL_n wrote:
Good day all,

For several weeks, I've noticed a patch of my lawn (about 1 metre diameter)
that is a yellower shade of green than the rest of the lawn. On closer
examination, I find that this patch has been invaded by an unusual-looking
variety of clover which has totally smothered all the grass that was once
there. Like your usual clover, each leaf is in triplicate, but the leaves
are smaller and more triangular, and each leaf has a brown speck in the
middle. It seems to be spreading via runners. The dark brown runners are
particularly strong and wirey. Is anyone familiar with this invader, and
can you suggest a way to eradicate it?

Many thanks, on this grey drizzly day!

Spotted Medick perhaps.
http://www.seasonalwildflowers.com/a...ed-medick.html

Trefoil type plants in lawns seem quite hard to get rid of unless you
use a selective lawn weed herbicide. My other half uses a noxious liquid
chemical called Verdone Extra to deal with Lesser Trefoil, Medick and
similar lawn colonisers.

Personally, I'd rather have a pink and white clover lawn, with some
speedwell for good measure, and let the daisies and other low growing
wild things colonise as they will, but so far I haven't managed to
persuade him.

--
Sue

On Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:33:10 +0100, Indigo
wrote:

On 27/06/2014 11:32, AL_n wrote:
Good day all,

For several weeks, I've noticed a patch of my lawn (about 1 metre diameter)
that is a yellower shade of green than the rest of the lawn. On closer
examination, I find that this patch has been invaded by an unusual-looking
variety of clover which has totally smothered all the grass that was once
there. Like your usual clover, each leaf is in triplicate, but the leaves
are smaller and more triangular, and each leaf has a brown speck in the
middle. It seems to be spreading via runners. The dark brown runners are
particularly strong and wirey. Is anyone familiar with this invader, and
can you suggest a way to eradicate it?

Many thanks, on this grey drizzly day!

Spotted Medick perhaps.
http://www.seasonalwildflowers.com/a...ed-medick.html

Trefoil type plants in lawns seem quite hard to get rid of unless you
use a selective lawn weed herbicide. My other half uses a noxious liquid
chemical called Verdone Extra to deal with Lesser Trefoil, Medick and
similar lawn colonisers.

Personally, I'd rather have a pink and white clover lawn, with some
speedwell for good measure, and let the daisies and other low growing
wild things colonise as they will, but so far I haven't managed to
persuade him.

I agree with you. Trefoil and many other lawn components look better
than just plain grass. My house had a manicured lawn when I first
bought the property. I hated it until it reverted to a real lawn.

Steve

--
Neural Network Software http://www.npsnn.com
EasyNN-plus More than just a neural network http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN Prediction software http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN Just a neural network http://www.justnn.com

On 27/06/14 12:47, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:

I agree with you. Trefoil and many other lawn components look better
than just plain grass. My house had a manicured lawn when I first
bought the property. I hated it until it reverted to a real lawn.

Steve


+1. I like daisies, buttercups and clover and random other things -
especially when they pop up to flower once in a while.

I do not like the big flat broadleafed weeds though - I spot blast those
with Verdona selective spray which seems to dispatch them without doing
much damage to the things I do like.

Indigo wrote in news:L-
:

http://www.seasonalwildflowers.com/a...ed-medick.html

Yes, it could be that. The leaves on mine are heart-shaped, on closer
examination (not "triangular" as I previously stated - sorry).

Thanks for the suggestions. I will turf out the affected patch and re-plant
with "Eco-Lawn" seed, which is what I have been using on the other part of
my garden that I turned into lawn. If any of the spotted medic remains,
I'll probably purchase that selective weedkiller you kindly suggested.

Actually, this strain of spotted medic looks like it would make quite an
effective maintenance-free lawn in itself! It seems to require no cutting,
and seems to effectively smother everything in its path. So, perhaps I
should just let it run riot, until my entire lawn is 100% spotted medic!

However it looks kind of ugly whwn only 1 sq mtr of the lawn is affected.

