How do I get rid of creeping clover from around my raspberry plants?
Question:
I have a beautiful raspberry garden, but a few years back I planted creeping clover plants in a section of my flower garden near it and the tall creeping clover is all thru my raspberry area. How to I get rid of it without harming my raspberry
Answer:
Because the clover is intermixed with your raspberry, I hesitate to recommend any herbicides, so we instead focus on physical control. Clover is relatively shallow-rooted, so your best bet is probably hand removal under your raspberries (not a fun task–wear thick clothes and gloves!). If you can get a hoe under the bushes, you can cultivate the top few inches of soil to help loosen the clover, as well. Once you have most of it taken out, apply a 2-3″ thick layer of mulch to the ground to help suppress and smother any regrowth–this will also make it much easier to spot and pull clover peeking through, so you won’t have to redo the initial effort. If you have trouble getting all the clover out, you can also consider putting down black plastic or landscape fabric before applying the mulch, to create an additional smother layer. It might take a season or two to get it all, but the results should be what you’re looking for. You might also consider installing a border on the flower bed to prevent clover from escaping into the newly cleared area.
None of this should bother your raspberry plants in the slightest.