While there are plenty of people out there who know that Creeping Charlie is a menace to society, there are also a large number of people out there who think it is just another weed in the yard.
It is only after a few weeks of hard work and trying to remove this weed that people start to realize that they are in for a real battle. Although you may think that all of your efforts against this lawn destroyer will turn out to be futile, the fact of the matter is that there are actually a few different ways in which you can figure out how to control Creeping Charlie.
Once you do the research and learn about his weaknesses, you should be able to take care of this problem plant rather quickly. You should really get to the root of this problem before things get out of hand because you could not be far away from your neighbors getting infected by this stubborn weed.
Although it contains beautiful blue flowers, the reality of the situation is that you will begin to hate this weed once it begins to takeover the entire yard. Let’s take a look at some of the best methods of how to control Creeping Charlie.
Physical Warfare Against Creeping Charlie
One of the best ways to get rid of Creeping Charlie is to take the battle to him early and often. Manual labor is sometimes the best tool to use when you want to know how to control Creeping Charlie, but there will definitely be a lot of hard work involved with this process.
The first thing you will need to realize when it comes to killing Creeping Charlie manually is that this usually only works in the early stages of Charlie’s takeover of your yard. While it could definitely work in theory over larger areas of the lawn, the fact of the matter is that there would be too much work involved for that to be a viable option.
If you can get to the roots of Creeping Charlie before he gets to the rest of the yard, then you will be well on your way to a victory.
The first thing you need to do when you want to destroy Creeping Charlie manually is get on your hands and knees and actually pull the plant out of the ground by hand.
You will need to use gloves to protect your hands during this process. The next think you will need to do is take a hoe and start attacking the stems and roots of the plant.
Striking the core of the plant will help you make sure that Charlie will not be making any kind of comeback in the near future.
The next thing you should do is take out your lawn mower and mow the area where Charlie once stood strong. This is basically another way to make sure that Charlie is down for the count.
One thing to keep in mind here is that you need to use the kind of mower that has a bag attached to it. You do not want to spread the remains of Creeping Charlie to the rest of the yard.
After you are done mowing, you should take a rake and collect all of the leaves, flowers, stems and roots that you have ripped out of the ground. You should try to clear the entire lawn of as much Charlie as possible because this will make it harder for him to come back in the future.
You may have to repeat this process a few different times, but Charlie will eventually become weak and give up.
Take Away Charlie’s Source of Sunlight
Creeping Charlie is not different from other plants in that he needs sunlight to survive. If you take away sunlight from Charlie on a daily basis, he will eventually wither away and die.
The best part about this method for removing Creeping Charlie from your yard is that it can sometimes be a permanent solution.
The one thing that you need to keep in mind here is that the light must be completely removed from the area of lawn that is currently Charlie’s domain.
The best thing you can use to block the sun from getting to Charlie is cardboard. You should be able to find some free cardboard from a local grocery store or retail shop, and you just need to place the cardboard on top of the Creeping Charlie in your yard.
After you have placed down the cardboard, you will then need to stack soil and rocks on top of the cardboard. This will make sure that the cardboard stays directly on top of Creeping Charlie.
You do not want any sunlight to get to the plant, so it is rather important to make sure that the plant is completely smothered by the cardboard.
Once you are all set, you should leave the cardboard on top of the plant for about a week. This should be plenty of time for Creeping Charlie to lose hope and start to deteriorate.
Before you remove the cardboard completely after the one week period, you should check to make sure that more time is not needed. It is always better to simply take a peak to see what is under the cardboard instead of assuming that you have won the battle.
Make sure that no part of the plant is still alive because it does not take very much for Charlie to make a comeback. You cannot leave any stone unturned when it comes to making sure that Creeping Charlie is dead.
If it seems like there is no sign of life left under the cardboard, then you can go ahead and remove the soil, rocks and cardboard. You should make sure to keep an eye on that area of the yard for the next few weeks to make sure that the Creeping Charlie does not start to come back.
If you do notice that he is back, then you need to take action against his return as soon as possible to give yourself the best chance at success.
More information about controlling Creeping Charlie.
Kevin from Epic Gardening put together a detailed article about Controlling Creeping Charlie. Take a Peek.
