Japanese Clover can be identified by Its round, oblong leaves. Examine the plant for smooth, green foliage growing in triplets (trifoliate). Its woody stock and branches that harden as the summer moves on help to differentiate it from other weeds. Provided a close enough inspection, you may find the green to purplish stems of the plant covered in miniscule, white, downward pointing hairs. Little white, pink, or purple flowers (usually no larger than an inch) with lipped petals can be found where the leaves meet.

Japanese Clover flourishes in full sun. Planting shade trees to prevent weeds with deep tap roots is one recommendation. Easier preventative measures include mowing your lawn high to prevent weeds from growing through the turf.

Wet, compacted soil makes a perfect home to Japanese Clover, so you may want to consider an aeration service that loosens the soil. This will provide more oxygen and sunlight to the ground level, and allow grass roots to recover and strengthen. You may want to consider recalculating the watering needs of your lawn – allowing enough time in between drenchings for the ground to dry out more. Remember, your lawn only needs about 1” of water each week!

Our last recommendation is to pretreat your lawn in late winter with herbicides known to control Lespedeza before its seedlings can even take root.

Hand-pulling Japanese Clover when still small is possible, but if your lawn has more mature plant growth and flowering stocks it often means your Lespedeza has an extensive root system, with a taproot too deep to remove without risking regrowth.

In instances like this, Senske’s Lawn Care professionals can offer total Japanese Clover eradication that won’t destroy your lawn. We know how to kill Japanese Clover weed and will get rid of persistent growth in lawns just like yours all the time. Senske’s 75 years of experience – combined with our incredible promise – guarantee your grass will be free of Japanese Clover and have your lawn thriving again!