Clover and grass and SHEEP!

When I was growing up in the 1940's and 1950's clover in lawns was quite common and the only method of control (to my knowledge) then was digging out the "weeds". A few people, with more money than sense, hired boys to dig the "weeds" (my first lawn care jobs) but most did nothing until after WWII when 2,4,D became available. Since that poison killed off most any broad leaf plant, including clover, that clover then became a "weed", an unwanted and unloved plant.

Today there are many people converting turf grass lawns to other green spaces such as clover. It takes some time for a clover lawn to become established enough to crowd out unwanted plant growth, but the largest factor in that is the soil. I have seen everything from Dutch White Clover will grow in poor soils to it needs a good healthy soil, but a friend that did establish a lawn of DWC first amended the soil (clay) with lots of organic material.

Since crab grass is an annual and grows from seed I am not sure why someone would write that pulling crabgrass would make the problem worse. Pulling out the plants, especially before they set seeds, can help reduce the number of plants the next growing season. Crabgrass will grow wherever the seeds have what they need to germinate and grow, adequate soil moisture, the right soil temperature, and access to sunlight, just like any other plant.

What is that soil like?

What is the soils pH?

How much organic matter is in that soil?

kimmq is kimmsr

I'm back. Kimmq I will get an actual soil test, I promise, but the soil is so variable I hardly know where to start. It's six acres of wet spots, arid spots, turf barely covering rock, moss, clover, Japanese stilt grass, crab grass, smart weed.. I can't tell you what the "grass" I have is, but I have applied Dutch White Clover and mixed sun and shade grass seed since I came three summers ago. I do not water, but aside from the recent drought here in the northeast, we have had a fairly benign summer as far as rainfall went. I have just applied milorganite and grass seed (I also mow high and leave clippings on lawn, though not with any composting mower.) My question today is this: am I wasting my time pulling crabgrass in conjunction with overseeding? It feels rather therapeutic, and gives me an up-close look at the lawn, but I can't help wonder if it's ridiculous. If the crabgrass is annual that will die on its own over the winter, what am I accomplishing, other than exposing soil for my desirable seed but also more weeds??

Crab grass is an annual weed, but pulling any you can will reduce the number of seeds distributed by that plant, so it is not necessarily a waste of time and energy.

kimmq is kimmsr

Yes, but I assume that crabgrass has gone to seed by now, hasn't it? As for stilt grass, I can't tell when it goes to seed. I find some that are almost three feet tall with no sign of seedheads...

I suggest that you pay a visit or two to your local extension office. Call ahead so that you can make an appointment with one of the professional extension specialists, hopefully one knowledgeable in lawn management.

A good extension agent will make sure that you're using the right kind of clover, help you set up a program for weed control, etc.