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How To Get Rid Of Wild Violets In Lawn

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A Closer Look At Violets In The Lawn

How to Control Wild Violets in the Lawn

These low-growing broadleaf weeds are highly shade-tolerant but will also grow in sunny areas. The flowers on violet can be white, blue, purple, or yellow. They may look small and delicate, but wild violet is quite aggressive and can produce thick mats of leaves that end up depriving the rest of your lawn of nutrients. Unfortunately, violets are difficult to control because of their extensive root systems, their waxy leaf covering, and their fast-growing tendencies.

Reasons To Keep Them On Your Lawn

It undeniable that even though they can be somewhat invasive, violets are pretty flowers. The flowers bloom in the early months of spring and bloom rather oftenand as a result, not everyone sees them as weeds.

There are those homeowners that are known to choose to let them grow in their lawns and elsewhere on their property.

There are a few reasons why you might want to let violets grow on your lawn:

  • They offer the ability for low maintenance of lawns.
  • You will able to avoid the use of any type of chemical or herbicide to combat them.
  • They are a favorite amongst all types of pollinatorsincluding bees.
  • If there an area of your property that you are having a problem with growing grass, violets, with their love of shady, moist areas, can prove to make them an excellent ground cover.
  • They are considered a native species, and as such, they are beneficial additions to a natural landscape design.

Finally, many are not aware that the violet is officially classified as a weed safe for consumption. Both the flowers and the stems are safe to eat, and the leaves of the younger plants have a pleasant, somewhat nutty flavor. In addition, many individuals use parts of the flowers medicinally. The acid in the leaves is said to break down and eliminate corns and warts.

Consider taking a look at some other articles about getting rid of weeds and other pests:

Killing Violets In The Lawn

Getting rid of violets is no easy task. Hand-pulling violets wont get you very far due to their strong roots. Its very difficult to pull a violet without leaving at least some of the root in the ground, meaning its going to grow right back. Granular products dont work well on violets, either. Thats because not enough of the product will coat the leaves. Even if youre lucky enough to get a few flakes on the leaves, its not going to be effective enough to work.The key to killing violets in the lawn is a professional-grade broadleaf liquid herbicide that will stick to the leaves and ultimately knock wild violets back. This must be coupled with a long-term strategy, including spraying multiple times a year, particularly in the fall when certain products are able to be used in cooler temperatures.

In addition to spot treating the violets repeatedly from spring through fall, youll also want to focus on a lawn care program that encourages a healthy and thick lawn. Because violets thrive in sparse lawns, the thicker your lawn is, the more likely it will choke out these pesky weeds.

Thickening your lawn can be achieved with a program that incorporates regular fertilization, looks at improving the soil with necessary pH corrections, and includes aeration and overseeding every fall.

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What To Use To Kill Ground Ivy And Violet

My go-to weed control here is the active ingredient Triclopyr. 2-3 applications this fall will go a long way towards you regaining ground.

This High Yield product works great and is affordable. The mix rates are:1.5 Tablespoons of concentrate 2 Teaspoons of non-ionic surfactantThese are mixed into 1 gallon of water.This makes an emulsion that you can spray across 1,000 sq ft of area if you are blanket spraying, or use it for spot sprays and spray until the leaves of the weeds appear wet but not dripping.It may take a few applications and as long as your outside air temps are still over 55F during the day, you can re-apply 14 days later for a double knockout.Here are a list of other weeds you may be seeing that this product is labeled to control, some better than others .

Notes: It is very important to agitate this mix thoroughly and constantly. Even while you are spraying, be sure to shake the emulsion often.No watering for at least 24 hours after application. No mowing for at least 5 days after the application.

How To Get Rid Of Wild Violets Organically

How to Get Rid of Wild Violets in the Lawn

There are several organic ways to deal will violets on your lawn. Lets have a look at some of them.

1. Tolerating And Living With The Wild Violets

Even though its a crazy idea its by far the simplest and the most cost-effective way to deal with wild violets. All you have to do is try and enhance grass lawn wellbeing to give it a competing chance against the weeds.

Furthermore, not everybody considers these beautiful flowers a weed, and if managed properly, you can live with them peacefully.

2. Removing Wild Violets by Hand

Fresh and young violets flowers are relatively simple to pull out by hand. For older flowers, you can use opt for a garden fork to help you dig them out. However, this will only work on a small area or if the flowers are scattered across the lawn.

Plus, it is not easy to pull out the flowers completely with their roots, meaning they will grow back again after a short while. It is recommended that you follow up this method with a concrete plan to enhance the health of the lawn to help choke out new weeds.

3. Using homemade Wild Violet Weed Killer

You can also use a homemade weed killer mixture to kill violet flowers on your lawn. Mix horticultural vinegar and water and spray the solution directly to the flowering foliage. This homemade herbicide is believed to have an 80% success rate on wild violet.

