Being an edible plant, the clover was encouraged to grow in open fields to provide food for livestock. It flourished in these areas, and subsequently spread as a weed to local lawns where it isn’t as welcome. White clover is very bad at surviving in lush lawns, and performs badly in nutrient rich soil. If there is an existing plant that is flourishing, clover will very rarely edge that plant from it’s area. Clover prefers to fill in areas previously left bald by poorly maintained lawns and drought. The plant reproduces by small seeds that need to land on soil before sprouting, so heavy ground cover will prevent white clover from germinating.
Mowing will disperse seeds and spread the plant across your lawn.
Applying weedkiller will only work if you intend to kill all the plants in the area. The only weed killer effective against clover is roundup, which will kill everything in the area once it is applied, including the plants that you want in your garden.
This will slow the growth of clover and speed the growth of your lawn. Repeat this application process according to the fertilizer’s instructions.
If you notice any clover sprouting up, make sure to remove them quickly before they spread seeds and multiply. Because clover also spreads by creeping, you need to be diligent with removing new plants. Backing off for a month or two will let the plant spread across your yard again.
Clover can’t grow well in areas where there is good coverage. If clover is in your garden beds, remove the plant and apply a thick layer of mulch or weed guard. This will prevent new seeds from falling on the soil and propagating.
