How to get rid of clover in your lawn (and whether you should)

You spot those little three-leaf clusters and tiny white flowers creeping through your lawn, and your first instinct is probably to reach for the weed killer. Hold on a second. Clover is one of those plants that splits gardeners right down the middle — some treat it like an enemy, others deliberately seed it. In this post we'll explain why clover turns up in the first place, make the honest case both for keeping it and for getting rid of it, and walk you through exactly how to remove it if you decide that's the way you want to go.

Why clover shows up in the first place

Clover (usually white clover, Trifolium repens) isn't a sign that you've done something wrong. More often it's a sign of one specific thing: your lawn is low on nitrogen.

Here's the clever bit. Clover is a legume, and legumes have a superpower — they pull nitrogen straight out of the air and fix it into the soil through their roots. That means clover thrives in exactly the conditions where grass struggles. When your grass is underfed and thinning out, clover happily moves into the gaps and grows even better.

So a lawn full of clover is usually telling you:

• The soil is hungry — nitrogen levels are low, so the grass can't outcompete the clover.
• The lawn is thin or patchy — bare spots and weak turf give clover room to spread.
• Mowing is too short — scalped grass lets more light reach the soil, which clover loves.

The key insight: Clover and a thick, well-fed lawn are almost mutually exclusive. Feed the grass properly and you remove the very conditions clover needs to win.

The case for keeping clover

Before you declare war, it's worth knowing that clover has a genuine fan club — and the reasons are pretty good.

• It feeds your lawn for free. Because it fixes its own nitrogen, clover acts like a slow-release fertiliser for the grass growing around it. Less feeding, lower cost.
• It stays green in a drought. Clover has deeper roots than most turf grasses, so it shrugs off dry spells and hot summers when your grass would normally go brown.
• The bees love it. Those little white flowers are a magnet for honeybees and other pollinators. If you care about your local insect life, that's a real plus.
• It's tough and forgiving. Clover handles foot traffic, poor soil, and shade better than many grasses, and it rarely needs mowing.

There's even a deliberate version of this called a micro-clover lawn, where a small-leaved clover is mixed right into the grass seed. It gives you a soft, hard-wearing, self-feeding lawn that stays green with very little effort. For a lot of people — especially anyone wanting a low-maintenance, eco-friendly yard — that's the dream rather than the problem.

Keep it or remove it? A quick comparison

There's no wrong answer here — it genuinely comes down to what you want your lawn to be.

How to get rid of clover if you want a pure lawn

Decided you'd rather have clean, single-colour turf? Fair enough. Here's how to do it properly, starting with the gentlest approach.

1. Feed your lawn (this is the big one)

Because clover thrives on low nitrogen, the single most effective long-term fix is to raise the nitrogen level so your grass can outcompete it. Apply a quality nitrogen-rich lawn fertiliser through the growing season. As the grass thickens up and shades the soil, clover steadily loses its advantage and fades out on its own. This alone solves a lot of clover problems without a drop of herbicide.

2. Hand-pull small patches

If you've only got a few clumps, you can simply pull them out. Clover has a shallow, creeping root system, so loosen the soil with a fork first and lift out the whole plant — roots and runners included. Do this when the soil is damp and it comes away far more easily. Stay on top of it and small infestations rarely come back.

3. Spot-treat with a selective broadleaf herbicide

For larger or stubborn areas, a selective broadleaf herbicide will kill the clover while leaving your grass unharmed. Look for products containing one or more of these active ingredients:

• Dicamba — very effective on clover and other broadleaf weeds.
• MCPA — a common broadleaf killer, often blended with others.
• Clopyralid — particularly good on clover and other legumes.

The smart move is spot treatment rather than blanket spraying — target only the clover patches, which uses less product and is kinder to everything else. Always follow the label rates exactly, treat when the clover is actively growing (warm, not stressed by drought), and avoid mowing for a few days either side so the leaves can absorb the chemical.

A word of caution on grass type

This is where people get caught out. Some selective herbicides that are perfectly safe on common cool-season grasses can damage or kill sensitive warm-season turf — particularly buffalo grass (St Augustine). Dicamba and clopyralid in particular can harm these lawns.

• Always check the label for your specific grass type before buying.
• For buffalo / St Augustine lawns, look for a product specifically marked as buffalo-safe.
• When in doubt, test a small patch first and wait a week before treating the whole area.

Stopping clover from coming back

Killing clover is only half the job — if you leave the lawn hungry and thin, it'll simply return. The goal is a thick, healthy lawn that crowds it out for good.

• Keep feeding regularly. Maintain steady nitrogen levels through the season so grass always has the upper hand.
• Mow a little higher. Longer grass shades the soil and starves clover seedlings of light. Never scalp it.
• Overseed bare patches. Fill thin spots with grass seed so there's simply no room for clover to move in.
• Water deeply but less often. This encourages strong grass roots rather than shallow, drought-prone turf.

Do these consistently and a dense, well-fed lawn becomes its own best defence.

Frequently asked questions

Will clover kill my grass?

No. Clover doesn't choke out healthy grass — it just fills the gaps where grass is already weak or thin. Fix the underlying feeding and density and the two stop competing.

Is it better to just live with clover?

For many people, yes. It's drought-tolerant, feeds your lawn for free, and supports bees. Only remove it if a uniform look matters to you or someone in the home reacts badly to bee stings.

Does vinegar or salt get rid of clover?

These home remedies will scorch whatever they touch — including your grass — and they don't reach the roots, so the clover usually grows back. A selective herbicide or simple feeding is far more reliable.

What's the best time of year to treat clover?

When it's actively growing and not stressed — typically the warmer months, on a dry, still day. Avoid treating during drought or extreme heat, as stressed plants absorb herbicide poorly.

Can I have clover on purpose?

Absolutely. Micro-clover lawns are deliberately seeded for exactly that reason — a soft, green, self-feeding, low-maintenance lawn that needs far less work than pure grass.

How Lawnova takes the guesswork out of clover

The tricky part with clover is knowing why it appeared on your particular lawn and what's safe to use on your grass type. That's exactly what Lawnova is built for. Tell us your grass type, your region, and what your lawn looks like, and we'll build you a step-by-step plan — when to feed, what to apply, and which products are safe for your turf — so you can either banish the clover or keep it thriving, on purpose.

Get your free Lawnova plan

Whatever you decide about clover, we'll help you grow the lawn you actually want.