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Create An Environment That Is Best For Your Lawn

Take a soil test for your lawn and add the necessary treatments to correct soil pH and other deficiencies. Youll often find violets growing in soil with very low soil pH, which grass doesnt do so hot in. After you get a good handle on the violet populations, core aerate your lawn. This will relieve soil compaction and improve drainage which your grass plants will prefer.

How To Get Rid Of Wild Violets In A Lawn

by Chelsea Fitzgerald / in Home

Wild violets are an attractive flower that grows wild in shady, moist areas of your lawn. Typically, they are purple but can also be light blue and other colours. This is a plant that is difficult to kill. It can range in height from 2 to 12 inches. It has a dense, fibrous root system that makes it difficult to pull from your lawn area. The plant is a perennial and the leaves have a waxy coating. Although they thrive in moist conditions, they are drought tolerant, thus making it harder to eliminate them from lawns.

  • Wild violets are an attractive flower that grows wild in shady, moist areas of your lawn.
  • This is a plant that is difficult to kill.

Treat the wild violets in the autumn months around mid-September to the middle of October. This gives you the best chance of eliminating or controlling them.

Spray a product containing glyphosate, dicamba or triclopyr to get rid of the wild violets. Be aware that it will also kill any other green vegetation that it touches.

Use a post-emergent broadleaved herbicide and follow the directions on the container. Make sure it specifically lists wild violets on its label as something it controls. You may have to apply this every year for it to effectively control the growth of wild violets, although it may not get rid of them permanently.

TIP

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How To Control Wild Violets In Kentucky Lawns

Theres an old saying that goes where theres one mouse, theres more. Unfortunately, the same could be said of wild violets in lawns. If youve spotted one violet, chances are theres an underground root system spreading like wildfire. While it technically isnt an invasive species, because its native to North America, it is incredibly invasive when it comes to lawns. They take root quickly and are difficult to eradicate but not impossible. Today, well discuss this perturbing plant and what you can do about it.

Managing Creeping Charlie And Violets

How Do I Control Wild Violet? | Herbicides for Wild Violet

Ground ivy often creates a thick mat of vegetation in shade lawn areas.

Lawns in shade areas are rarely very vigorous or dense and thus may be prone to weed invasion. Two of the more common broadleaf weeds invading shady lawns are ground ivy and violets. Both are difficult to control.

Ground ivy , also called creeping Charlie, is a common lawn weed problem. Shady lawns with poorly drained fertile soil are typical sites for ground ivy to develop into a major problem. This plant may form extensive patches as it creeps along the soil and moves into sunny areas. The stems are square and the leaves are arranged opposite of each other along stems. The leaves are round to somewhat kidney shaped with rounded, toothed margins. Crushed leaves have a minty odor. Ground ivy has small funnel-shaped purplish-blue flowers appearing from April to June.

Ground ivy will produce new plants at the nodes of trailing stems.

Violets include several cool-season annuals and perennials that are low-growing plants. These species are very shade tolerant and prefer lawns located on moist, fertile soils. Violets tend to be most visible during cool weather of spring and fall. Leaves of the common violet are oval to kidney-shaped with a heart-shaped base. Flowers may be white, blue, purple, or yellow. All violets reproduce by seed, and perennial violets also spread by creeping roots and rhizomes.

To keep ground ivy and violets from invading lawns, maintain a thick lawn by proper lawn care practices.

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What Are Native Wild Violets

Wild violet is a annual weed-like flower found in the northern parts of the united states. It blossoms in spring, and you will start to see them in the cool, humid areas of your lawn. Dealing with native violets in your lawn can be one of the most traumatic tasks any lawn owner can ever encounter.

These pretty flowers will take over your lawn in a matter of seasons, and once in control, nothing is more tenacious like the violet flower. Eliminating wild violets in your lawn can take years so be sure to have a long-term strategy!

Are you in such a situation? You have done everything, but no matter what you do, they keep coming back? And you are left wondering, is there any form of treatment that one can use to kill these invasive flowers?

Not a very good scenario to find yourself in! Dont worry, there are a couple of things you can use to kill violets on your lawn. The next few paragraphs will have some insightful information on how to deal with these pesky flowers!

Choosing A Lawn Care Company To Win The War On Tough Weeds

While it may feel like the battles against these weeds are never-ending, when you choose to work with a lawn care company that employs a long-term strategy against tough-to-control weeds like violets and ground ivy, then youll finally start to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

With the right approach, youll see these weeds lessening each year as your thick and healthy lawn fills in. Of course, when it comes to combating aggressive weeds, you absolutely must keep up with a proactive annual program. Even taking just one year off could land you right back in a mess. But with the right care, performed regularly, you can stop feeling like progress is hopeless and start seeing the results you desire.

