How to Get Rid of Crabgrass & Clover in the Lawn

If you want to have a great looking lawn, you’ve got to learn to control your weeds. If you get rid of your weeds all that’s left is grass and you will have a great lawn.

That sounds easy and logical, right?

Well, I’m going to show you that it actually can be easy with the two worst weeds that will take over your lawn:

  • Crabgrass
  • clover

How to get rid of clover in your lawn

Although clovers provide cover for your turf, and the flowers are pretty when out but also bring an unsightly look to an otherwise cool looking yard.

There are many herbicides that claim to remove clover, but only a few might be worth considering.

The best weed killer for clover needs to selectively kill clover while leaving your grass intact and not harming you, your family, and pets. Read on to choose the best product for your yard.

Why is Clover Growing on Your Yard?

You need to understand what causes the growth of clover so that you can control its growth even after using a weed killer.

Clover grows in soils deficient of nitrates.

Clover is a legume, which means it absorbs nitrogen from the air – it does not need the nitrates in the soil.

The presence of clover on your lawn is an indication that your grass is deficient in nitrates and you need to do something.

Low nitrogen levels in the soil might result from:

Poor Soil

How rich is the soil in your yard?

You can do a soil test to ascertain the nutrients in your soil.

Test soil from different areas of the yard in case the clover patch is different from other areas.

If your soil lacks in most nutrients, you can enhance its quality by top-dressing and aerating. Do this repeatedly for a few years until your soil improves.

You can use a slow-release fertilizer and try to avoid chemical fertilizers that leach fast.

Over Irrigation and Cool Temperature

If you over-irrigate your yard, much of the nitrogen might leach away and leave your soil deficient.

Heavy rains and overlapping sprinkler patterns can create poor soil spots for the growth of clover.

A lot of water also lowers the temperature in your yard and that too promotes clover growth.

Because uprooting clover by hand can be challenging and take a lot of time, you need a weed killer formulated for clovers.

Considerations When Shopping for a Weed Killer for Clovers

How do you pick a product that meets your needs? Consider the following factors:

Waterproofness

Your lawn will get drenched most of the time – when it is not raining, you are irrigating the grass.

Well, most weed killers consider this and create a waterproof herbicide. However, some are more waterproof than others.

Some products are waterproof within an hour after application while others take more time to get waterproof.

You need a product that is highly waterproof to ensure that it withstands different weather elements.

The faster the product turns waterproof, the better it performs.

Temperature Threshold

Some weed killers are only effective at a certain temperature.

In most cases, the temperature is not a big issue as most herbicides will work best at temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees.

On an average day, you will have no problem with the weed killer, but the problem might come up from time to time.

Some products stop working at 80 degrees – this means they will not work in certain places where the temperatures rise above that.

If you live in an area where the climate is extreme, you need to consider the temperature threshold.

Organic

Organic sprays are ideal because they are healthy for you, your family, pets, and the environment.

Most of the sprays contain vinegar, but the active ingredient will vary from one product to the next.

Organic sprays might be bit more expensive and they work slower than products with harsh chemicals. Products with harsh chemicals work faster and work great for large fields.

If your yard is small, go for organic sprays.

Hose Hookup

Most sprays come with an easy applicator that you can easily connect to your hose.

This feature makes the application extremely fast.

You do not necessarily need this feature, but if your lawn is large, hose hookup might reduce the application time by half.

Sprayer

If the product bottle does not attach to the hose for easy spraying, it should feature an easy to use sprayer.

There are different sprayer variations – some are manual while others run on batteries and are easier to use.

The latter might be more expensive, but it is more convenient.

Herbicide Prohibitions

In some states, you can only use organic means to stifle the growth of weeds.

Check your local laws to see which chemicals are prohibited and which are permissible. These measures are in place to protect the environment.

Coverage

Lastly, consider the coverage capacity of the spray.

The coverage capacity varies from one spray to the next – the area one gallon of spray will cover differs from one spray to the next.

Biggers containers give you more savings and allow you multiple applications.

Which Is The Best Weed Killer for Clover: 5 Reviews of the top-rated 2024

Tenacity Turf Herbicide – Best weed killer for clover and crabgrass

tenacity herbicideTenacity herbicide is an effective pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicide.

It focuses on selective residual and contacts weed control in turf grasses.

As a pre-emergent herbicide, the weeds absorb it and die in the first stages of their growth.

Besides helping eliminate clover, the weed killer also removes carpetweed, crabgrass, chickweed, dandelion, goosegrass, foxtail, thistle, and purslane among others.

