Lawn weed ID and help please!

[Melissy9]

Please help me identify this weed. I started with just a few now they are everywhere!

So what is this? And how do I get rid of it?

Thanks in advance,
Melissa

[rainbowgardener]

Does it get little ball shaped flower clusters:


http://tomlinsonbomberger.com/wp-conten ... clover.jpg

Then it's clover.

It is actually good for your lawn. It is a legume, related to beans and peas. As such it is a Nitrogen fixer - it can pull N out of the air and stabilize it in a plant usable form. Then when you mow your lawn (assuming of course you don't bag the clippings), all the little clover clippings break down and release the N to the soil and feed your grass. They used to put clover seed in grass seed mixes, until people got so picky about lawns should look like golf courses.

And those little flowers are very good for honeybees and other beneficial insects.

[catgrass]

Hmm, here in the deep south, it is a weed. It grows mainly where the soil stays wetter than other areas, with compaction. I don't consider it much of a weed, because when it gets hot, it dies out.

[rainbowgardener]

"Weed" is of course always a matter of definition. Basically of course a weed is anything growing where you don't want it. That means often what I consider lovely wildflowers with lots of habitat value, my neighbor with the golf course lawn considers a weed.

[Sharky169]

Exactly it's not called a weed anymore just an undesirable. if the Clover is an undesirable then spray it in the cool days, under 70 degrees with a broad leaf killer. if you spray when too hot it will kill grass as well

the first post is right it does produce nitrogen for the grass, simply put, rainbow gardener explained it much more scientifically if you don't want it kill it if you can live with it it is beneficial