Are you ready to have a thicker lawn and get rid of violets and ground ivy at your Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton, PA home? Get in touch with us to get some free expert advice and learn more about our lawn care programs which include three lawn care pricing options.

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How Do I Get Rid Of Them

Late fall is the best time to apply weed control and get rid of wild violets and ground ivy. The reason for this is that plants are in the process of moving food into the root systems in the fall. Therefore, the weed control products will move down into the root system, providing better control. A follow-up application may also be needed in the spring when the plants are flowering.

It may take two or three years to get these weeds under control. Since both of these weeds prefer shady locations, overseeding with more shade-tolerant grasses may help. If it is too shady for grass to grow, you may need to switch from grass to ground covers or mulch. You will still need to control these weeds before switching and fall is still the better time to do so.

Controlling Violets In Lawns

How to Get Rid of Wild Violets in the Lawn

The most effective way to control violets in lawns is chemicals. Pulling violets out of turf is almost useless and certainly, you cant mulch a lawn. Most lawns that use a lawn service dont have violets. Thats because lawn services apply a broad-leaf weed killer at the optimum time in summer. This appropriately named weed killer destroys the broad-leafed plants such as violets and leaves the thin-leafed plantslike your grass. If you dont use a lawn service, go your local garden center and check out the various chemicals that you can spread on your lawn that tout themselves as broad-leafed herbicides. Otherwise, simply look for something made for lawns that specifies controlling violets. Follow package directions exactly, especially on the time of year to apply the weed killer. Timing is everything. One note: Violets do best in light shade. Grass does not do well in light shade. Wherever grass struggles, weeds fill in. So your violet problem in your lawn may be because youre growing grass in a place it really shouldnt be growing. Consider trimming up trees, cutting out overgrown shrubs, etc. to allow more light in to the lawn. Or give up on the grass altogether and plant groundcovers, hostas, and other shade-loving perennials.

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How To Get Crystal Violet Stain Out Of Clothes

In biomedical research, crystal violet can be used to stain the nuclei of adherent cells. In this application, crystal violet works as a intercalating dye and allows the quantification of DNA which is proportional to the number of cells. In forensics, crystal violet was used to develop fingerprints.

Are Wild Violets Safe To Eat

Wild Violets are in fact safe to eat! Do make sure you correctly identify any and all plants that you forage before eating them. Violets are often used as a garnish on wedding cakes or in other desserts. Flowers can be crystallized with sugar or used on their own. Violet jelly, liquor, syrup, vinegar and tea are all common uses. Leaves and flowers together are often consumed on salads. Leaves can also be added to soups or stews. Violets provide both vitamins A and C.

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What About Tenacity

Everyone loves the Tenacity, and I do too. It does work fairly well on ground ivy and violet but not as well as the recommendation above.However, if you already have Tenacity, and want a second knockout punch, apply the Tenacity along with it.In fact, you can add 1 teaspoon of Tenacity right into the mix you made above. No need to add more surfactant. Be sure to completely and thoroughly agitate this mix, often.Now, if you dont already have Tenacity, dont go buy it just for the single purpose of knocking out creeping charlie and violets. But if you already have it, use it.

Get Out and Learn

Fall is a great time to get out and spray weeds, especially if you have not done it before.Since the temps are cooler, there is less chance for damage if you over-apply and on top of that, we have quite a bit of growth time left in much of the country which means if you do stunt it, it has time to recover.All that is to say, dont be scared! Get out there and knock out those weeds now.Ill see you in the lawn!-AL

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What Is Ground Ivy

How to Kill Wild Violet and Wild Strawberries in a Lawn – Extremely Difficult Weeds to Control

So, what is ground ivy? Great question! Ground ivy, also known as âcreeping charlie,â is a very aggressive weed that grows in thick mats across your lawn. It gets its name, âcreeping charlie,â as it can creep across your lawn, harming your grass as it goes.

Not sure if youâre dealing with ground ivy? Hereâs what to look for in your invasive weeds:

  • Ground ivy features rounded leaves with scalloped edges
  • Will often sprout a small purple flower
  • Essentially acting as a vine, ground ivy will grow low to the ground
  • Features nodes that form roots if they reach the soil, making them deeply-rooted and hard to hand pull

This weed prefers shady and damp areas and is often resistant to herbicides, making removing ivy from ground landscapes a real hassle. And if youâre wondering – âdoes tenacity kill creeping charlie?â The simple answer is – no. Pulling at this often deeply rooted weed will prove unsuccessful. As it spreads and takes root, this weed flowers in the spring – a great time to start the process of killing ivy on ground surfaces.

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