Best Management Practices:
Hop or Bur-Clover
Bur and Hop Clover are cool season, annual broadleaf weeds that have round stems with leaves made up of three leaflets. These leaflets are somewhat oval or egg-shaped and the tops of the leaves are normally rounded with a very small indention in the middle. The flowers of hop and bur clover are numerous and yellow in color. Being a cool season, annual plant means that it only comes back from seed each year, usually germinating in the fall season and possibly into the winter.
Pre-emergent herbicides work by killing germinating seeds from weedy plants like bur or hop clover. Normally, an application of a pre-emergent in mid-September will work well. Remember, though, that this weed may germinate into the winter—so, a second pre-emergent application in November may be warranted.
There are several pre-emergent herbicides that can be used to control bur or hop clover in most turfgrass sites including bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass, and buffalograss. Examples include: XL- 2G (Benefin plus Oryzalin), Pendulum 2G or Anderson 11-3-11 (Pendimethalin) and Balan 2.5 G .
If you have bur or hop clover that escapes the pre-emergent or you do not apply a pre-emergent, you may need to apply a post-emergent herbicide. These herbicides can be effective if used when these winter clovers are very young/immature and actively growing. Do not wait until late winter when these annual broadleaf weeds are flowering and mature. Examples of effective post-emergent herbicides include: Speedzone Southern, Weed Free Zone , and Trimec Southern. It may require multiple applications to obtain excellent control with these post-emergent products. CAUTION: Make sure you read the labels carefully for the tolerance level of your specific turfgrass for all herbicides.
Best Management Practices courtesy of:
Bes-Tex Supply, LLC P.O. Box 664 San Angelo, Texas 76902 Ph. 325-653-1300
