Integrated Pest Management
White Clover
Trifolium repens
White clover growth habit (Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org)
White clover leaflets (Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org)
White clover flower (David Cappaert, Bugwood.org)
Description
- dense creeping plant with 3 – 14-inch-long stems and stalks tipped with three round leaflets marked with white V-shape on the upper leaflet surface
- flowers are white to pink in color and sphere shaped (3/4 inch wide)
- as flowers fade they dry out and produce a 1/4 inch long seedpod covered in a brown husk of spent petals
Location
- commonly grows in lawn areas
Life Cycle
- cool season perennial that germinates in the spring when temperatures reach 50°F; peak growth rate occurs between temperatures of 64-86°F
- flower production occurs by mid-spring and continues through the rest of the growing season
- as seeds ripen, flowers brown and droop downward and drop seeds 3 to 4 weeks after flower production
IPM Recommendations
- Hand-pull plants in planting beds prior to seed maturation.
- Adjust fertilization program to include more nitrogen and less phosphorus when a soil test indicates low nitrogen and high phosphorus levels.
- Apply an appropriate post-emergent herbicide directly to target weeds in planting beds; 2,4-D is not effective for control since it will only injure clover plants.