Small white flowering grasses in Lawn - What is it?

[Just Getting Started]

I live in Ohio and my lawn is full of those little white flowering grasses that the kids used to make necklaces out of. What is this grass or weed and how do I get rid of it?

Just Getting Started

[Bestlawn]

Sorry I didn't see your post before but if you haven't found your answer yet, the weed is white clover. Well, it's a weed because you don't like it and want to get rid of it. There are people who deliberately incorportate clover into their lawn because it has some benefits, such as adding nitrogen to the soil. But I'm like you. I hate 'em. Not only are they unsightly to me, but the white flowers attract bees.

You can treat clover now if you want with an herbicide for broadleaf weeds. The best time to treat it though is late fall - late October/early November. That will best help to prevent it next year.

[fishbert]

You can treat clover now if you want with an herbicide for broadleaf weeds. The best time to treat it though is late fall - late October/early November. That will best help to prevent it next year.

Sorry I did not see your answer before. My wife wants the clover in our yard removed. I understand it provides nitrogen, and can see that as when our yard with our newish home WAS under fertilized, the clover patches where about the only dark green areas of the yard.

The white flowers drives my wife nuts and I am inclined to cut my grass frequently as a result of the clover patches as the grass and clover there could be of a different hight of the rest of yard. As the lawn has an uneven appearance, I feel this inclination to cut the grass frequently as it looks like me if I don't get a hair cut in a few weeks. Uneven and untidy. I am trying to get my grass to be three inches in height, but I feel to compelled to cut my grass 4 days after last I cut it as the clover contributes to an uneven apparance.

I was going to apply boing water to the spots in yard and then reseed with grass seed, but that would be expense of killing grass amongst the clover.

Its interesting that there is a herbicide as we got a lawn care company that says nothing can be done for clover aside from nonselective killers which also kill grass. The rep says clover may fade out once the lawn is rich in nitrogen, but I want my clover to go now as opposed to years of applying fertilzer rich in Nitrogen.

So what is the name of the herbicide and hopefully its organic or pet friendly.

[Bestlawn]

What you're doing in effect is managing the clover and destroying the grass in the process. Let the grass grow 1/3 higher than three inches and then mow it back to 3 inches. The reason is so you never cut more than 1/3 off at a time. It doesn'tmatter how often you mow so long as you only remove 1/3 of its length. Letting it grow taller will allow it to be greener because the closer to the soil you mow, the browner it will appear. Chlorophyl is what gives grass its green color, and chlorophyl is mainly distributed to the upper portions. Never mind the uneven growth. That can't look worse than brown grass from being mowed too short. Mowing too short also causes a sundry of other problems.

Perhaps you asked your lawn care company about an organic solution, in which case they are right to tell you there's nothing non-selective to use. Horticulture vinegar is the only thing I can think of, and it will also kill the grass. If you want a non-organic solution, then anything on the shelves that is labeled for "broadleaf weed control" will work. Some examples are Weed-b-Gone and Bayer Advanced All-In-One.

Whatever you purchase, be sure to read the label carefully for temperatures when applying.

[fishbert]

What you're doing in effect is managing the clover and destroying the grass in the process.

I measured the height grass at various spots of the yard a few days ago. It ranges from being a little above three inch to well above three inch. This was after going a few days without cutting and since then I still have not cut it and its rained more. I should be able to raise the blades on the mower 1 or 2 notches once I get dry weather. As of today, its been 8 days since I cut the grass.

Right now, my blade is set to 4th lowest of 8 levels. I read the longer the blade, the stronger roots and thus the desire to try to refrain from cutting before it becomes untidy. I have several weeds in the yard, a few types of grass, and several soil conditions. It results in the grass being uneven a few days after cutting.

For this year, I have not cut so much off that it has not been yellow after cutting. Last year, on a few occasions, I may have cutt more than a third off and the lawn look a little yellowish even with lots of rain.

This is about the greenest my lawn has been since I bought the home two years ago. Its greener than most of the neighbour's lawns, but I also have the most white flowered clover.