It features Mesorione 40 percent as the active ingredient.

Pros

  • Effective in small amount
  • Fast acting
  • Works in extreme weather conditions
  • Can be used as both a pre and post-emergent
  • Selective weed control

Cons

  • It’s highly recommended to use a surfacent when post spraying to get the best results
  •  Doesn’t kill moss in your lawn, for that we recommend Lilly Miller Moss Out

Scott Turf Builder:

The Scott Turf Builder Triple Action is effective in three areas; it kills weed, prevents the re-growth of the weed, and nourishes the grass you need.

You can apply it in approximately 4,000 square feet of lawn.

It is ideal for clover, carpetgrass, zoysiagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, and many more.

Although the results may vary, the spray is effective on most lawns.

If your yard has thick grass, the chemicals in the spray will reduce bug infestation to keep your yard clean and safe. The only issue is that the pellets might clog the sprinkler.

Pros

  • Kills weeds and prevents re-growth
  • Nourishes the grass you need in your yard
  • Offers a lot of coverage
  • Prevents bugs

Cons

  • Is limited to state by state so check here before ordering
  • Need to use a surfectant for the best results

BioAdvanced Bayer All-in-One Weed Killer

BioAdvanced Weed & Feed Crabgrass KillerIf you are looking for a budget weed killer, the BioAdvanced Weed Killer is a good value system.

This affordable spray has a formula that eliminates hundreds of weeds including clover.

It is advantageous as it works perfectly in rainy and sunny conditions. This way, it is highly durable as a herbicide.

You can apply this spray on up to 6,000 square feet of your yard.

You need to carefully apply this spray so that it doesn’t kill your ornamental flowers and bushes.

However, it also feeds the grass you need to keep in your yard

Pros

  • Offers good coverage for large yards
  • Affordably prices
  • Resists water and sunlight

Cons

  • Kills many weeds and might even affect your flowers and ornamental bushes

Bonide Clover Weed Killer

Bonide Clover Weed KillerAlthough this weed killer comes with a premium price, it is an ideal choice when you have a major clover issue that you need to address.

It comes ready to use, so you never need to mix it with water to get started.

It acts fast and will start working within 24 hours after application.

Each one-gallon bottle works perfectly in a medium-sized yard, and the manufacturer offers you a convenient hand sprayer for ease of application.

If you are willing to spend money to have a premium product, this might be a great choice.

Pros

  • Fast acting
  • Rain and waterproof within a few hours
  • Strong to kill multiple weeds
  • Convenient hand sprayer

Cons

  • Comes at a premium price

Green Gobbler Vinegar Weed Killer

Green Gobbler Vinegar Weed & Grass KillerThe Green Gobbler is a moderately-priced weed killer available in a gallon-sized container.

It sports a powerful formula that allows it to fight dozens of weeds and many kinds of grass you may not want in your yard.

It is a strong form of the normal table vinegar, which means you can use it in any setting without any harm to your or your pets.

It is effective as a weed killer, but it might affect your flowers – apply with caution.

To make your own clover killer using vinegar, saop and salt… get the full step by step 3 part guide plus measurements here.

Pros

  • Eliminates different types of grasses and cloves
  • Organic and safe
  • Fast acting

Cons

  • Not as strong as chemical weed killers.
  • Non-selective

Conclusion

It can be challenging to pick the best weed killer for clover.

Hopefully, this article will help you discern the best from the rest to keep your yard looking pristine.

The size of your yard, your budget, and the local laws will influence the choice of weed killer for you. Our recommendation is the Tenacity Turf Herbicide.

Best weed killer for clover and crabgrass

Best weed killer for clover and dandelions

Best weed killer for clover creeping charlie

Tenacity Herbicide Overview

Crabgrass, clover, dandelions creeping charlie and 40+ other weeds can ruin your lawn and I'm going to show you how to wipe them out like a pro. But we're going to do it in a way that you can do it yourself at home.

Now, check out this lawn below... its a new client of mine, and his lawn doesn't look very good.

 

negelcted lawn with crabgrass

It's got a lot of crabgrass.

That's all those light green blades.

In addition, we've got Clover, Dandelion and a few other weeds mixed in just for good measures.

You can expect this when a lawn has been neglected for a few years.

What I'm going to show you how to get rid of the clover without it killing your lawn and if you want a professional result then don't shop at a big box store.

Why... because they don't either because those products just don't work.

They're too expensive and they really not going to give you the results you want.

