A Healthy Lawn Can Also Help You With Wild Violet Control
In addition to proper wild violet control with specialty herbicides, you want to make sure your lawn is in the best position to fight all weeds, including wild violets.You want to start by watering properly. Irrigation your lawn with 1 to 2 inches of water weekly. Early morning watering is typically best.
Since thicker turfgrass yields fewer weeds, you want to fertilize regularly, as well as aerate and overseed in the fall. Basing your fertilization on soil test results will get you the best program specific to your lawn. Mowing at a 3- to 4-inch height encourages healthy lawn health and keeps lawn thick enough to reduce weed growth.
Benefits Of Wild Violets In Your Lawn
For some folks, wild violets are a welcome addition to their landscape, and they choose not to interfere. You may want to let wild violets grow on your lawn because:
- They attract pollinators, particularly bees.
- They make a good ground cover for areas where the lawn isnt thick, green, and lush.
- If there are native species, then theyre likely beneficial to the biodiversity of the area.
- You wont have to use chemicals or herbicides around your home and on your lawn.
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Use Selective Organic Herbicides
One of the most effective organic herbicides you can use to kill many types of weeds is horticultural vinegar. Yes, this vinegar is different from the kitchen vinegar we use for cooking but it contains concentrated acetic acid that can kill weeds and grass.
So we advise that if you want to try it, do it for spot treatment only using a hand sprayer and expect that the grass you spray with it may also die. But then grass can easily grow now stolons and rhizomes so it can cover sprayed areas in just a few days.
Once the wild violet wilts after 2 or 3 days, it can be easily pulled from the ground including its root bulbs or use a trowel to make sure. Use a ratio of 80% water and 20% horticultural vinegar to make it safer for the applicator. You can also add liquid detergent to act as surfactant or glue for the herbicide to stick onto the stems and leaves of the wild violet weed.
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A Closer Look At Ground Ivy Weeds
Like violets, ground ivy, which is also sometimes referred to as Creeping Charlie, is incredibly aggressive. It grows in thick mats in areas of your lawn and can quickly become a major problem. Ground ivy can form extensive patches as it creeps across your lawn, crowding out desired grass in the process. As it creeps along the soil surface it will form roots where its leaves join its stems.
How Do Wild Violets Grow
Even though they are a nuisance, wild violets can be very pretty. They have beautiful, short-lived flowers that can range in colors from white to blue to purple. When my sister and I were children, we would pick wild violets that grew in a forested area near our house and give them to our mother. Now, you can purchase these plants as a garden perennial. In a home lawn, they grow best in shady areas where the desired grasses have a more difficult time growing. This allows them to easily spread by both seed and through underground root systems called rhizomes. The leaves on violets are very tough, making it more difficult for weed control products to penetrate the surface. The extensive root structure spreads underground, allowing this weed to creep out of flower beds and into your lawn. Even when dug up, if any pieces of the root is left behind, the plant will regenerate and begin anew. This fact has really made the wild violet a difficult weed to remove from unwanted areas in your landscape.
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How To Prevent Wild Violets In Your Lawn
To prevent Wild Violets, make sure your grass is thick and healthy so theres no room for these weeds to take hold. Do not overwater to promote the moist soil Wild Violets prefer. We recommend mowing high so your grass roots are strong and deep. We always recommend adding Microclover to your lawn to feed your soil and keep your grass healthy.
How Do I Grow Wild Violets In My Lawn
Violets can be planted nearly anytime throughout spring and fall, though early spring is preferable. These plants enjoy light shade but will also thrive in sunny locations. While they tolerate many soil types, wild violets prefer soil that is moist, yet well-draining, and rich in organic matter. via
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How To Get Rid Of Wild Violet Naturally
You will know that you are dealing with wild violet in lawn when you see those five-petaled heart-shaped violet flowers with some combination of white or blue colors in the middle of each flower. The flowers grow at the stems growing points and some of them have white hairs. The leaves of this weed are also a bit waxy and this characteristic makes this weed more difficult to eliminate with herbicides. rid of Creeping Charlie naturally.
Here are some of the traditional practices you can do to control wild violet proliferation on your lawn:
What’s The Deal With Wild Violets
Have you seen wild violets popping up in yards aroundtown? They grow to be about 4-6 inches tall, have heart-shaped leaves, and areusually marked by violet, speckled or white blooms.
While pretty, these iconic wild violets are also anaggressive and invasive weed. Theyve been known to take over yards and flowerbeds with no concern for whatever landscaping plans the homeowner originallyhad in mind.
Now, if you love wild violets and their vibrant bloomsare your favorite part of spring, then enjoy! Theyre great for pollinators andcan add a pop of color to your yard.
But, if youre like some of our homeowners, you seethese blooms as a blemish on your otherwise tidy lawn.
Weve got some bad news. Despite their delicate floral appearance, wild violetsare one of the trickiest weeds to control. Often, even if our treatments havekept every other weed at bay, wild violets remain unfazed.
Theyre incredibly prolific and hardy for a fewreasons:
1. They have anunderground root system that grows horizontally. Even if you dig up the rootsdirectly under the plant, its nearly impossible to get the whole system. Andif even the smallest amount of root gets left behind, youll have violets inyour future.
