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Dutch Clover Takeover Strategy Question

 
pollinator
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I have all this Dutch white clover… but grass going to seed is growing right up through it. Plant app says Kentucky bluegrass. I want to continue letting the clover takeover my yard so I’m unsure of what (if anything) to do. Originally I was going to let the clover to go seed, then mow it to disperse the seed to new grounds. But waiting for clover to seed will also result in me dispersing the grass seed.

Any advice on strategy, and should that strategy be different on the well colonized vs not-so-colonized parts of the lawn?
Should I have just kept mowing to prevent grass seed since the clover will spread enough by rhizome growth even if I didn’t let it flower/seed?
Clover-lawn.jpg
[Thumbnail for Clover-lawn.jpg]
Uncolonized-lawn.jpg
[Thumbnail for Uncolonized-lawn.jpg]
 
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I find that by mowing high on a regular basis, the grass can't form seed and the clover adapts by flowering low.
 
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Have you had any luck in getting your clover to take over and dominate the grass? I have a similar situation where I've got over 50% clover population already, but would like to figure out methods to help it to kill off the baneful grass.

I also had the thought of mowing high, but I have some people around that gripe about "tall grass" even when it's NOT tall by any reasonable standards.
 
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I doubt the grass is going away anytime soon from being crowded out by clover. I believe the best you can do without tilling the whole thing and starting over is to accept you have a mix of clover and grass. I'd wait for the clover flowers to mature and then mow.
 
Greg Payton
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Sad but I suppose that's true @Gregory Campbell. Has anyone done the "mow high" method for a prolonged period and have an idea of how many years of this process might one be looking at for clover taking over an area based on maybe a starting vs ending percentage and/or a yearly kind of figure of what they've experienced?
 
Douglas Alpenstock
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Mowing high is not an elimination technique. It's a coexistence technique, with benefits.

The grass turf will keep growing and crowding out weeds. The low clover will crowd the grass for sunlight, retain moisure, build the soil, and feed pollinators (and rabbits) through the whole growing season. I think this is a perfectly satisfactory arrangement.

And it cons the neighbours into thinking you have something like a lawn! Silly neighbours.
 
Matt Todd
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Greg Payton wrote: Has anyone done the "mow high" method for a prolonged period and have an idea of how many years of this process might one be looking at for clover taking over an area based on maybe a starting vs ending percentage and/or a yearly kind of figure of what they've experienced?



It's hard to tell and nearly impossible to quantify what is my doing vs what the seasonal conditions (moisture, temp, etc) are favoring. But it seems to be working out. I think a lot of grass shoots up early in the season, so my goal has been to keep it from going to seed without mowing so low that it chomps up the clover. And now here in mid June, the clover is really starting to thicken up as the grass decreases vigor. But without hiring some turf management interns for the summer, I won't be doing any percentage measuring  
 
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