I have tgotten rid of creeping charlie from many lawn. I always win. Use Triplett herbicide and ad Dicamba and Triclypir. Add a surfactant. One application late summber/early fall and another after a frost. Its gone.
https://buffalonews.com/lifestyles/sally-cunningham-invasive-weed-lesser-celandine-looks-perky-but-is-a-real-pain/article_1ee2fee8-9ba2-11eb-bf52-4b9d7541f266.html
A look alike to creeping Charlie but much worse!
Chamber Bitters are what I’m hating with a passion right now. It has literally taken over my yard. Its surrounding my garden and is dying to get in! I keep black plastic down all around the inside of my garden inside the fenced area. I pull out chamber bitter weed nearly everyday . I hate using chemicals on the ground but I probably will have to use it next summer season. This stuff multiples in the millions of new weed plants like over night.
I had creeping charlie at my first home and I spent 2 weeks, pulling it out of the ground, just to get rid of it. Now I am seeing it in my yard again, partly because my neighbor has it everywhere in his. Yes the only way to get rid of it is pull it out of the ground and it is easier to do that tight after it rains.
I started planting Meyer Z-52 Zoysiagrass in my yard April, 2013. In the areas where it is well established, it has completely crowded out Creeping Charlie.
I continue to (slowly) cut plugs from the established areas and move them to other parts of the lawn — it works well (that is, the Zoysia grass grows well) in the sunny areas, not as well in the shady areas.
I’m assuming that as the Zoysia grass gets established in the shady areas (if it does) it will also crowd out the Creeping Charlie there, as well, although in many / most of the shady areas, Creeping Charlie is not (or, at least, less of) a problem.
I don’t have any problem at all with the brown color in winter.
I do wonder if it is really a fire hazard, although I don’t want to try to set fire to it to find out, hmm, but maybe I should / will try it this winter — I might put some kind of fire resistant “ring” or barrier around a small area (18″ diameter?), then ignited it and see what happens. It will also be interesting to see whether that area grows back quickly in the spring — I mean, I assume the roots will not be destroyed.
Will Creeping Charlie survive over the Winter or die and leave bare ground? I’m in Kansas and seeded some bare ground this Spring. Creeping Charlie is spreading like crazy in my young grass.
I would deal with the creeping charlie now or very early spring. I’m sure it will be back.
This stuff is bad. Came from my neighbors into my backyard. It kills the grass . When the Charlie dies back you have nothing but dirt. O am using a garden take to try to control it. Will try Borax again. It is hard to mix.
Also, be careful using your mower. If you cut it then cut another part of your lawn you can spread this stuff.
Does creeping charlie grow up to 6 feet high ? like in my yard, i have never experieced a tougher weed than this one yet, everyone tells me to clear it with root ! that is going to be a weed pulling party for sure !
Anita,
No creeping charlie grows close to the ground. See this https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2012/06/weed-control-facts/
I have read contradictory statements about creeping charlie needing light vs. needing shade. Seems like it needs light. There are many ideas about smothering creeping charlie with cardboard to block the light. Is sod effective in blocking light? My thought is to remove most of the creeping charlie and put sod over the area. No light, no creeping charlie but a new lawn.
Ray
Ray,
It could work but I’m not sure. If it were me I’d get rid of the creeping charlie, roots and all but I put the sod down. You can spray the area with a non selective herbicide then 72 hours later lay the sod. Or you can dig it out. But spraying is truly more effective.
Ok, how about a little common sense here? Creeping charlie doesn’t usually grow very tall, successfully functions as a living mulch (making a uniform covering with little effort), is hard to kill, and grows in areas that may be difficult for grass to grow, such as nutrient deficient soil or excessively shady areas. It’s everything you wish your grass was. The question you should ask yourself is why would you not want to use it as a primary ground cover? What is so special about grass? All it does is take your time, effort, and money just to be green. Charlie is green too. Green is green. Plus it gives your landscape a much softer “flowing” look just like any other living mulch. Think outside the box, guys.
Like this post!
Yep – my thoughts exactly – the only spots I pull the creeping charlie is from the garden and the flower beds, and it’s favourite: the mulch pile. This year I am trying a deep plastic border (continuous joined) around the garden to stop the roots and runners from taking over.
But I like the little blue flowers, the softness underfoot, and the fact that it will grow even in the hardest pack clay spot. It’s the least expensive ground cover I have and without it the big clay pot that is my yard would not be so green … it would be yellow with dandilions !
I agree! My back yard is fenced in for my dogs. It’s their yard to play in. I would NEVER use weed killer or any chemicals where my dogs, my grandchildren and I walk barefoot and garden.. Creeping Charlie makes a lovely ground cover, along with clover! It stays green and beautiful, while grassy areas dry up if not watered.