2.The plant has lowlying flowers that go to seed at the soil line and hide beneath the rest of thefoliage. These blooms fly under the radar of the mower blade, dont requirepollination, and spread seed throughout the summer.2
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How To Kill Wild Violets In Lawns
21 December, 2009
The violet, blue or white blossoms of the wild violet , also known as the common violet, sand violet and Viola papilionacea, spread across the lawn, marring the expanse of green perfection. Removing wild violets from lawns in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9 is difficult. The plants rapidly resprout from the roots after herbicide treatments killing wild violets is a process that requires persistence by the homeowner.
How To Control Wild Violets
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A few wild violets can add a charming splash of color to your garden or lawn, but these weeds can spread quickly and dramatically when left unchecked. You can control violets using both chemical and organic measures, but you should know that both methods will require time and dedication.
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Use The Right Herbicides
Youll be hard pressed to try to wipe out a violet infestation with your four-step, hardware store, bags of lawn products. Violets will require multiple applications of liquid selective broadleaf herbicide throughout the year. Each time you treat, youll notice you wont entirely kill violets, but rather knock them back some. Professional lawn care companies will have an array of weed control products that they change throughout the year for maximum effectiveness. Some of these materials may not be available to the public for purchase. If the lawn is predominantly violets, you may even want to consider completely killing off sections of your lawn with a non-selective herbicide, such as Round-up, and starting from scratch. This may take a couple applications as well before violets are controlled.
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.
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How To Kill Wild Violets And Ground Ivy In Your Lawn
Ground ivy and wild violets in the lawn can be the cause of a major headache. It might seem as though every year you have more and more of these persistent weeds and no matter what you try, you cant seem to get rid of them.
Youre not just imagining it. The truth is, the aggressive nature of both ground ivy and violets makes these weeds two of the toughest to get rid of. Your fight against them can almost feel futile as they seem to fight back harder. When it comes to getting rid of wild violets and ground ivy, youll want to take the mentality of losing the battle but winning the war to heart. Its going to be a long road, but the right treatment approach by a professional can get you there.
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Wild violets are cool perennials that thrive well in the shady, damp soil. Regulating wild violets in the lawn may be one of a homeowners most daunting gardening issues. In only a few short seasons, these cute little plants may take over a lawn and, once they take root, nothing is as tenacious as the wild violet. It can take years to monitor or destroy wild lawn violets.Do you want to know some of the best herbicides for wild violets? Check the following reviews, comparison table and buyers guide before finding the great solution for your garden or lawn.
- Restricted in some states
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Are Wild Violets Weeds
If you define a weed as any plant growing where you dont want it, you can definitely consider wild violets in your lawn to be weeds.
Wild violets freely self-seed, quickly taking over a lawn or planted bed and are not too easy to get rid of, Shipman says. While they have many benefits to pollinators and wildlife, their aggressive habits can make them a headache for gardeners with a more manicured image in mind.
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.
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How To Get Rid Of Wild Violets
Wild Violets are really hard to get rid of. Hand digging can work if there are just a few clumps, but its tiresome and you must fully remove all rhizomes, which is very hard to do. Fully removing sod and establishing an entirely new yard will definitely work. However, we recommend enjoying the pretty purple pop of color in your yard and the constant green leaves they provide.
Weedkiller is rarely effective on these plants because of their waxy leaves. Some strong chemical-based weed killers that we do not recommend sometimes work, but not always. When attempting chemical control, its best to apply the weedkillers in the Fall when they arent actively growing.
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How To Kill Wild Violets Growing In The Yard Without Killing The Grass
21 September, 2017
Wild violet has a reputation of being notoriously hard to kill. But most of that reputation is because of the use of the wrong type of herbicide. Wild violet is only responsive to post-emergent broad leaf herbicides that contains triclopyr and is listed as safe to use on lawns. This type of herbicide is much more effective on wild violets than any other. However, wild violet is stubborn and it will likely take more than one application applied over more than one season to get rid of the plant for good.
Mow your lawn and the wild violet. By cutting the wild violet back, you will force it to start growing rapidly. Perennial weeds like wild violet must be actively growing when sprayed or else the herbicide will not be drawn down into the weeds roots.
- Wild violet has a reputation of being notoriously hard to kill.
- Wild violet is only responsive to post-emergent broad leaf herbicides that contains triclopyr and is listed as safe to use on lawns.
Spray the wild violet once it has grown 3 to 4 inches. Coat all of the plant tissue, but stop just before the herbicide drips off of the plant. In roughly two weeks, most of the wild violet will have wilted and turned yellow.
Spray the wild violet again three weeks after the first application . The second application should kill the majority of this seasons wild violet. If not, spray again as necessary at the intervals specified by your herbicides manufacturer.
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What Do Wild Violets In Grass Look Like
Known for its pretty purple flowers, but hated for its ease of growing in lawn areas and taking over turfgrass, wild violets in grass are perennial weeds with extensive root systems.
These weeds grow under 2 inches in height so they stay tucked into your lawn. But their heart-shaped, scalloped leaves that range from ½-inch to 1½ inch stand out. Then they bloom with ¾- to 1-inch purplish-blue flowers, which make them pop out from the lawn even more.
What Makes Wild Violets So Tough To Control
Wild violets in grass spread by creeping stems that root in the soil throughout the lawn. This also makes their roots difficult to get if you were trying to pull them up by hand. If you try to grab them, the plants usually snap off of the roots, which actually encourages regrowth. This makes weeding by hand work against your efforts.
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Killing Wild Violets In Your 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 wild violet without leaving at least some of the root in the ground, meaning its going to grow right back. Granular products dont work well to kill 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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