What Kills Creeping Charlie But Not Grass
If Creeping Charlie has taken up residence in your lawn, you will find it a challenge to get rid of it. You cant suffocate it without killing your grass. In addition, its nearly impossible to remove by hand as it will be tangled in the grass roots.
When you have a tough time getting rid of Creeping Charlie on your lawn, a herbicide may be one way to deal with it quickly. However, you need to know that many weedkillers are non-selective and kill anything they touch.
You will need to check product labels carefully and select a broadleaf herbicide containing Triclopyror dicamba, which are two chemicals to kill Creeping Charlie while not harming your precious turf grass.
Positives Of Creeping Charlie
Not everything about a creepy Charlie is creepy. It is also beneficial for the human race up to some extent.
- If the creeping Charlie is maintained well, kept under control, and cut before dense growth, it can indeed be harnessed for good.
- As unbelievable as it may sound, Creeping Charlie can be eaten raw. As mentioned previously, in comparison with mint, Charlies young leaves have a mild mint flavor. These leaves are helpful in salads or any other dishes as they are delicious.
- Further, along with eating the vegetables raw, the weed can also be cooked like spinach and added to soups and omelets just like any other leafy vegetable. Also, it is used for making tea.
- It is a decent grass substitute. In case you are searching for an eco-friendly, low-support choice to turf grass in an obscure zone, creeping Charlie is a decent decision. It fills in thick tangles you will not have to cut. However, there are noninvasive groundcovers that are better decisions for turf substitutes.
- Pollinators like it. Creeping Charlies blossoms produce nectar in the spring and late spring, cherished by honeybees and butterflies. Your weed is their food.
- It is helpful for disintegration control. Creeping Charlie fills in obscure conditions in the soil, so if you have a territory inclined to waste time, creeping Charlie can keep the dirt in its place.
Leaving The Area You Just Sprayed
Next step of how to get rid of Creeping Charlie is leaving that treated area during winter. In the spring, you can start raking up the leftover debris of the weed. Amend and till your soil using the nitrogen fixing natural fertilizer. Now you can reseed or replant the clean lawn.
This first way to clean the lawn from Creeping Charlie is for lawn that has been covered by the Creeping Charlie you couldnt remove naturally. If the Creeping Charlie growing in your lawn is not that much, consider following the second way below.
Read Also: How To Kill Creeping Charlie In Lawn
How To Prevent Creeping Charlie In Your Lawn
A healthy, maintained lawn is the first defense against weeds. Heres what to do to help keep creeping Charlie from reappearing: Feed your grass. A well-fed lawn grows thick and is better able to crowd out weeds and prevent weed seeds from germinating by blocking sunlight’s access to the soil. Repair bare spots. Bald spots in your lawn are prime real estate for weeds to move in. Whether from heavy foot traffic, drought, grubs, or disease, watch for thinning areas in your lawn and repair them quickly. Mow high. Tall grass shades the soil which helps block the necessary sunlight that weeds need to germinate. Overseed annually. A dense lawn will help block out weeds naturally. You can help make your lawn thicker by overseeding in the spring or fall.
Hand Pulling Creeping Charlie
Depending on how much space the weed covers, one natural weed elimination option is pulling Creeping Charlie by hand.
I recommend that you wear gloves since the mint properties of this weed lend themselves to itching and allergic reactions if you have sensitive skin.
My advice if youll be hand-pulling Creeping Charlie is to moisten the ground a little .
This allos the vines pull easily and helps them to not snap off above the ground.
A fork or specialized weed pulling tool can help to dig around the rhizomes and lift them out of the dirt.
When pulling Creeping Charlie from the ground, it is crucial to pull all parts of the plant not just the rhizomes into a bag and not leave them lying on the ground.
Creeping Charlie vines have nodes at the base of each leaf stem. These nodes are capable of creating roots if they come into contact with the soil so pull it, and remove it.
Pulling Creeping Charlie by hand is a challenging task that leaves a lot of room for error. Unfortunately, you will need to follow up with more rounds of pulling every two weeks, but if youre dilligent it can be an effective and natural way to do it.
I think it makes a fantastic punishment for kids who have misbehaved.
Recommended Reading: All Wheel Drive Push Mower Reviews
How To Kill Creeping Charlie But Not Grass
If you notice Creeping Charlie or Ground Ivy growing in nearby yards, chances are you will be dealing with it in yours eventually. Your lawn must have optimal soil health to treat it with a non-selective herbicide to stop it from invading your yard.
If you’re too late in controlling it at an early stage, don’t despair, as there are several ways you can get rid of it from your yard organically.
Here are some of the most popular and effective way to handle.
How Do You Get Rid Of Creeping Grass
ridcreeping bentgrasslawnkillgrasses
What kills creeping charlie and not grass?
Use a special broadleaf herbicide containing either tricolpyr or dicamba on Creeping Charlie that has taken over your lawnthese chemicals will kill Creeping Charlie without harming your grass.
Why is my grass growing sideways?grassesgrow sidewaysgrow
Contents
Also Check: Who Makes Snapper Lawn Mowers
What You Need To Know About Creeping Charlie
- Creeping Charlie is also known as ground ivy.