Look at Creeping Charlie as a gift of nature and enjoy it for its own
beauty. 🍀🍀🍀 If you can’t change something,
CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT IT! 🤗
AND you don’t have to mow it! I love my creeping charlie!
The makers of broad leaf herbicide put out a propaganda marketing campaign in the 50’s that worked very well to make people believe their lawn had to be all grass. Clover was considered a fine lawn before then, sad how easy it was to convince folks. Glechoma is a pretty plant and grows where grass won’t, so why not? It is also an important medicine for issues of spleen, stomach, liver and glandular system, blood cleansing, removes poisons, even lead, and helps arthritis and gout. There are even historical reports of it curing people during the plague. It seems it would be hard to be an atheist knowing so many medicinal plants are “invasive weeds” and that they grow more prevalently where and when they will be needed.
Creeping Charlie loves shady areas, so let the sun in and charlie will leave…..also, seed your shady areas with shade-loving grass…it will be harder for it to get re-established if you have a healthier lawn…
don’t have creeping Charlie. couldn’t you use some glyphosate? or isit like the wild morning glory
that I fight with and it will not be fully killed by glyphosate.
Glyphosate is pure poison to you, your family, and the planet! Please don’t use it. Research the negative reports.
Maybe make a tea / infusion of the leaves, it will help remove poisons like glyphosate from your system.
It is a wild edible and has good herbal properties so use it! It really has everything to do with how you look at it. It is also a great ground cover for shady areas. Since it is in the mint family, it spreads very easily just like mint does and that is why people get upset with it and consider it a weed. http://wildedibleandmedicinalplants.blogspot.com/2011/07/ground-ivycreeping-charlie.html
I have been gradually expanding my herb garden because the wildlife don’t munch it. I haven’t tried eating any Creeping Charlie as I don’t handle mint well but I do like the scent, the flowers, and the softness. It provides nice cover for garter snakes as well. I have been removing some of my Charlie when I want the space, but I notice my neighbor (who is 1/10 of a mile distant and an incessant mower) has a fringe of Charlie near his gravel driveway.
I battled creeping Charlie last year. My entire backyard was creeping Charlie. I tried the borax thing twice….did nothing. I tried the broadleaf weed killer…not much happened. Tried round up…not much happened. Tried the 2-4 d…..a little kill. FINALLY TRIED EARL MAY BRUSH AND SHRUB KILLER….voila, it killed the creeping Charlie. and did it slowly so you could watch the weed suffer. The shrub and brush can be sprayed over the grass and won’t kill it…..but it will kill creeping Charlie. yeah!!!!!!!!!!
How about Creeping Jenny? I have it in my pond and it is encrouching into my planting area. Had it in front where it had been planted as a ground cover. It was there when I bought the house six years ago and I am still trying to get rid of it. Any ideas? I am going to try some of the ideas already shared for Charly. Hope it works for Jenny 🙂
Anything mint family is almost impossible, only way is dig out all the roots and runners its a lot of work. Just don’t spray anything near your pond.
any sugguestions on dodder vine? I have an upland that I detected it last year but it had already seeded. it is about 50yards : ( I sprayed to kill everything but it is still coming back It is not known in minnesota yet so it is not on their list of invasive species
Does anyone know how to get rid of Horse Tail in a flower bed? It is as bad as Creeping Charlie or maybe even worse. It seems to be like a succulent and grows in segments and breaks off very easily when you try to pull it. HELP. Linda
Linda,
Horse Tail is difficult, the roots can go as deep as 24″ if not deeper. Most sprays like RoundUp won’t touch it. Best bet would be to lay down cardboard over it, then apply at least 3″ of mulch over that. Keep in mind, it might sneak up past the cardboard on the edges, but if you keep after and don’t let it grow more than 2″ when it pops up, eventually it will give up. Plants need sunlight to survive, so if you make certain it gets no sunlight I think you can win the battle.
There are sprays that will control it, but I don’t know of any on the retail shelves.
Never let your bluegrass get UNDER three inches long.
We just use battery acid to kill unwanted weeds.
I wish we could just use something safe to spray. Those chemicals get in our water and I think causes cancer and other ailments. Can’t the big companies come up with something? PLEASE Joy
Joy, Charlie doesn’t like the sun…..needs shade….let the sun in and charlie will leave….then reseed and increase your lawn’s health and thickness, then you’ll have won..
