Knowledgebase
Pre-emergent Herbicyde #925080
Asked February 26, 2026, 8:43 AM EST
Mecosta County Michigan
Expert Response
Hi Allen, thanks for using Ask Extension.
It isn't clear whether you want to control the clover or encourage it.
Ladino clover (Trifolium repens) is a perennial that spreads by stolons and regrows each year from established crowns rather than from seed. Because Ladino regrows from these established perennial structures, pre‑emergent herbicides cannot control it. Pre‑emergents work only by preventing germinated weed seedlings from becoming established and do not affect existing vegetation. However, those same pre‑emergents can help protect a Ladino food plot by blocking annual weeds such as foxtail and pigweed that must germinate each year. It appears that academic sources do not endorse specific pre‑emergent products for clover food plots, and most food‑plot programs rely on post‑emergent tools instead. A pre‑emergent will not harm Ladino and will reduce annual weeds, but it will not control Ladino and is not labeled specifically for clover. It is a protection tool, not a clover‑control tool. For weed control within clover food plots, land‑grant forage programs identify only two active ingredients that are both safe on established clover and labeled for legume forage systems: clethodim, a grass‑selective herbicide documented as safe on broadleaf crops including clovers, and 2,4‑DB, lists as registered for use on clover and other forage legumes while selectively controlling broadleaf weeds .
Lawn and Turfgrass Weeds: White Clover
I hope this helps.