Whether you’re an amateur gardener, suburban homeowner, or just looking for ways to improve your backyard, it’s important to know what plants to be on the lookout for, as some might be harmful and invasive weeds. Some are more easy to identify, while others can be a little more difficult.
Today we’ll be talking about White Clover. This often overlooked weed can be invasive and spread quickly throughout your garden, but identifying it can be tricky. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at White Clover: how to identify it in your lawn and garden, where it naturally grows, how to get rid of White Clover, and more.
So, what does White Clover look like? Let’s go find out!
What is White Clover?
White Clover, Trifolium repens, is a subspecies of Clover and one of the most prevalent types of weed you’ll come across. It has also been known as Dutch Clover or Ladino Clover. It grows naturally in Europe and central Asia, and it can be found throughout the British Isles, and has since become an introduced species on every other continent.
White Clover is also a beneficial weed in many situations. For one thing, it serves as an excellent source of nectar for bees. Additionally, it was originally cultivated as a forage crop for livestock to eat in non-native areas. It is known as the most important temperate-climate, countrywide forage legume. It can also be used as a companion plant and an organic green manure.
For those who desire a weed-free lawn, however, it may still be considered a pest!
Where Does White Clover Grow?
White clover is a perennial plant that grows well in cooler regions and may be found growing close to the ground as a weed or an invasive species in certain parts of the world.
White clover is a fast-spreading plant that may infest large sections of grass lawns. It grows well in moist soils, but it can also endure dry periods by going dormant.
White clover may be reproduced by seeds, creeping roots, or division. It is mostly spread via rootstocks as well as seeds carried by wind and water erosion from adjacent infested areas, but it may also cling to shoes or clothing as people trek through infested regions. The plant spreads rapidly because each tiny seed has four embryos within it, making germination really easy.
How to Identify White Clover
You might be wondering what White Clover is and why it appears to look like little clumps of snow in your grass. After all, the first step in getting rid of any weed from your garden is to identify it.
Visual Characteristics
White clover, or Dutch clover, is one of the most easily-recognized types of clovers.
It has spherical white flower heads that give it its name. This is why your yard may seem like snow or cotton tufts have infested it. These flowers are typically less than an inch broad and grow no more than 8 inches off the ground. The white heads can have a pink or cream tinge to them.
White Clover has three-leaflet leaves that grow along its stem, just like other plants in the legumes family (i.e. beans, peas, etc.), making it a trifoliate plant. The leaves are egg-shaped or elliptical, and usually have light or dark markings.
Growth Stages
White Clover is most prevalent during the spring season, although it can endure all year if circumstances are favorable. It primarily reproduces during the spring and fall.
Its flowers bloom between the months of May and October. As the plant ages, the flower heads become more and more colored with a pink or cream tinge.
Other Unique Traits
White Clover is able to regulate the nitrogen levels of a soil, and are sometimes used instead of a high nitrogen fertilizer on pasture lands in temperate climates.
Plants That Look Like White Clover
White Clover looks like Wild Clover, as is to be expected. The main difference between the two is that White Clover has only one stem per plant instead of the three stems of Wild Clover (white or otherwise) in your lawn.
How to Get Rid of White Clover
We recommend beginning with organic measures before turning to harsher chemical methods as a last resort. Pulling up plants by hand or spraying them with vinegar will eliminate any new growths within 48 hours without harming beneficial insects or pollinators that also call your yard their home!
Pull up Wild Clover while it is still little, when plants have only one leaf each, as their root systems haven’t yet developed enough strength to resist being yanked out without difficulty.
If you can’t get rid of White Clover in your yard using organic techniques, or if it’s too large of a spread and too well-established, a weed killer or herbicide is the next best options.
The most effective approach to get rid of White Clover is to use pre-emergent herbicides before it spreads in your yard or garden. A glyphosate-based non-selective weed killer will effectively get rid of the infestation.
Conclusion
White Clover is a weed often seen growing in fields, along roadsides, as well as other disturbed areas. It can be found growing in many countries of the world, and also has some unique visual traits to make it unique from other plants. There are also multiple weeds that look like White Clover, so it’s best to learn how to correctly identify this specific weed.
Once you know how White Clover looks, it will be much easier to find and identify this weed in a field or in your own backyard. This will then help you get rid of this weed if necessary.
If you’re unsure whether or not you’ve discovered Clover, it’s always best to consult with a professional, and you can also feel free to get in touch with us, as we will be happy to help you out! Thanks for reading this post, and we wish you good luck in your garden!