If clover is a problem in your lawn, don't just reach for a chemical or commercial product to get rid of it for you. Organic methods exist to rid your lawn of clover without hurting the environment or making you sick.
Getting Rid of Clover Organically
Keep in mind that clover only appears in lawns where there is low nitrogen. It is actually nature's way of strengthening your lawn; when the clover grows, it adds nitrogen back into the soil. Eventually, your grass will grow stronger and will choke the clover out. If you can't wait for this to happen, or if clover is a chronic problem in your yard, there are other ways to deal with it.
Physically Remove the Clover
To organically treat and remove clover from your lawn, work toward restoring the nitrogen to the grass.
- Physically remove the existing clover by tilling the soil. The aeration caused by tilling will perk up your soil and prepare the ground to grow healthy grass again.
- Obtain some organic compost and add this to the newly tilled soil.
- Add some grass seed to the soil and water appropriately.
- Give your lawn some time, and green grass will begin to grow, replacing the spots where the clover was.
Apply Sugar and Water
Sugar, any type of cane or raw sugar will do, that is well watered onto the clover will help to kill it and remove it from your lawn.
- Sprinkle sugar over the clover in your lawn (approximately 5 lbs per 1000 square feet of lawn).
- Water it well until the sugar completely dissolves.
This will not immediately remove the clover from your yard, but it will kill the roots while it helps strengthen your lawn, so the clover won't be back next year.
Corn Gluten Meal
Corn gluten meal is sold at nearly all garden centers and nurseries. It will inhibit weed growth organically by releasing organic dipeptide into the soil.
- Spread about 20 pounds of corn gluten meal per 1000 square feet of lawn.
- Water it well and leave it to dry naturally.
Corn gluten meal will also inhibit other weeds from growing in your lawn.
An Organic Lawn
Organic lawns may not be as pristine as chemically treated lawns and commonly have a few weeds contained within. In fact, clover is no longer seen as the intruder that it used to be; many people are opting to keep the clover in their lawns to help stimulate pollen and honey production and to help their lawns regain their balance naturally.
Like it or not, clover serves a purpose in an unbalanced lawn. Clover is a plant that efficiently absorbs nitrogen from the air, much more efficiently than regular blades of grass. An imbalance within the soil makes it difficult for grass to thrive, but makes for an ideal area for clover to grow.
A Natural Solution
You may be surprised to find that these organic solutions to clover in your lawn are so simple, but once you realize that organic gardening is all about a balance with nature it becomes obvious that it isn't complicated to use organic methods. Your lawn may not be as immaculate as your neighbor who utilizes chemicals to treat clover and other lawn problems, but you can take solace in the fact that your lawn care methods are not detrimental to the environment.