[Bestlawn]

Get a soil test so you know the pH levels (and can correct if necessary) and nutrient needs. Here is a list of testing labs. If none of these are near you, you can mail them the soil samples or ask them for a closer location. Also, ask them for sampling instructions, exactly how they want you to do it.

A & L Canada Laboratories East, Inc.
2136 Jetstream Rd., London, ON, N5V 3P5 (519) 457-2575

Accutest Laboratories
146 Colonnade Rd., Unit 8, Nepean, ON, K2E 7Y1 (613) 727-5692

Agri-Food Laboratories
503 Imperial Rd., Guelph, ON, N1H 6T9 (519) 837-1600 or 800-265-7175

Soil and Nutrient Laboratory
University of Guelph, 95 Stone Rd. W., Guelph, ON N1H 2W1 (519) 767-6226 www.uoguelph.ca/labserv

Stratford Agri Analysis Inc.
1131 Erie St., Box 760, Stratford, ON, N5A 6W1 (519) 273-4411 or 800-323-9089 www.stratfordagri.com

There isn't anything you can do about having different types of grass. Some grasses grow faster than others. The soil's pH balance could have a lot to do with the rate of growth since some grasses tolerate a limited range between acidic and alkaline, while others are intolerable of variations and will only perform well when the pH is a neutral 7.0. The soil test will let you know if you need to add lime or sulfur or neither. But it's always important to irrigate and mow properly.

Did wifey make you take care of the clover yet?

[fishbert]

Get a soil test so you know the pH levels (and can correct if necessary) and nutrient needs. Here is a list of testing labs. If none of these are near you, you can mail ...

Thanks for the listing. I will inquire some time. Last month, I purchased a ph meter - but I have my doubts as it registers 7 all of the time

Home depot and a local garden centre has a kit that tests PH, nitrogen and other things, but the rep at home depot discouraged for a meter.

The grass in my back yard grows much faster in the back than in the front and I have found I need to use one of those liquid lawn feeds weeks after planting grass in the front.


When I bought the home two years ago, the grass was greener in the back yard on side than the other. Its now more consistent.

Did wifey make you take care of the clover yet?

Waiting for the end of the month so I can start to plant grass after I wipe out the clover. I have had some success with planting grass lately, both in overseeding and in bare soil ranging from to 1/2 a squre foot to 15 by 7.

There are two large isolated patches of clover in the front. One of the patches, I must fix as I experimented to see if boiling water would kill clover - it does. Now I have a dead patch of grass in the middle of clover, where I tested hot water. Its not really visible from the street, but still needs to have grass planted.

The other patch - I may refrain from for now due to its size. This patch is fairly thick consisting of only grass and clover. Weeds can't spread in the area. Elsewhere in the front yard, there are some bare spots or thin spots I want to plant grass to prevent weeds from spreading. More importantly, there are weeds still in the lawn less attractive than clover I want to remove.

[Bestlawn]

The season for planting grass is upon us and shouldn't be done after mid-September. So you can make all your plans for killing weeds and reseeding now.

I wouldn't bother with the store-bought test kits. Just call one of the labs and ask them for sampling instructions. They may have to send you their test kit.

[fishbert]

I called some of the places and will be sending in some samples. Due to other chores and the hot weather, I will start digging out and killing some weeds early next week.

I am going to remove top 1/2 inch of soil, spray with safer's top gun, and then add 3/4 of enriched top soil. Reason being, that weed appeared in grass that I planted in the spring of this year. I use garden fabric to keep weed seeds from blowing in, so I think there were weed seed in the soil from last year.

I hear those spray on garden feeds are high in nitrogen - so I will spray that on the new grass patches to keep the clover out.

[phantomphan]

let's get back to the original question of white flowering GRASSES, this may be wild garlic or onion. if it is wild garlic of onion it is very hard to kill. try digging up a small patch of it and check for bulbous roots. I have never had any luck using spray to kill wild garlic or onion, best to dig it out and get as many of the bulbs as possible as they will grow back.