I have recently treated my lawn with the normal weeder and fertiliser,
then went down with a bug .......... Grass grew like goodness knows but
having cut it the clover doesn't seem to have been touched by the
weedkiller at all.

Is there anything we can still use on grass or do I have to out up with
it? I am scarifying etc etc and suppose I could lob sharp sand etc round
the worst areas but I would like to be able to at least control the
stuff before it takes over my lawn completely

janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Why get rid of the clover? Mine is very happily living with the lawn and
I'm told that clover fixes nitrogen and acts as "grow your own lawn feed".

Bees and other insects also love the clover and my children enjoy watching
the insects.

Paul DS.

On 15/6/04 12:41, in article
, "Paul D.Smith"
wrote:

Why get rid of the clover? Mine is very happily living with the lawn and
I'm told that clover fixes nitrogen and acts as "grow your own lawn feed".

Bees and other insects also love the clover and my children enjoy watching
the insects.

Paul DS.


But, if unlucky like my (now grown up children and my dogs) may tread on the
bees on the clover and be stung. One can teach children about many hazards
but their own lawn is a bit much!
And eventually, the clover will infiltrate the lawn to the exclusion of all
else.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds after garden to email me)

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 14:02:12 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 15/6/04 12:41, in article
t, "Paul D.Smith"
wrote:

Why get rid of the clover? Mine is very happily living with the lawn and
I'm told that clover fixes nitrogen and acts as "grow your own lawn feed".

Bees and other insects also love the clover and my children enjoy watching
the insects.

Paul DS.


But, if unlucky like my (now grown up children and my dogs) may tread on the
bees on the clover and be stung. One can teach children about many hazards
but their own lawn is a bit much!
And eventually, the clover will infiltrate the lawn to the exclusion of all
else.

That assumes the OP lets it grow sufficiently to throw up blooms.
I do, and in 11 years have never had children or dogs step on bees -
nor has the patch of clover ( some 15ft in diameter ) spread
noticeably.

I tend to let it flower, to provide an early food source for the
insects, then cut it back throughout the summer.

Mind you, I have no intention of playing bowls on my lawn...

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

[snip]
I've found that the grass seems to survive quite well in amongst the clover.
If I don't mow for a while, I get a very dense "canopy" of grass above the
lower lying clover.

And from my experience of _trying_ to get it to spread, it's not as simple
as some believe. Or perhaps I just have a pretty clover-unfriendly patch of
lawn ;-).

Paul DS.

[snip]
I've found that the grass seems to survive quite well in amongst the clover.
If I don't mow for a while, I get a very dense "canopy" of grass above the
lower lying clover.

And from my experience of _trying_ to get it to spread, it's not as simple
as some believe. Or perhaps I just have a pretty clover-unfriendly patch of
lawn ;-).

Paul DS.

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 11:13:44 +0100, Janet Tweedy wrote:

I have recently treated my lawn with the normal weeder and fertiliser,
then went down with a bug .......... Grass grew like goodness knows but
having cut it the clover doesn't seem to have been touched by the
weedkiller at all.

Is there anything we can still use on grass or do I have to out up with
it? I am scarifying etc etc and suppose I could lob sharp sand etc round
the worst areas but I would like to be able to at least control the
stuff before it takes over my lawn completely

No sympathy from this quarter: I like clover in a lawn. Indeed, I
have deliberately seeded it into mine.

Now creeping buttercup, that's another story altogether.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
[change "atlantic" to "pacific" and
"invalid" to "net" to reply by email]

"Sacha" wrote in message
k...
On 15/6/04 12:41, in article
, "Paul D.Smith"
wrote:

Why get rid of the clover? Mine is very happily living with the lawn
and
I'm told that clover fixes nitrogen and acts as "grow your own lawn
feed".

Bees and other insects also love the clover and my children enjoy
watching
the insects.

Paul DS.


But, if unlucky like my (now grown up children and my dogs) may tread on
the
bees on the clover and be stung. One can teach children about many
hazards
but their own lawn is a bit much!
And eventually, the clover will infiltrate the lawn to the exclusion of
all
else.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds after garden to email me)
--------------------------
Clover is a desirable inclusion in grass as it fixes nitrogen and is
rich in protein.
A lawn is entirely different. Clover is a serious and unsightly weed.
In the summer, as the grass naturally takes on a lighter colour, or dries
out, the clover remains as dark green patches. Its greatest danger is that
it is always exceptionally slippery and can cause problems with boisterous
kids and pets.
A green-keeper found with clover growing would be suspended. Until the
rope breaks!!
Any nitrogen it fixes is retained while it lives, so that is no advantage.
In reasonably small areas a rake can expose its main stem and can then
be pulled.
A real lawn can only comprise grasses of one or more species. Other forms
of lawns would have to explain their content and then be singularly
specific~~ Camomile etc.

"Brian" wrote in message
...

