Monday, March 09, 2009
Naturally kill white clover; Transplanting young azaleas
John Arbogast
Landscape consultant John Arbogast answers your questions every Thursday. Send questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to:
Dear John
5102 Greenfield St. SW
Roanoke, Va. 24018
Or send an e-mail. Answers will be given only in this column. Please don't send pictures or samples.
Recent columns
Q: Is there a way to kill white clover without any harsh chemicals? I don't want to jeopardize my well water. R. B. in Atlanta.
A: Talk to your local Extension agricultural agent or a ground water expert from your local health department. I don’t know what type of soil you have there, which will dictate how in chemical and natural products will leach into the ground and possibly affect your well water.
In Roanoke, where I’ve lived and gardened for more than 29 years, we have a lot of clay in the soil, which tightly holds on to contaminants and water. The unofficial rule of thumb here has been that herbicides of any kind should not be used within 50 feet of a well. However, if you have silty or sandy soil, leaching occurs more readily, so don't use chemicals.
If you do want to try a so-called organic lawn weed killer to eliminate the white clover near your well, visit the Web site of Gardens Alive Co., which is a mail-order source of environmentally responsible products and information.
One natural method that I thought of but quickly threw out was to take advantage of white clover’s function as a legume. White clover loves to grow in spots of low fertility, especially in soils lacking nitrogen. Legumes have the ability to find nitrogen from the air. Thus, fertilizing that grass at appropriately high levels at recommended times of the year should cause the grass to outgrow the clover. But,then I thought about the Chesapeake Bay and how nutrient runoff has become a pollutant to the water and the animals that live in that water. The same kind of problem could occur in your well water with nutrient leaching.
I do have some “cultural control” or best-management practices suggestions that will work to weaken your white clover.
In the South, slugs are known to eat the chlorophyll containing parts of white clover. Encourage these nocturnal pests to find and feed on your clover by spraying the clover with cheap beer. Poured the brew into a finger-pump spray bottle and apply just before dark once per week during the spring weeks. The technique is based on the beer-trap tactic used to catch slugs and snails, not on the famous garden writer and advertiser who used all sorts of potions to enhance plant growth, many of which contained beer.
Next, cut the grass in which the white clover has invaded at a high height because clover likes to take over tightly mowed spots. If you typically bag grass clippings, don't do that so that the blades return their nutrients to the soil. Core aerate, overseed and water frequently.
Q: I have some young azaleas that I want to move to a better location in my Virginia landscape. When is the safest time to do this?
A: The safest time to transplant young azaleas is when two environmental conditions come together at either early to mid-spring and early to mid-fall. The soil must be beginning to warm up from winter’s frigid cold or or cool from summer’s heat. It's also at that time azaleas are not actively growing: buds might be starting to show color but new growth is not emerging yet, or in the fall when tree leaves are turning to colors.
Fertilizer is not needed at transplanting, but weekly watering is needed during the first growing season following transplanting.
