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Monday, February 22, 2016

Clover-Like Weed Not Clover, Difficult to Control

Q. I have reddish, clover-looking weeds that have taken over my lawn.  Last year they nearly covered it.  I tried weed and feed several times but that didn't seem to get rid of them.  A friend of mine had the same problem and had to remove all of their grass and re-sod their lawn. They bought their own lawnmower made their landscaper use it because they said the lawnmowers that landscapers use can spread this clover everywhere.
Readers picture of "clover"

A. the picture you sent to me appears to be oxalis and not clover. Oxalis has a yellow flower. Clovers usually have white, pink or reddish flowers. They both have clover-like leaves.
            Oxalis is extremely difficult to control once it gets established. We see them growing in flowerbeds and shrub beds as well as lawns. In beds, it is usually brought in with the plant material as a weed contaminant in the container. But it also can be brought in on lawnmowers.
Oxalis
Focus on weed killers for lawns that include the weed “oxalis” on the label rather than clover. If you are not sure, give me the name of the product in an email and I can help you from there.
Control it now or in the fall, not during summer heat. If there were not too many, you could consider digging out the contaminated lawn areas to a depth of about 6 inches and replace it with sod.
In your case it sounds like it’s covering the entire lawn. There are many different lawn weed killers labeled for controlling dandelions. They contain several weed killers in different combinations to control a different array of weeds. Look at “dandelion” weed killers but make sure the label includes controlling oxalis. Use a product that is sprayed rather than a dry granular applied to the lawn.

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