Keep the clovers, especially the four-leaf ones

“There is not a sprig of grass that shoots uninteresting to me nor anything that moves.” —Thomas Jefferson

Q: How do I get rid of sweet clover in my lawn? —Bertha, Cambridge, Ill.

A: We are a strong advocate of keeping clover in the lawn.

Clover is a martyr grass that will die away when there is sufficient nitrogen in the soil. Since it attracts bees, it is helpful for pollination of flowers in addition to adding nitrogen to the soil. Clover takes nitrogen from the air and breaks down the nitrates in the roots to feed the other grasses. If you give the lawn sufficient fertilizer the clover will disappear. You have an inexpensive source of fertilizer that you could grow to love.

I have found five four-leaf clovers this year. It will be a great year!

Q: We have a zoysia lawn. When is the best time to fertilize? —Mark, Preston, Conn.

A: Zoysia grass is a warm weather grass. Blue, perennial rye and fes- cue grasses are cool. In the early fall and late spring, zoysia will appear brown in the north. It stays lush and green in the heat of summer, when the cool grasses go dormant and turn brown. Zoysia is not a heavy feeder and fertilizing once a year will suffice. I would use a 5-10-10 in the fall or a 20-10-5 in the spring. You do not need both.

Q: I just saw a little growth on my Wisteria cuttings. When can I expect real growth? —Maggie, Middletown

A: Wistaria frutescens, the American wisteria, blooms a lot later than W. sinensis, Chinese wisteria, or the Japanese, W. floribunda. It may take four or five years before you will see a flower. You can hasten the process by adding a handful of 5-1010 fertilizer each year to the soil. You can further enrich the soil by cultivating into the surrounding soil some aged manure each year. The American does not bloom when the leaves come out as the Japanese and Chinese do.

Q: I purchased a Navaho Willow this spring. It grew to three feet by three feet rather quickly. I watered faithfully. It is a three foot hole with plenty of humus and I used 16-16-16 fertilizer. It has turned yellow and then brown from the edges. What can I do? —Warren, Taylor, Ariz.

A: Stop fertilizing. You have fertilizer burn. Leave the plant alone except for watering when necessary. You gave it too much TLC.