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Getting rid of clover?  

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grassygirl
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September 20, 2007, 04:12:32 PM

Hi Paul... I am the girl who planted cow peas on her front lawn and got the neighbors all in a frenzy!!  Well we then seeded and the mix i bought was a high quality mix but with a bit of clover.  Well......the clover completely took overthis summer.  Personally I don't think it's all that bad.  It's green and soft and requires little mowing.  BUT the neighbors have gotten their drawers in a bunch again and I would like to reduce the clover to a more manageable ratio in the grass.  Is it possible to remove most of it without chemicals? I have a pretty big lawn by the way...  Please help!! i APPRECIATE IT.

huh
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paul wheaton
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Posts: 1471

western WA


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September 20, 2007, 04:47:47 PM

Fertilizer!

Clover is a legume.  It gets its nitrogen from the air (sort of).  In the meantime, grass is a nitrogen pig, but it there isn't much in the soil, clover will dominate. 

When you put down the fertilizer, the grass kicks butt on the clover.

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grassygirl
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September 20, 2007, 06:02:34 PM

So should I fertilize AND put down more seed?  Any seed suggestions? Should I try the annual rye grass to help?  Thanks again.
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paul wheaton
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western WA


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September 20, 2007, 08:59:19 PM

There is perennial grass there already, right?

Just put down the fertilizer and the existing grass will go bonkers, smothering the clover!

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grassygirl
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September 21, 2007, 01:27:47 PM

So I assume i should use a high nitrogen ratio fertilizer?  I have a bag of pro-grow
5-3-4 but I notice others with higher nitrogen content.  Also no rush, but when will I notice results?  Is my grasss just hiding in the clover somewhere?  The lawn really is basically a field of clover!  Thanks again for your great help.
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grassygirl
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September 21, 2007, 01:47:36 PM

Where do I fit something like corn gluten meal for the weeds in?
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paul wheaton
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western WA


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September 21, 2007, 02:41:20 PM

I would skip the corn gluten stuff.

See if you can find something organic and closer to 10-1-1.

Can you see no grass?
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grassygirl
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September 21, 2007, 02:46:49 PM

barely any grass...this is what I seeded the new lawn with but it also had a small amount of clover which I thought would be nice but I guess I did something wrong since the whole lawn is pretty much a clover field.  So the ringer stuff youl like sounds right in its formulation.  Just can't seem to find it in the Big stores, gonna have to order online.

.35% Penn 1901 Tall Fescue
15% Longfellow II Chewings Fescue
15% Applaud Perennial Ryegrass
15% Discovery Hard Fescue
9.5% (9.75% if no clover)Broadway Kentucky Bluegrass
10% Navigator Red Fescue
0.25% Redtop and 0.25%
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paul wheaton
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western WA


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September 21, 2007, 04:14:24 PM

Wherabouts are you?

Why did you not plant tall fescue?

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grassygirl
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September 21, 2007, 05:38:25 PM

i am in east central PA.  the deswcription said this blend was engineered for organic lawn care- to stand up without the chemicals it had the fescue in it so I thought itwas a good choice. No? aaargh.....
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paul wheaton
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western WA


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September 21, 2007, 08:24:35 PM

How cold does it get there in the winter?
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grassygirl
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September 22, 2007, 06:59:45 AM

umm we are zone 5 or 6 I believe.  It can get cold but not uasual for severe freeezing or anything like that. 
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paul wheaton
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western WA


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September 22, 2007, 11:56:33 AM

So it can get to ten below?
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grassygirl
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September 23, 2007, 07:25:09 AM

That's pretty rare and extreme. Sometimes we get single digits but I would say the average is probably somewhere in the 30's.
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paul wheaton
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western WA


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September 23, 2007, 07:50:30 AM

In that case, something you might consider is the "amanda pea".  You plant it in the fall and it grows through the winter.  Around mid spring, plant some new grass.

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