Clovers

socalgardengal · December 15, 2013

I have a serious clover problem here and don't know how to tackle it. I tried pulling them and digging out the seeds but it has gotten way out of control. Is there some kind of weed killer I can use that wont kill the other plants around it? I know they are great for adding nitrogen to the soil BUT it's getting a bit overwelming. Thank you

Worth1 · December 15, 2013

Marijuana does a good job of choking out clover.

Seriously the seeds can stay dormant for years and still sprout.
The clover seeds that is.
You may try some sort of pre emergent in the soil.
I think preen is one.

Worth

habitat_gardener · December 15, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by socalgardengal

I have a serious clover problem here and don't know how to tackle it. I tried pulling them and digging out the seeds but it has gotten way out of control. Is there some kind of weed killer I can use that wont kill the other plants around it? I know they are great for adding nitrogen to the soil BUT it's getting a bit overwelming. Thank you

That's not clover! It's oxalis. Horrible weed; not a nitrogen fixer. It has tiny bulblets that stay in the soil even if you do manage to pull up one or more bulbs. Acid-yellow flowers.

I haven't had it in my gardens, but people who have gotten rid of it say the key is persistence. Pull up the greenery so that it does not continue to feed the bulblets. Do this 4-5 times, every time it resprouts, and eventually you will wear out the bulbs.

Or just wait until summer. It's a cool-season pest and goes away with warmer weather, lying in wait until cool weather comes again.

Another alternative is sheet mulching. (I find ivy even worse than oxalis because it provides rat habitat.) Scrape the surface, add a few layers of overlapping cardboard pieces and a few inches of mulch. Pull up any strays that come through. Again, persistence!

socalgardengal · December 16, 2013

Very funny Worth!��
So I'm dealing with a monster geez. Those little bulbs are everywhere! Pull and dig is what I'm doing now but it sure is a pain in the you know what! Thank you for the info Habitat, I appreciate it.

Doug9345 · December 16, 2013

I have found that, when trying to get rid of perennial weeds, not only is persistence important, but weeding on a very short cycle. The idea is to make the weed expend more energy on growing shoots than it is getting back in photosynthesis.

I think a week is too long a weeding cycle. Mulch works for the same reason.

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December 15, 2013	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Marijuana does a good job of choking out clover. Seriously the seeds can stay dormant for years and still sprout. The clover seeds that is. You may try some sort of pre emergent in the soil. I think preen is one. Worth

December 16, 2013	#4
socalgardengal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: San Diego,Ca Posts: 462	Very funny Worth!�� So I'm dealing with a monster geez. Those little bulbs are everywhere! Pull and dig is what I'm doing now but it sure is a pain in the you know what! Thank you for the info Habitat, I appreciate it.

December 16, 2013	#5
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	I have found that, when trying to get rid of perennial weeds, not only is persistence important, but weeding on a very short cycle. The idea is to make the weed expend more energy on growing shoots than it is getting back in photosynthesis. I think a week is too long a weeding cycle. Mulch works for the same reason.