How to eliminate clover from lawns and gardens in winter

Lawns

Clover has a habit of moving into lawns during winter and then gets out of hand when the weather starts to warm up. To remove clover from your lawn, mow and then fertilise. Lawns love nitrogen but clover hates it, so use an NPK fertiliser which has high levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. 

You should also mow your lawn a little longer in winter. By increasing your mower’s height, the grass will be able to better absorb nutrients and sunlight, allowing it to potentially block out the weeds and stop them from taking hold. You can also make your own organic weed spray by adding one cup of salt to one litre of vinegar.

If you decide to remove any clover by hand, try to make sure you get all the roots out, otherwise it will just grow back.

Garden beds

The best way to get rid of clover in your garden beds is to pull out the weeds by hand, making sure you get the roots. This will be easier after it has rained, or you could spray the area you are weeding with water before you start. Lay mulch afterwards to reduce the chance of it returning.

Many weeds move in when there are empty spaces, and clover is no exception. So, you could try planting more flowers and shrubs in your garden to fill it up and make it harder for clover to get established.  

If you’re not quite ready to fill your garden, you can lay some weed mat underneath the mulch. This will stop the clover from taking over.  

Remember:

When removing clover, make sure you do it before the flowers form, otherwise it will be difficult to get rid of.

Make sure to dispose of the clover in a place where it cannot grow. As tempting as it is, don’t add it to your compost bin, as that will be like putting it in a five-star hotel! It will let it thrive and spread around your garden as the compost is used. Put it in your GO or FOGO kerbside bin if you have one and in your general waste bin if you don’t.

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