Clovers, especially the four-leafed ones, have the notion of being lucky charms for many cultures around the world. According to some legends, if you pick up a four-leaf clover from your garden, you will be lucky for the remainder of the day. The plant may truly be lucky but some garden owners see it otherwise. For some people, the clover is nothing but a nuisance for the arrangement of their gardens. They usually have problems removing the clover patches that grow along with their ornamental plants. Removing clover is fairly challenging, depending on their number. Normally, you can remove clover with your bare hands but if they are too many, you have to apply certain measures. You have to create different solutions to address each type of clover problem on your garden.

Human Hands are Clover Killers

A small pack of clover growing on your garden should not really be a problem. You can simply water your garden, then pick the clover a few hours later. If you find the job too tedious, you can always garden tools to help you. You can also look for a four-leaf clover, while removing the clumps, to make your task more interesting.

• Use Your Hands – Your hands are your basic tools when removing small clumps of clover. Since the plant has short and thin roots, you can take a handful in a single pull. You shouldn't have problems clearing a good portion of your garden if the clumps are sparse.
• The Weeder – The weeder is a gardening tool specialized to remove weed from your garden. Remarkably, the tool also works well in removing clover. The weeder's scraping head penetrates the ground without much resistance, uprooting weed, clover and other garden distractions in the process. The job of pulling out clover is much easier with this useful tool.
• Water the Garden – Watering the garden softens the soil and loosens the roots' grip. After spraying water around the area, the clover will offer minimal resistance. Wait for the ground to dry for a bit, then you can start pulling clover. (MonsterGuide teaches you the proper techniques and how to water a garden)

An Acidic Solution

Clover needs healthy garden soil to survive. If you make the soil too acidic, clover will surely perish since their biological framework is not built to withstand the abrasive properties of strong acids. A good item to use for your garden is vinegar (For other vinegar uses, see 25 other uses for vinegar). The acidic liquid is potent enough to take out large groups of clover, without harming your garden plants.

Materials Used:

• 3-5 bottles of vinegar
• trowel
• topsoil

Procedure:

Buy enough vinegar to cover your entire garden.

Pour vinegar on the clover and weed formations on your garden.

When the pesky plants die, use a trowel or shovel to remove their roots and remains from the ground.

Cover the spots formerly occupied by clover with a fresh layer of topsoil.

Smother Clover with Tall Grass

Call this method strange but a selective act of negligence can actually help you solve the clover problem. If you surround clover with tall unkempt grass, chances are, clover will not survive. The garden pest will be denied of sunlight due to the grass' height and density. As for soil nutrients, clover won't get enough nourishment since its roots will be overwhelmed by the grass'.

Prevention of Clover and Weed Growth

During Spring, clover is notorious for growing in bunches. The soil, previously covered in snow, is freshly thawed come springtime, which means it's nitrogen content is fully preserved. Clover grows on the garden to get nourishment from the fresh supply of nitrogen in the soil. Given this fact, you can stop clover and weed from conquering your garden by adding a few elements to the soil that inhibits the growth of garden pests.

Prevention Method: Sugar Solution Treatment

To prevent clover from growing, you need to sprinkle sugar solution on your garden. Sugar, when doused with water, releases enzymes that derail the growth of clover. Those enzymes are not harmful to your other garden plants, so you don't have to worry.

Materials Used:

• 5 lbs sugar
• water hose
• vinegar (if necessary)

Procedure:

• Spread your supply of sugar on all the clover formations in your garden.
• Using your water hose, spray the layers of sugar with water. Make sure that sugar is pushed down beneath the initial layer of soil.
• If clover still appears in your garden, you can douse the formations with vinegar or pull them out with your bare hands.

Prevention Method: Corn Gluten Treatment

Just like sugar, corn gluten meal releases an enzyme into the soil, when mixed with water. The enzyme, organic dipeptide, is known to inhibit the growth of clover and weed, while making your soil richer and healthier. This option may be less convenient than sugar treatment but according to some landscapers, corn gluten is more effective than sugar.

Materials Used:

• approx 20 lbs corn gluten meal
• water hose

Procedure:

• Order corn gluten meal online or purchase about 20 lbs from a well-stocked grocery.
• Spread the sack of corn gluten throughout the area of your garden.
• Set the hose to forcefully push water out.
• Spray the layers of corn gluten, until they sink beneath the soil's outer level.
• When the soil dries, it starts absorbing the organic dipeptide released by the corn gluten meal.

Clover, in small numbers, is actually beneficial for any garden, given its ability to turn the soil's nitrogen into natural fertilizer. When the plant starts germinating, it competes with the other plants for soil nourishment. You will then have to choose between your pretty ornamental plants and the clover. Of course, the ornamental plants always win. Tough luck for the supposed lucky charm. If you enjoy this article, you'll surely enjoy learning how to pull weeds.