An Inconvenient Clover

There’s a full page advertisement in one of my horticulture trade journals that caught my eye and gave me the inspiration for this posting. The ad features the three greatest “weed villains” of all time: Crabgrass, dandelion and clover. Of course, the star of the ad, a big plastic bottle of liquid weed killer, looks resplendent as the defender of the perfect lawn. When I first saw the ad, all I could think was, “Hold on, clover didn’t do it – Clover is INNOCENT!!!”

I’m telling you, clover was framed!

Flash back to 1943, when certain growth regulators were identified, which disrupt the hormones in broadleaf plants. One of these natural compounds was chemically approximated and 2, 4-D was born. In its first few years on the market, 2, 4 -D was brought to bear on weeds competing with crops. It didn’t take long before golf courses, and then homeowners, starting using 2, 4 – D to wipe out weeds in turf and lawns: Dandelions died, plantains perished and clover kicked the bucket.

There’s a wonderful anecdote about the horticulturist who made the initial discovery, which suggests he felt remorseful for clover’s fate at the hands of his invention. He was aware that clover (a legume) forms a symbiotic relationship with rhizobium bacteria in the soil. This partnership produces nitrogen compounds which other plants, including grasses, can utilize for growth. A lawn with clover intermingled amongst the grass can virtually feed itself…….

Some savvy marketers realized early that this 2, 4 – D stuff was going to be a HUGE money-making opportunity. They started promoting perfect carpet-like lawns and created campaigns vilifying weeds. Clover, the Good Samaritan of the American lawn, was convicted and sentenced without getting a chance to testify. Rachel Carson put in a good word for clover in Silent Spring in 1962, but it was already too late. Most people already believed the marketing that made the inconvenient clover a threat to suburban tranquility.

The truth is, Clover serves as a terrific ally for the sustainable lawn. Last year, I treated a big lawn that was afflicted with “red thread” fungus. I noticed that all the areas with clover did not have the disease because the grass was naturally well-fed, so I only had to apply food to the areas without clover. In another example, I visited a smaller property this spring and was tickled to find a beautiful grass/ clover lawn. It was full, dark green, disease and pest free. My client’s neighbors had showed concern over their “clover problem.” I agreed to work on their back lawn, but told them their front lawn was perfect and would probably stay that way for a long time if we just let the clover do its magic…..

Dandelion Delirium

The dandelion is seemingly the World's fastest growing, most widespread and, to many lawn aficionados, the biggest pain in the aesthetic ever unleashed upon turf. It's a plant that causes much fear and loathing amongst denizens of neighborhoods almost everywhere. Friends of mine have even received letters of concern or heard sidewalk comments about their "problem."

This adaptable and harmless harbinger of spring, demonized since the commercialization of herbicides after WWII, is arguably one of the top three revenue producing weeds for the pesticide industry. In some well coiffed neighborhoods, the dandelion has literally become a symbol of lackadaisical lawn care. Chemical products with benign sounding names like "Weed n' Feed" take care of the little yellow rascals quickly and effectively.

I believe there's a public perception that weeds are aliens to this planet and they have nothing in common with us. Therefore, it's OK to dump chemicals on them and the chemicals must be safe...... Well, here's the skinny on the weed killers (herbicides) we use today. One of the most commonly applied is 2, 4 -D. The "D" stands for "Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid," just in case you were wondering. It's found in many retail lawn products merchandised in large stacks at box stores, hardware stores and garden centers. Rachel Carson wrote extensively about 2, 4 - D in Silent Spring (1962) - "(2, 4 -D) has been shown experimentally to disturb the basic physiological process of respiration in the cell, and to imitate X-rays in damaging the chromosomes." Page 76 First Sentry Editon. Dicamba and Mecoprop are two other herbicides you may find in "Weed 'n Feed" formulations, which were not known to Carson, but have both been linked to Non -Hodgkin's lymphoma.

2,4 - D was one of the ingredients in the "Agent Orange" defoliant, which was sprayed extensively during the Viet Nam war. As we know, the hapless soldiers exposed to the spraying are still getting sick from dioxin poisoning. 2,4 - D is touted to be realtively safe because it degrades rapidly in the environment (just don't track it into your house where it will not break down), but it's the degradation compounds, including dioxin, that continue to threaten us after the 2, 4 - D is "gone." They are stable in the environment and can contaminate ground water, move around and cause physiological havoc now or much later. Children and pets are most susceptible to the endocrine disruptors in 2, 4 -D and the transformational dioxins.

What can we do without using chemicals? Once we understand the dandelion, it becomes much less of a threat to our landscape. Dandelions are often prevalent in soil where calcium is unavailable. This unbalance can be fixed with an all-natural approach and a little bit of patience. Here are the top two ways to make your lawn less susceptible to dandelions:

1) Obtain a soil test to determine if the pH (acidity) is low. Sweetening the soil can release existing calcium and deter new dandelions from moving in.

2) Maintain your lawn as high as you can stand it, which is at least three inches. A tall and full turf stand can outcompete most other plants.

Dandelions are highly nutritious and offer more vitamins and minerals than any leafy green you can buy at the grocery store. So, spread the story about dandelions. Tell your neighbors to embrace the yellow for all of our sakes. Tell them Rachel Carson warned us in 1962 and we should have listened.

Introduction - Will Shovel (and write) for the Cause

Last weekend, I convinced (bribed) my son Tom into helping me spread compost on a big reseeding project. The task at hand was to move the compost from the big pile in the dump truck and spread it evenly on the surface of the lawn area I was hired to renovate.

After about an hour of hard work, Tom asked me, "Why are you doing this?" Well, I was thrilled to launch into my long winded explanation of how no one builds lawns with quality materials and craftsmanship anymore and that doing things right at the beginning sets you up for later success. My son listened patiently and we had put a pretty good dent in the pile before I was done with my endless diatribe. Then he rephrased his question while nodding at the shovel full of compost in my hands.... "No Dad, why are YOU doing THIS?" The emphasis making this a completely different question caught me off guard. "Let me think about that for another yard and I'll get back to you," I responded.

After the seed was raked in and the chopped hay mulch thrown, we stood back and admired our work. Now I had to deliver my plausible explanation for why I'm willing to work so hard at what appears to be chain gang punishment.

I finally sorted out my answer, "I guess I'm doing this to make a statement. I want to show people that working with Nature delivers better results and costs less over time than using chemicals. I'm hoping that some will notice the difference in this lawn and perhaps a few of them will go organic too. Maybe some converts will convince their friends and neighbors to give up pesticides. Perhaps, because we shoveled compost here today, a child somewhere will not be born with birth defects or develop cancer." Then we put the tools back into the truck and went home for our well earned dinner.