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| White Clover |
Perhaps you have noticed that many school yards around town
have an abundance of weeds with white pom-poms throughout the lawns. What you are likely seeing are patches of white
clover that really thrive this time of year.
No, it has nothing to do with the students or faculty or the presence of
Leprechauns. Clovers are legumes and
part of the pea family. As a legume,
their roots have symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria which basically allow them
to take nitrogen from the air and make it available for uptake by their
roots. Clovers can take advantage in
soils that receive little fertilization by making their own and out competing the lawn and other weeds. They can be
good for soil building. On the negative
side, the flowers attract bees which can result in bee stings. Some clovers like California Burclover
produce spiny burs that can be painful on bare feet and become attached to
pet’s fur.
There are numerous types of clovers in our area. Clovers can be annuals, biennials, or
perennials. California Burclover (Medicago polymorpha)and Black Medic (Medicago lupulina) are very common annual clovers
that invade lawns. Both of these grow in
a low prostrate manner from a single taproot and produce bright yellow
flowers. The leaflets form in threes and
are oval shaped. In flower beds you may
see upright-growing sweet clovers like yellow sweetclover (Melilotus
officinalis) which may grow 2 or more feet tall. And finally you will see white (Trifolium repens)
and strawberry clovers (Trifolium fragiferum) which are perennials in
lawns, school yards, and parks throughout the state. Their creeping stems can root at the nodes
into the soil below. Their common names come from their mostly white or pink-strawberry
flowers that can be very prominent. The
white clover also has a white cresent mark on its leaves. Strawberry clover does not have this distinct
marking on the leaves and is generally a more robust and aggressive plant.
You may wish to keep clovers in your lawn for their ability
to add some nitrogen to the soils at no cost to you or you may like the
appearance of the plant and its flowers.
Others of you may not like the patchy appearance of the clovers, not
like to be stung by bees, or not like to be poked by burs. Lawn fertilization will help the lawn grasses
compete better with the clovers and reduce their advantage Unfortunately, mowing will not reduce the
presence of clovers, but you should still regularly mow the lawn. The annual clovers may be able to be pulledout by the taproot after a good rain or irrigation, but established white
clover patches will not be easily pulled out.
The use of selective herbicides are the best and easiest solution for
these.
For more information on clovers and other weeds call Weed
Man at 266-1624 or visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.
