I find the best lawn to be a green lawn and the greenest lawns have clover. White Clover (Trifolium repens) is an amazing plant that grows right alongside your grass and adds tremendous benefits to any lush lawn. A legume and relative of the pea, clover is a nitrogen-fixing plant that sucks nitrogen, the thing that makes plants green, right out of the air and shoots it to the roots. Legumes accomplish this via a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with a bacteria known as Rhizobium.
Now all this fancy talk just means that clover makes lawns greener without any added fertilizers and does it all with less water than lawn grass. If you aren’t completely blown away by clover now, there’s something wrong with ya! Best of all if you happen to find a 4-leaf clover you’ll get all that luck!
But what happens when a weed that looks like clover finds its way into your lawn? These weeds use water, don’t always fix nitrogen, and can be toxic to dogs and cats. They pretend to be our beloved clover but are actually imposters! Continue below to discover all the lawn weeds that look like clover but aren’t.
Most Common Weeds That Look Like Clover
Common lawn weeds that look like lawn clover are Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum), Wood Sorrel (Oxalis), Japanese Clover (Lespedeza), Black Medic (Medicago lupulina). These plants might look like the mighty shamrock, and some are even in the same family, but none of these plants accompany the healthy lawn we want and are considered weeds.
A Closer Look at Lawn Weeds that Look Like Clover
Now that we know these sneaky posers exist it is our job to identify them and eliminate them while also working to prevent them from ever coming back. Step one is knowing what to look for so let’s dive deep into different types of clover weeds.
Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum)
This clover is in the same family as the white clover we prefer for our lawns, but doesn’t have the same resilience or tolerance as the latter. It is most easily recognized by the pale pink or white flower heads that grow from the leaf axils. The trifoliate leaves are unmarked, lacking the white Vs we see on lawn clover.
Alsike clover is commonly found in soil that is more acidic and poorly drained than what a good lawn should be. If we see it starting to crowd out our white clover it may mean it is time to aerate the lawn or raise the pH. The main reason to avoid letting this weed take hold is that is extremely toxic to some animals and could cause problems for pets or homestead animals.
To remove Alsike clover without hurting the surrounding plants you can take advantage of corn meal gluten. This effective product releases organic dipeptides into the soil which dry out a clover’s seeds making it impossible for new ones to sprout. Common dilution rates are to mix 3 parts distilled water with 1 part corn meal gluten.
Wood Sorrel (Oxalis)
Perhaps the most common lawn weed that looks like clover is wood sorrel. This nutritious and highly-beneficial plant is great for foragers and herbalists but is not favored by lawn enthusiasts. It is identified by 3 heart-shaped leaves that emerge from each petiole (long stalk). Sometimes seen as a weed that looks like a clover with yellow flowers, it blooms fully in the summer and has petals of different shades than the white clover.
Wood sorrel most commonly grows in open, dry places which we try to avoid on a lush lawn. If you see it creeping in then it might be a sign that the area isn’t getting enough moisture or shade. The only way to isolate and remove wood sorrel is to pull it by hand unless you opt for chemicals. To save time on this let’s look at how to prevent Oxalis from showing up.
Since wood sorrel prefers dry and open spaces it is important to never cut your grass too short and to avoid cutting areas when they are too dry. If you can stay on top of keeping your lawn dense and moist you will avoid an infestation of this clover-looking weed.
Japanese Clover (Lespedeza striata)
Clover-like weeds in the grass can indicate your lawn needs attention. The Japanese clover is a low-growing summer annual that could be mistaken for lawn clover at first glance. With a bit more focus you can quickly see that while it has dark green trifoliate there are also three oblong leaflets. In the late summer, small pink to purple flowers appear and adorn this clover-like weed.
Japanese clover does not fix nitrogen and it’s often found in dry, thin, under-fertilized turf. It will choke out weak areas of the lawn and grows very low to the ground. It can be hard to see until it is established and mechanical removal (hand-pulling) is the only effective way to get rid of it.
To prevent different types of clover weeds it is important to maintain dense turf. You will want your lawn to be well fertilized and have the appropriate moisture levels. When an area begins to dry up, quickly remedy the situation to avoid a Japanese clover outbreak.
Black Medic (Medicago lupulina)
While considered part of the clover family, but not part of the clover genus, the black medic is a plant that closely resembles lawn clover. Another clover-like weed with yellow flowers, the black medic has oval-shaped leaves but no white Vs.
If you begin to see patches of yellow flowers growing up amongst your clovers there is a good chance you are suffering from soil problems. The good news is that black medic acts more like a warning flag than an invasive species, giving you a chance to fix your lawn before worse weeds show up.
The most common condition that leads to this clover look-alike is compaction. Something like driving a car over the lawn may compact parts of the soil enough that the black medic might appear. Usually, aeration and amending the compacted area with organic material should be enough to eliminate the weed. However, if it’s particularly bad you may need to resort to pulling up what’s left.
Stopping Weeds that Look Like Clover Once and For All
There are many lawn weeds that look like clover and each one is a great indication of the health of your lawn. White clover grows right alongside healthy lush grass and adds nitrogen as well. The different types of clover weeds I covered today can ruin your lawn and cause big problems. Once you have identified that some of the clover-like weeds are growing on your lawn you will want to take immediate action.
Depending on the specific weed you will need to add moisture, aerate, adjust pH, or tug and pull until the problem has been corrected. Once you have gotten rid of these weeds that resemble clover you can resow some white clover and make sure your lawn has what it needs to stay green. Remember to keep everything moist and mow high, especially when it is hot outside. If you follow all these tips you might just be able to stop weeds that look like clover once and for all.
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