So what my recommendation is to use a professional product.

And in this case, the product is called tenacity.

It's kid and pet safe.

When used according to the label and it really works. That's why the pros use it and you should consider using it as well.

Now, the only downfall of a professional product is you can't just buy a bottle open it up, and spray it on.

It does involve a couple of extra steps, but I'm going to show you how to do it yourself.

The only thing you're going to need is a sprayer for your yard.

This can be any kind of a pump sprayer or I'm going to show you a cordless model.

You want something that holds two gallons will work perfectly.

How It Works

First up, your gonna need a couple of other products being mixed with tenacity herbicide?

The first is a surfactant.

All this does is allow the tenacity herbicide to stick to the leaves of the weeds better.

If you don't use a surfactant the product will roll off and you won't get as good of results.

The second thing you will need because tenacity is clear is a die so that you can see where you've sprayed.

It's optional but I do recommend it if you're doing large areas. It's non-toxic and very inexpensive.

But when you add this to the mix, you'll see that it allows you to tell where you've sprayed and that's really critical.

Mixing This Weed Killer Super Formula

Ok, the first thing is to fill your sprayer with clean water.

Now we've got our sprayer filled with two gallons of water. Need a sprayer? Here are our latest reviews on the best backpack sprayer for 2024

We can move on to the next steps. So you're going to start with your tenacity.

Now, this is up to you, but mixing chemicals don't forget to use your PPE gear, like gloves, safety glasses and whatever else you like.

Add one teaspoon of tenacity to the sprayer.

You can use a syringe or measuring spoons, whichever you like as long as you can get a teaspoon measurement.

Add the teaspoon of tenacity to the sprayer.

Next thing we're going to need is the surfactant. To make two gallons of solution we're going use 3 teaspoons of surfactant.

For the color, in our two-gallon mix, I use about 4 teaspoons of color dye which I found that that gives me a pretty good result.

You can go darker if you want to see it much easier or if you're in really bright sunlight, but that amount has worked for me.

Once you've got a color that you're happy with, close it up and get ready to use it.

Few more tips

As I was spraying there are a few more things you need to know.

You want to use a tip for your spray that has a fine mist.

You should be able to adjust the sprayer you have and you generally aren't going to have to go out and buy one.

Just something that sprays nicely and gives you a nice even coat.

Another important thing is to only spay the weeds once. Do not over spray the same section twice an don't coat the weeds multiple times.

You only need a very fine Mist to actually kill that we'd if you spray more than once you're actually going kill the grass or you'll at least mess it up for a while.

You can also spray for weeds in a bear bed, which is fine.

But you also want to avoid any good plants because you can damage them.

The big plus of this is you can also spray it right in your lawn and your grass won't suffer.

The biggest thing here is spray a light fine Mist only, coat the weeds just once and then move on.

Safe Zone

Once your done and finished spraying, kids and pets can safely return to the area only once the products fully dried.

Now that usually is around about three to four hours but always read the label to make sure you understand it completely.

What To Expect

Remember you're not expecting the same type of results that used to get from Roundup.

Roundup kills the weeds and the grass.

So it was pretty much useless on the lawn.

Once you spray tenacity in about one-week you're going to start to see some light areas on your lawn and the weeds will go from green to white.

In the beginning, there'll be a little yellow and then they turn to like a Paperwhite.

So for about a week, they're actually a little bit worse than they looked at the beginning but then in weeks two and three, they'll completely die root and all.

And don't worry if your grass was slightly white during the process, it will very likely return to normal.

So for a brief amount of time, they'll go white and then completely die and your grass will start to fill in and take over and It really is exactly what you want for result.

This stuff works really well on clover as well.

So have to remember with tenacity. It's a simple product that you just spray on and leave.

You don't usually have to retreat though it's not a problem if you do.

Generally, this is going to be your final result which may not look beautiful at this moment.

Those weeds are really dead and now the grass around them can quickly take over.

So this is exactly what you're shooting for so that your lawn can finally come back.

Because don't kid yourself, even though those weeds are green. If you leave them alone, they'll completely choked your lawn.

Tenacity herbicide is by far one of the most popular weed controls in the market right now, it might seem expensive.

But when you price it out per gallon tenacity is one of the least expensive products you can get and the most effective.

So I hope this post showed you that you can control weeds yourself.

You can use a product that won't kill your lawn and you really can turn your entire lawn around and get rid of the weeds once and for all.

Finally, say goodbye to crabgrass, clover and dandelions once and for all this season.