Al

On 27/06/2014 13:45, Tim Watts wrote:
On 27/06/14 12:47, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:

I agree with you. Trefoil and many other lawn components look better
than just plain grass. My house had a manicured lawn when I first
bought the property. I hated it until it reverted to a real lawn.

Steve


+1. I like daisies, buttercups and clover and random other things -
especially when they pop up to flower once in a while.

I don't like dandelions or buttercups in my lawn at all or too many
daisies, but I will let any other low growing flowering plant survive so
long as it isn't too invasive. Monoculture looks too boring.

I have had a few highly coloured Bellis cultivars seed themselves into
the lawn from time to time and I try to keep them going.

I do not like the big flat broadleafed weeds though - I spot blast those
with Verdona selective spray which seems to dispatch them without doing
much damage to the things I do like.

Dandelions come out very satisfyingly with a 12" screwdrive down the tap
root and a sharp lever action.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 27/06/2014 14:01, AL_n wrote:
Indigo wrote in news:L-
:

http://www.seasonalwildflowers.com/a...ed-medick.html

Yes, it could be that. The leaves on mine are heart-shaped, on closer
examination (not "triangular" as I previously stated - sorry).

Thanks for the suggestions. I will turf out the affected patch and re-plant
with "Eco-Lawn" seed, which is what I have been using on the other part of
my garden that I turned into lawn. If any of the spotted medic remains,
I'll probably purchase that selective weedkiller you kindly suggested.

Actually, this strain of spotted medic looks like it would make quite an
effective maintenance-free lawn in itself! It seems to require no cutting,
and seems to effectively smother everything in its path. So, perhaps I
should just let it run riot, until my entire lawn is 100% spotted medic!

However it looks kind of ugly whwn only 1 sq mtr of the lawn is affected.

Al

Think this is what you have
http://www.perennials.com/plants/tri...ons-blood.html

David Hill wrote in news:c15cnsFrj5hU1
@mid.individual.net:

http://www.perennials.com/plants/tri...ons-blood.html

Similar, but mine has tiny yellow flowers and a single speckle in the
middle of each small heart-shaped leaf. The leaves are much smaller than
the average clover.

Al

On 28/06/2014 00:07, AL_n wrote:
David Hill wrote in news:c15cnsFrj5hU1
@mid.individual.net:

http://www.perennials.com/plants/tri...ons-blood.html

Similar, but mine has tiny yellow flowers and a single speckle in the
middle of each small heart-shaped leaf. The leaves are much smaller than
the average clover.

Al

Try yellow suckling clover, lesser trefoil, trifolium
Different names for the same plant

On 28/06/2014 00:51, David Hill wrote:
On 28/06/2014 00:07, AL_n wrote:
David Hill wrote in news:c15cnsFrj5hU1
@mid.individual.net:

http://www.perennials.com/plants/tri...ons-blood.html

Similar, but mine has tiny yellow flowers and a single speckle in the
middle of each small heart-shaped leaf. The leaves are much smaller than
the average clover.

Al

Try yellow suckling clover, lesser trefoil, trifolium
Different names for the same plant

The previously suggested spotted medick seems a better match.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On 27/06/2014 13:45, Tim Watts wrote:
+1. I like daisies, buttercups and clover and random other things -
especially when they pop up to flower once in a while.

It's when a Bee orchid appeared I knew I was doing it right

Andy
--
Actually it may have been there for years, we only bought the place last
autumn. But the PO obviously wasn't a lawn fanatic either.

On 29/06/14 21:54, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 27/06/2014 13:45, Tim Watts wrote:
+1. I like daisies, buttercups and clover and random other things -
especially when they pop up to flower once in a while.

It's when a Bee orchid appeared I knew I was doing it right

Andy

Wow...

I like having a "controlled" meadow garden. Since I took a Bosch
verticutter to it and removed about 5m3 of moss and thatch, the grass is
a lot happier (I did overseed with grass and clover and some meadow
flower mixed seeds) - and the birds love it because the worms are easy
to find.

We have at least 2 blackbird families and a very round dove that are
always about.

When the lawn flowers, bees are floating around everywhere.

And at night snails come out in their dozens. I do not grow vegetables
so they bother me not - and the birds like them too.