- Its a perennial, evergreen creeper that loves moist, shady areas.
- Spreads by rhizomes and seeds, and forms thick mats in the lawn.
- It’s found all across the country, except in the Rocky Mountain states.
- Fun fact: It was used by the ancient Saxons for brewing beer and was brought to this country from Europe for medicinal purposes.
Buy The Correct Herbicide
One of the most important steps in treating creeping Charlie with herbicide is making sure you buy the right type. Although creeping Charlie is a broadleaf weed, not every type of broadleaf herbicide will be effective.
The best herbicides to use are ones that contain a combination of dicamba and triclopyr, and using one of these will kill the weed without damaging your lawn. Also, make sure you buy a herbicide that is suitable for your grass type.
Don’t Miss: Cost To Install Astroturf
Easy Ways To Get Rid Of Creeping Charlie In Lawn
If youre the proud owner of a beautifully sculpted and cared-for lawn, you are probably familiar with the threat of creeping Charlie, the invasive and tenacious scourge of gardens everywhere.
Once it takes hold, it can be a real battle to keep creeping Charlie at bay, but with the right knowledge and careful application of the correct techniques, this is a fight you can win so heres everything you need to know about getting rid of creeping Charlie in lawn.
Encourage Healthy Lawn Growth
A lawn that has healthy and more robust grass can overgrow, smothering the weeds underneath it. You can support the healthy lawn by aerating the grounds and improving the drainage in your yard. Creeping Charlie grows aggressively in a moist and shady area.
You shouldn’t overwater your lawn to reduce the required moisture for weed. Plant shade-tolerant vegetation that can provide natural mulch to smother the weed. You can also trim down overhanging tree branches and shrubs to allow sunlight to reach the ground.
You May Like: Kill Weeds In Lawn Naturally
Repeat The Procedure In A Few Weeks
You may miss on to several roots even if you make sure to remove all of them carefully. Check for patches individually, and pull up new creeping Charlie plants by the roots when you see them. Even if hand-pulling weeds might come as a tiring and lengthy process, it is undoubtedly eco-friendly. It will two or three hand pulling to remove the Charlie from roots.
How To Use Dicamba Herbicide For Creeping Charlie
How to eradicate creeping charlie? Dicamba herbicide is used to kill creeping charlie in a lot of lawns and gardens around the world.
However, if you want to use a herbicide to kills creeping charlie, you must be aware of the fact that not all industrial herbicides can be used to kill creeping charlie weed.
Only weed killers like dicamba are potent enough to get rid of creeping charlie in the lawn. Even the usage of Dicamba has to be accurate and precise and has to be administered in the perfect procedure.
To administer dicamba on your creeping charlie plants, you have to use it on your lawn in the early months of autumn or fall. This is when the creeping charlie grass grows most aggressively in your garden.
This way, the dicamba will leave the plants unable to multiply and grow. If you dont apply it to the lawn, there are low chances of complete eradication and high chances of mere prevention of growth.
When is the best time to kill creeping charlie? You should only apply dicamba herbicide to your garden after mowing and should not mow the garden at least 3 days after application.
Find below my top recommendation on the best herbicide for creeping charlie, if you wish to buy dicamba herbicide for creeping charlie.
Read Also: How To Kill Wild Violet Weeds In Lawn
What Is The Best Product To Kill Creeping Charlie
How to get rid of creeping charlie onthe lawn? If you have creeping charlie in your lawn and its presence is preventing you from planting any other plants around it, you must get those weeds removed immediately.
There are a lot of options on the market with relation to the removal of weeds like creeping charlie but you have to make sure that you use the option that suits you and your garden best.
For most people, the usage of triclopyr is the most effective option for the removal of Creeping Charlie. These are systemic and selective herbicides that specialize in the killing and the removal of creeping charlie.
These herbicides are sprayed on the soil and are taken up by the creeping charlie. Does triclopyr kill grass? The most important thing is that when triclopyr is applied properly in the lawn, it does not kill the grass and the other plants that surround creepy charlie.
How Do You Know Borax Is Working
Youll start to see signs of boron toxicity as soon as you apply borax to the lawn to control weeds. They include:
- Yellowing and eventual browning of leaves of the weeds.
- Drying tips of the leaves.
- Stunted growth.
- Poor root development.
According to a research paper by Marco Landi et al, Excess B in soil results in growth impairment and alteration of plant metabolism, causing progressive necrosis in leaves, stems and malformations
These signs that Borax is killing ground ivy occur because excess boron quickly starts to impair plant cell division and metabolism.
You should expect to start seeing results within a week of using borax to kill creeping charlie. Signs such as browning of leaves of ground ivy will be the clear evidence that the weed is finally dying and no longer growing.
You may also notice that theres very little spread of the weed, meaning your turfgrass will have a better chance of outgrowing the creepy weed and chocking it out.
