Getting rid of clover weeds in a rye grass lawn (lawns, irrigation)

[Valley Native]

I have patches of annoying clover in my winter rye lawn, and I have tried just about everything to get rid of it. I've tried the Scott's fertilizer that is supposed to enhance grass growth & eliminate weeds. All it did was make both the grass and weeds greener. After I last mowed, I pulled a bunch of the clover by the roots (along with some of the rye grass unfortunately), but wasn't able to get all of it. This stuff really spreads (and multiplies) ... so the clover weeds that were left behind tripled in capacity within a matter of days.

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to combat this clover without killing the grass? It's really becoming a problem. I had the same type of weeds last year around the late winter/early spring, but this year is worse than ever. Any advice would be helpful.

[Bulldogdad]

I would call a professional to handle spraying the clover. Professional chemicals are the only way to completely eradicate the clover other than removing the lawn and several inches of topsoil. If you can get it I have used Speedzone and Redzone to kill clover in fecue/bluegrass lawns. UC Davis web site for agriculture is great for this kind of info. I used to get mine through John Deere Landscapes.

[WyoNewk]

It's been awhile since I had any clover in my lawn, but if I remember correctly, I just used Scott's 2+2. Is that what you used? Did you apply it after you watered your lawn? Did it have 24 hours after application before it was watered again?

Note: Mine was in primarily blue grass in the summer. I've never used winter rye.

Do you have a county extension office? I'm in a small city, but ours will give you tips on how to kill certain weeds, etc.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

It's been awhile since I had any clover in my lawn, but if I remember correctly, I just used Scott's 2+2. Is that what you used?

That is exactly what I used.

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

Did you apply it after you watered your lawn? Did it have 24 hours after application before it was watered again?

First, I mowed the lawn, then we had a decent amount of rain right after that, and then I applied the fertilzer after it was rain soaked. Shortly after that, I had to irrigate my lawn (I live in a neighborhood where we have irrigation schedules). Therefore, it has received a healthy amount of water. The combination of the fertilizer and water turned the grass plush green, but it also made the clover grow more rapidly as well ... so the promise of this fertlizer eliminating weeds is completely false.

[WyoNewk]

It's not the fertilizer that eliminates the weeds. Scotts +2 is a fertilizer/weed killer mix. You can water immediately after applying fertilizer and it still works fine, but weed killer must stay on the weeds' leaves for a day or so to be effective. Once it's washed off it does no good. Maybe that was your problem.

The best is to give it a good soaking so everything will grow fast, then apply it while it's still wet so the weed killer will stick to leaves better.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

It's not the fertilizer that eliminates the weeds. Scotts +2 is a fertilizer/weed killer mix. You can water immediately after applying fertilizer and it still works fine, but weed killer must stay on the weeds' leaves for a day or so to be effective. Once it's washed off it does no good. Maybe that was your problem.

The best is to give it a good soaking so everything will grow fast, then apply it while it's still wet so the weed killer will stick to leaves better.

Thank you for the suggestions. We just had a good amount of rain again last night ... so since I don't have to water any time soon, I will apply Scott's again to my lawn later today and leave it on without watering. Hopefully, that will eliminate the weeds.

That clover is nasty stuff. Not only does it spread rapidly, it stains your hands if you try to pull it (that is, if you're lucky enough to get it by the roots). I'm wondering if there's a way to initially combat the problem early in the fall when I apply rye seed. Clover weeds don't seem to appear until about February through April. When summer arrives, the heat seems to kill them off ... and I'm done with my rye grass by then anyway.

[WyoNewk]

Just be careful using the Scotts+2 too much or you'll over-fertilize. If you need to apply weed killer a third time, I'd just get some weed killer rather than use the Plus 2 stuff. During the slow growing seasons (like now) you probably won't notice the weeds (or clover) dying for a couple days, but if they still look healthy in a week, something ain't right.

I've never had any problem getting rid of clover. It's often placed in grass seed because it helps get a turf established quickly. A little clover mixed in with you grass isn't necessarily a bad thing. If I remember correctly, it also places nutrients into the soil -- I'm thinking nitrogen(?).

I've had Tru-Green do all my lawn work for several years now, so I've gotten out of touch with lawn care.

[marmac]

Stinger will kill the clover w/o harming the grass.

I use it to spot spray thistles on my farm and it will kill clover also.

Safe to use in pastures where there are cows grazing and you don't need a permit to purchase it.

Everybody claims it is expensive ( $150 per qt) but you only add few ounces per 3 gallons of water in a hand held sprayer and that 3 gallons will cover a big area.

I get about 10 sprayer fulls out of that $150 qt, so for $15 worth of stinger, a big lawn area can be spot sprayed.

[wabanaki]

White clover is not a weed. It actually helps lawns by producing fertilizer for grass naturally.

[marmac]

Actually, anything growing where it is not wanted is considered a ---"weed"

Corn is a weed if it is growing in a field of soybeans.