Creeping Charlie likes the sun!! Come and see in my yard. All my shady areas have no Charlie at all. But the sunny parts? OMG. Charlie loves the sun
Vinegar and salt – very few plants can survive it. Best is actual labor – pull it up and dig out the roots.
Could I successfully apply the solutions suggested here to the Crown Vetch infestation in the flower beds in front of my house? I am especially interested ones like spraying the Borax solution as I am not able to do the manual work to erradicate it.
Is creeping jenny just as invasive as creeping charlie? I bought a small pot of creeping jenny a year ago and now it has grown over a much bigger area. Should I eradicate it now before it gets out of control?
yes Creeping Jenny is Creeping Charlie by another name also called ground ivy and many other names that can not be published.
Creeping Jenny is NOT the same as Creeping Charlie and yes it is just as invasive. Creeping Jenny can be grown as a pond plant. It has very long stems with little leaves. It may flower tiny flowers for a very short time but it mainly is very long skinny stems with leaves on it. Very pretty in hanging baskets because it hangs down. A nightmare in the yard.
Anime 400 or LV 400 will kill it. Higher does of 2,4-D weed killer. (Same stuff in weed b gone). Weed b gone has 7% where as the 400’s have 61.7%!!! Its what sod farmers use and costs 1/2 the price of weed b gone and 1 bottle has lasted me 3 yrs.
Does Black Medic actually have a brain?
Does anyone know how to get rid of horsetail, the dinosaurs left, but it wont leave. Looks like it will outlive me.
send me the horse tails i like them
First, this does not look like Creeping Charlie. This is a broad leaf weed, not sure of the name, that is most associated with wet ground, like when there is poor drainage.
Hmmm…well that exact plant is all over the part of my yard that is “highest & dryest”! No wet ground or lack of drainage where it’s growing!
Creeping Jenny is NOT the same as Creeping Charlie and yes it is just as invasive. Creeping Jenny can be grown as a pond plant. It has very long stems with little leaves. It may flower tiny flowers for a very short time but it mainly is very long skinny stems with leaves on it. Very pretty in hanging baskets because it hangs down. A nightmare in the yard.
So glad to see a few folks who can appreciate Charley! I am a clinical herbalist and use ground ivy to make a sinus remedy. Also kudos to those of you who use earth/people friendly solutions for unwanted plants. As for me bindweed is my nemises.
I’m doing an experiment with our lawn. It was neglected for three years when we did not live in the house and all kinds of monster weeds went to seed. Aside from keeping it mowed, I’ve been digging up roots. I’m taking a small section and covering it with newspaper and cardboard. I’m going to put soil and grass seed on top. I have no idea if this will work, but I figure it’s worth a try! What gave me the idea is that I’ve been uncovering an old sidewalk that is about two inches under the sod. After a rain, the sod was soft and I was able to first cut through it, then lift it up off of the sidewalk with minor effort. A lot of these plants will grow back if there is just a wee bit of root left in the ground. Hopefully a thick cover on top will kill what’s left!
By the way, some morning glory look a likes here in Ohio have soft roots that will grow a new plant it you break it. We learned this when we tilled a new garden plot. Within a few days, the ground was covered with vines and white flowers. By tilling we created a bunch of new plants! That year my hands went numb from pulling them up. The vines kept getting tangled in the tiller so I had to do it by hand. Now, when I find them, I pull them up after a rain. I do it carefully and follow the long string root so I can get most of it.
Christiane,
I’m not sure this will work very well because when you put topsoil on top of the cardboard that topsoil is going to be full of weed seed and the process starts all over again. Do another test area like this. Till the soil. Let it sit and dry for a few days. Till again. Let it sit, till again and just keep repeating the process. That will eliminate the root issue in the soil. It will help with weed seed, but there is no way to eliminate weed seed it blows in as fast as you get rid of it. But that will get rid of the roots, then plant and nourish the new grass and it will choke out the weeds.
Is this the same thing as the ivy looking stuff????
TG we don’t seem to have Creeping Charlie in our garden but the lawn does have some buttercups. I use an old steak knife to cut them and dandelions out. Also have wild morning glory in other places but not too badly. Another bedding plant with purple flowers self seeds all over and the mower simply makes it grow flat. But it is a broadleaf so can be controlled with Weed & Feed. About the worst here is the plant with little yellow flowers (name escapes me) and clover like leaves which creeps all over and scatters it’s seeds explosively. Looks pretty but don’t want it in the grassy lawn.