"Sacha" wrote in message
k...
On 15/6/04 12:41, in article
, "Paul D.Smith"
wrote:

/snip/
A real lawn can only comprise grasses of one or more species. Other
forms
of lawns would have to explain their content and then be singularly
specific~~ Camomile etc.


I didn't realise there was a standard for a 'real' lawn. My fake lawn is
mostly made of of grass (of one or more species) but it does have some
non-grass in it.

Wait to I get my hands on our green keeper.

;-)

"Stephen Howard" wrote in message
...
snip
But, if unlucky like my (now grown up children and my dogs) may tread on
the
bees on the clover and be stung. One can teach children about many
hazards
but their own lawn is a bit much!
And eventually, the clover will infiltrate the lawn to the exclusion of
all
else.

That assumes the OP lets it grow sufficiently to throw up blooms.
I do, and in 11 years have never had children or dogs step on bees -
nor has the patch of clover ( some 15ft in diameter ) spread
noticeably.
snip

This brings back painful memories :-(

As a child I remember playing on a neighbour's lawn in the summer - running
through a lawn sprinkler to get nice and wet - and stepping on a bee. Not a
nice experience.

However I didn't observe if it was due to clover in the lawn.

I think the risk is essentially low but real.

AFAIK the best way to get rid of clover is to feed the lawn with nitrates.
Clover flourishes in a low nitrate environment when its ability to fix
nitrogen gives it an advantage. A well fed lawn should overwhelm any clover.
Which reminds me - must feed lawn :-)

Although I have clover in my lawn other more invasive weeds are more of a
problem, including (I think) birds foot trefoil. A very pretty weed, but a
weed nonr the less.

I have not been treating the lawn with weed&feed because of the dry
weather - will we get a wet spell to enable decent lawn treatment, or is
this it until autumn?

Cheers
Dave R

'Janet',

I assume you are referring to white clover. If so, you need Verdone
Extra

http://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/acat...Lawn_Food.html

which will get rid of it with one application. I can definitely vouch
for that. Also, it does not harm the grass in any way.

You can purchase it ready mixed with a spray gun for spot treatment or
mix it yourself for use with a watering can if you need is for fairly
extensive treatment.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.








"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
I have recently treated my lawn with the normal weeder and fertiliser,
then went down with a bug .......... Grass grew like goodness knows
but
having cut it the clover doesn't seem to have been touched by the
weedkiller at all.

Is there anything we can still use on grass or do I have to out up
with
it? I am scarifying etc etc and suppose I could lob sharp sand etc
round
the worst areas but I would like to be able to at least control the
stuff before it takes over my lawn completely

janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Jabba" wrote in news:OEIzc.144$yi3.34@newsfe4-gui:


"Brian" wrote in message
...

/snip/
A real lawn can only comprise grasses of one or more species. Other
forms
of lawns would have to explain their content and then be singularly
specific~~ Camomile etc.


I didn't realise there was a standard for a 'real' lawn. My fake lawn is
mostly made of of grass (of one or more species) but it does have some
non-grass in it.

Wait to I get my hands on our green keeper.

;-)

When you do, ask what a mown area where grass is the least-wanted species
is called.

We'd been calling it a lawn, but...

It's mostly daisies, bugle and buttercups at the moment. And it looks
pretty much like I hoped it would.

(mown grass - *so* dull...)

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

In article , Brian
wrote:

(snip)
Clover is a serious and unsightly weed.
In the summer, as the grass naturally takes on a lighter colour, or dries
out, the clover remains as dark green patches. Its greatest danger is that
it is always exceptionally slippery and can cause problems with boisterous
kids and pets.
(snip)

Last weekend (dry, warm) I pitched a small beer marquee for my son's
birthday barbecue. There was no avoiding the clover because it is
everywhere on the lawn. After 40 pairs of Nikes had shuffled around for
hours, the lawn turned black and slimy and the smashed clover was like
a Brylcreem gel, pasting the grass flat to the ground. I have been
scarifying, watering and feeding to bring about a measure of recovery
and the slime cap has finally gone although the lawn may not recover
this year.

So I would suggest that it's essential to eliminate clover from any
lawn subject to heavy wear.

Simon

Janet Tweedy wrote in message
...
I have recently treated my lawn with the normal weeder and fertiliser,
then went down with a bug .......... Grass grew like goodness knows but
having cut it the clover doesn't seem to have been touched by the
weedkiller at all.
Spray it with 2-4 D until you kill it all if that is what you want. Use a
hand held pump sprayer and mix, pump and spray till it all disappears. Be
prepared to do this for years especially if there are rabbits around as they
spread the seeds with their droppings. Good luck. I have finally accepted
the fact that white-top clover looks so-so in the back yard; it is only a
matter of time before I say the same thing for the front.

In article ,
(Paul D.Smith) wrote:

Why get rid of the clover?

Because she doesn't like it.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/