creeping charlie

[island guy]

I've tried a bunch of stuff to get rid of charlie without much luck. I'm afraid I'll kill the whole lawn before the charlie dies. Seems like everytime I make some headway a new crop pops up. Any ideas?

[harvey lee]

I had a little bit in my lawn.This is a very good but very laboring way to do it.I took a bottle of Roundup and a q- tip and touched each plant very carefully and killed the lot.

My lawn is so thick that I dont get very many weeds.So the weed control is not a problem at all.

Kind of like getting rid of quack.Then I just water the lawn so its damp and the wife and I sit and pull them out one by one.After a year or two it doesnt take much to maintain.This of course is in a small lawn.

[grassman03]

I would go to your local co op or hardware

store and get some trimec and treat your

whole lawn then 10 days later treat the

infected areas again just remember a little

goes along way and if you make it down to mpls

stop by lesco and get some momentum fx

this stuff will fry that creeping charlie

up in one application and it will not come back

[harvey lee]

grassman03

Welcome to HSO&FM.Nice to have you aboard.We look forward to your future posts.

[Powerstroke]

I have to agree with grassman on the Momentum. Its pretty good stuff.

Creeping charlie spreads over ground through its vines (rhizomes) rather than through roots. Taking a garden rake to it will demonstrate this in no time. Problem is that you can spread it around if a large chunck gets cut by the mower and is blown across the yard, it can take root there and start a new batch.

Creeping charlie is very similar to Violets which was discussed yesterday in that they are very difficult to control. There are certain times when they are susceptible to herbicides and even then you need to use good cultural practices to maintain your lawn. See my Violets post for a better idea.

[Bigbartguy]

my ex-neighbors yard was FULL of this stuff, so it was a constant battle for me to keep my yard clear. I havent tried the solutions mentioned above so maybe they are the better route to take.

I hosed down the area with WeedBGone (at TWICE the recommended mix ratio) 3-4x per year. if they really have a hold on your yard it may take 1 or 2 yrs to kill them.

[bigdog]

Where is Lesco?

I have not tried Momentum, have used Ortho® Weed-B-Gon® Chickweed, Clover and Oxalis Killer for Lawns. Will Momentum kill clover and Oxalis?

[echotrail]

My neighbors don't believe in weed control and they are overrun with creeping charlie and everything else to. Where we have common property lines I spot spray with Weed-b-gon and furtilize with the Scotts Plus 2 weed control. The creeping charlie and other weeds end right there!

[Corey Bechtold]

How can I get creeping charlie to take over my lawn? That stuff doesn't grow real tall, is always green and spreads fast. Looks like I might have found some more fishing time!

Fertilizer bad,

Corey Bechtold

[Bigbartguy]

Corey- I have actually thought about this up at my cabin!!!!! no more mowing!!!

[island guy]

First, I appreciate all the ideas. I'm going to keep trying. I've a very big yard that is very shaded and seems perfect for creeping charlie.

Second, I really don't mind it. You're right, it doesn't grow high. Cuts down on mowing time, has pretty blue flowers, no fertilizing, ect. Over the decades somehow "grass" became the accepted choice for lawns. I wish it had been creeping charlie!!! I really don't mind the stuff but my neighbors do so I guess I'll do the socially accepted thing and keep on trying to get rid of it.

[grassman03]

lesco is located in brooklyn park, edina and

white bear lake and yes it will kill clover

and oxalis.

[Powerstroke]

Well.....for those wondering about keeping your charlie, its proper name is Ground Ivy and is used quite a bit as ground cover in landscaping and shade gardens. It spreads nicely, creates a mat of greenness (green is good right?!?) and requires no upkeep.

Everything has its place and G.Ivy is great in some areas, just not in my lawn.

[IFallsRon]

Dissolve five teaspoons of borax (20 Mule Team) in one quart of water and use this to treat 25 square feet of lawn area.

Corn gluten may work if the CC isn't too advanced. I used it on crab grass.

[GardenGirl]

"Ground Ivy" sounds SO much better! As I continue to wage war against the "creep" I'll bear that in mind. It's all about the name...instead of saying, "Look at all that $%&#*$ creeping charlie," I can smile and say, "Have you seen my beautiful bed of ground ivy?" LOL.

[hoggs222]

For creeping charlie, I use ortho weed be gone. You can see it shrivel up in a few days.

[pisces]

I already sacrifice too much time to mowing, so I just signed up with TruGreen. They make six application over the spring,summer,fall season which include fertilizing and weed, insect control. In one season the Creeping Charlie was virtually eliminated, not to mention the grass looks great.

A suggestion: pay the professionals for one year to get it under control and then maintain it yourself after that.

[JIGGIT]

The borax is the easiest and most effective without killing the grass. It will bleach the grass and it will appear to have died off but the grass continues to grow and the color will come back. I have tried alot of other methods with little results.

[trollingforeyes]

I found a product at Menards and L&M Fleet Supply called Gordons Trimec. You can buy a small 1 qt. container that goes on the end of your garden hose and refill it from a larger 1 gallon container. This kills creeping charlie and clover and a hole bunch of other undesireables. If you have a major charlie or clover crop then hit again after about 10 days to 2 weeks. Also helps to mow your lawn in the 3.5 -4.0 inch length. Makes it harder for weeds to get started.