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Getting rid of clover? | (Read 1145 times) |
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grassygirl
Posts: 24
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September 20, 2007, 04:12:32 PM |
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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.
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1471
western WA
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September 20, 2007, 04:47:47 PM |
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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
Posts: 24
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September 20, 2007, 06:02:34 PM |
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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
Administrator
Posts: 1471
western WA
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September 20, 2007, 08:59:19 PM |
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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
Posts: 24
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September 21, 2007, 01:27:47 PM |
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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
Posts: 24
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September 21, 2007, 01:47:36 PM |
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Where do I fit something like corn gluten meal for the weeds in?
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1471
western WA
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September 21, 2007, 02:41:20 PM |
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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
Posts: 24
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September 21, 2007, 02:46:49 PM |
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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
Administrator
Posts: 1471
western WA
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September 21, 2007, 04:14:24 PM |
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Wherabouts are you?
Why did you not plant tall fescue?
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grassygirl
Posts: 24
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September 21, 2007, 05:38:25 PM |
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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
Administrator
Posts: 1471
western WA
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September 21, 2007, 08:24:35 PM |
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How cold does it get there in the winter?
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grassygirl
Posts: 24
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September 22, 2007, 06:59:45 AM |
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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
Administrator
Posts: 1471
western WA
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September 22, 2007, 11:56:33 AM |
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So it can get to ten below?
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grassygirl
Posts: 24
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September 23, 2007, 07:25:09 AM |
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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
Administrator
Posts: 1471
western WA
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September 23, 2007, 07:50:30 AM |
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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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