Clovers appear when grasses are stressed. They are considered broadleaves.=
The problem with these in lawns is that they restrict the lawn growth beca=
use they are nutrient hogs. Yes they are green and can fill in bare spots =
but healthy lawns will have minimal clovers.
Now, there is a type of clover lawn that is popular in So. Cal. In this la=
wn, you want to minimize blade grasses. Most lawns are blade type grasses =
like fescues and ryes and in these lawns, broadleaves are generally conside=
red a problem.
When you get a healthy soil biology for your lawn, the root mass increases =
and the lawn more effectively uses existing nutrients in the soil and also =
sends out messengers to the bacteria that produce the byproducts that the b=
lade lawns like. These lawns outcompete the broadleaves and use up soil sp=
ace where the broadleaf root mass would normally grow.
Read the report I posted for a detail of how compost tea was used to increa=
se root mass and reduce the incidence of broadleaf intrusion.
As a side note, blade lawns, as far as I can tell from my research, do not =
like it highly fungal. They are bacterial dominant grasses. So you want a=
tea brewed shorter with younger compost and little humic acids.
Ted Peterson
EW/SOE
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Norsen
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 10:19 PM
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] re clover in lawns.
Are you missing the wonderful value of cloer in lawns, gardens and fields=
? Helps keep the lawn green in the worse dry weather. Helps keep the law=
n healthy. Why is grass the only thing of beauty in a lawn.?
Jeff Lowenfels <jeff_at_gardener.com> wrote:
Hi Doc (and others),
Has any one you know tried using compost tea to control clover in
lawns? My theory is that since clover is a nitrogen fixer and nitrogen=
fixing bacteria require alkaline soils, that good strong fungal teas
would lower the pH enough to make the fixers and thus the clover,
disappear. What am I missing?
Cheers,
Jeff L
Plant a Row in your garden to feed the hungry. Join Plant A Row for the=
Hungry. Ask me how. www.gwaa.org/Par/index.html
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Received on Tue Aug 31 2004 - 15:39:48 EDT