Read Also: Average Cost To Hydroseed
How To Get Rid Of Creeping Charlie Without Chemicals
This page is an expert guide on getting rid of Creeping Charlie from your property using the products and methods suggested by our experienced lawn care specialists. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee you will be successful in eliminating Creeping Charlie.
Creeping Charlie is a common weed that plagues residential turf, particularly in moist areas where there is considerable shade but it can also thrive in sunlight and spread to other parts of the yard, ruining the uniformity you may be going for.
Creeping Charlie is known for its kidney-shaped leaves and their bright green and shiny appearance and are often a sign of too much shade in your lawn, overly wet soil or poor fertilizing.
If you are dealing with Creeping Charlie on your property, follow this guide to learn how to get rid of the weed before it starts to take over. While on this page we will provide natural remedies for those that wish to not use chemicalsif the weed is firmly established and has spread to the point where it is hard to control, chemical control may be your only option.
How To Kill Creeping Charlie Plant
The first thing to understand when working to get rid of creeping charlie plant is that it, like most lawn weeds, thrives best in an unhealthy lawn. Be sure to use proper mowing, watering, and fertilizing practices when caring for your lawn.
While creeping charlie weed is considered a broadleaf weed, it is not affected by all broadleaf spectrum herbicides. The only weed killers that are successful at killing creeping charlie are weed killers that contain dicamba. Even dicamba is only successful if applied several times at the right time.
In order to kill creeping charlie, you must apply dicamba based herbicide to your lawn in early fall when creeping charlie plant is growing most actively, which will leave it weakened enough so that it will have a difficult time surviving the winter. You can also apply in the late spring to early summer, but late spring to early summer applications will stall rather than eradicate creeping charlie in your lawn.
Also, only apply dicamba herbicide 3 days after mowing and do not mow for 3 days after applying it. This will allow the creeping charlie to grow more leaves, which will cause it to take in more herbicide and then will allow time for the herbicide to work through the plants system.
Note: Any recommendations pertaining to the use of chemicals are for informational purposes only. Chemical control should only be used as a last resort, as organic approaches are safer and more environmentally friendly.
You May Like: How To Kill Wild Violet Weeds In Lawn
How To Kill Creeping Charlie
Creeping Charlie is a perennial ground cover that has been a thorn in the side of homeowners and professional lawn care companies alike for many years. In Minnesota, you can find it growing in full shade, partial shade, and even in the full sun areas of your lawn. Creeping Charlie, which is also commonly referred to as ground ivy, can be easily identified by its square-shaped stems, purple flowers in April and May, and its refusal to die even when sprayed with standard herbicides that will kill almost all other broadleaf weeds growing in your lawn. Creeping Charlie and wild ivy are the only two types of broadleaf weeds that are not well controlled by the typical 3-way herbicide application, which is what is always used in astandard commercial lawn treatmentpackages. So even if youre using aSt. Paul Minnesota, lawn care company to treat your lawn for weeds, creeping Charlie will not be eliminated unless specifically addressed through the treatment of a specialty herbicide. These specialty herbicides are typically not used by Minneapolis lawn care companies unless needed. This is because the next generation of herbicides that are most effective at killing creeping Charlie are more expensive than the widely used standard 3-way herbicides.
Creeping Charlie: How To Get Rid Of Ground Ivy
Quick Navigation
Although it has many beneficial uses, creeping charlie or ground ivy is most commonly viewed as a weed. Perhaps youve recently found yourself wondering how to kill or control it. Or perhaps your question is simply how to get rid of creeping charlie without using chemicals?
If this plant has taken over your yard or garden, you need to know what to do next. Since there are many different species that can be mistaken for creeping charlie, youll definitely want to make sure that you know what youre dealing with before proceeding any further.
Ive asked similar questions myself when faced with this pest before. If youre dealing with a creeping charlie infestation, the tips that follow will help you eradicate this pesky purple flowered weed from your yard.
Don’t Miss: Fix Dead Spots In Lawn
Preventing Creeping Charlie By Maintaining A Healthy Lawn
Creeping Charlie tends to take root in lawns that are ill-maintained or that are suffering from a lawn disease or fungus. Maintaining a healthy lawn is a simple and affordable way to prevent creeping Charlie from taking over your propertyand it helps you increase your curb appeal as well. Using these tips and tricks throughout the year can empower you to fight off creeping Charlie and other lawn weeds on your own.
- Mow your lawn regularly: Long grass doesnt only look badit can also make it more difficult for your grass to take the nutrients it needs from your soil. When your grass is too long, grassroots may struggle to get water and oxygen from the atmosphere, causing your grass to weaken and leaving room for weeds to move in on your lawn.
If creeping Charlie tends to be a regular problem in your lawn, you may want to set your mower to a higher setting. Taller grass tends to shade your soil, which makes it more difficult for weeds to put roots down in your lawn. However, remember that leaving your grass too long will weaken your grasss rootsso have a plan before you mow and stick to it.
- Overseed patches in your grass: Do you have a bare spot in your lawn? If you do, dont be surprised if creeping Charlie decides to move in. Weeds like creeping Charlie are resilient and can grow even in areas where grass is having trouble thriving.