Is this the same as that Ivey that grows in the grass.
any suggestions on dodder vine. I got it last year and did not realize it until it was droping seeds all over. It has taken over the upland behind me and killed a 1/4 field of bee balm
Using glyphosate in or near your house is crazy, It’s what’s in Agent Orange. Agent Orange causes cancer and many other health risks. I don’t want my dogs to walk on it and lick there paws never mind my children around that stuff tracking it into the house.
I am shocked to see my neighbors walking around and spraying Agent Orange on the lawns and sidewalk to kill beautiful dandelions which we eat. Americans are so stupid, they are brainwashed by commercials.
glyphosate is what you eat everyday because it is fed to all livestock that easts corn. Wakeup America.
Exactly.
This comment is EVERYTHING 💯
Glyphosate was not in agent orange, and roundup ready corn is sprayed when it is small to control weeds. Corn fields don’t need weed control when they are 5 feet tall. The panic over this product is ridiculous! Thinking back to the days of chemicals with ridiculously long residual effects, people panicking over a herbicide that I can spray and then throw down seed an hour later is mind boggling.
Studies have found traces of glyphosate in baby food and in almost every person tested. Glechoma hederacea is a medicinal herb, and that it can help to remove poisons (like herbicides) from the bloodstream seems ironic somehow.
The herbicide manufacturers will tell you it breaks down, but in fact it kills microbes in the soil and we can’t yet know of all possible residual effects.
GMO corn was developed to tolerate not only the herbicide but to survive on fake nitrogen since the plants’ roots cannot absorb the nutrients in the soil without fungal and microbial conversion. Industrial farmed corn now has half the nutritional value corn had 100 years ago.
Gardens, crops and people survived thousands of years without it, people have just become too lazy to pull up weeds, maybe live with some is ok.
This
If I started pulling out my creeping charlie, I would be out there everyday for the rest of the summer. It’s all over half my yard.
How about Weed and Feed?
Barb,
Weed and feed lawn fertilizer should get rid of it.
Weed and feeds does nothing for creeping Charlie. Only Weed B gon works and only for very small batches as it is extremely toxic.
Terry,
Not sure I buy that. Weed and feed products like Scotts Turf builder do a good job of controlling all weeds except thick bladed grasses which are undesirable but grasses non the less which is why the weed and feed won’t control them. It should control creeping Charlie. and of course a nice thick lawn also helps to keep weeds at bay.
charlie doesn’t like the sun…..needs shade, so let the sun in and charlie will leave….and/or reseed with shady grasses if you’re not going to trim trees/shrubs and feed to thicken it and you’ve won…
Charlie is doing “great” in my sunny lawn. I’ll put large tarps on top of it for a week. I liked the comparison of Round up to Agent Orange in a previous post.
Chris,
That’s a handy comparison but it’s just not accurate.
Exactly Mike. I was in Viet Nam. I know what Agent orange is and does. Round up is not agent orange
Robert
BYGer
Mike, What is your suggested method of controlling Morning Glory?
Lee,
I guess that depends on where the morning glory is. Usually it’s mixed in with landscape plants. Pull all you can, especially out of the plants. Then carefully spray what’s left with a non selective herbicide. If you don’t want to spray, use the techniques mentioned in this article.
To:Anonymous
I kind of like this plant and wish that it would cover my entire lawn area. I am opposed to the maintenance a grass lawn requires not to mention the water it consumes/wastes. Any thoughts on how to encourage this plant?
I like it to. I don’t know about a whole lawn but I have gotten it to grow
along a sandstone pathway. When I first laid the stone I was working with bare ground. I transplanted as many plants as I could and weeded out anything else that popped up especially grass ! This is a partially shaded area. It is a great ground cover in my opinion. It does require maintenance as the grass keeps creeping into my creeping Charlie !
I agree with everyone that thinks it’s pretty and leaves it AS the lawn, I myself am not particularly a “grass’ person – I think it’s boring. Then, when I learned that this ground ivy is helpful for TINNITUS and is EDIBLE it became my new best friend. I think it does help and I think I’ll try it as a tea, have only eaten it raw and think it’s lovely, love the flowers. To encourage it? just leave it alone. Lawn is like green concrete as far as environment is concerned, with very little value, esp with heavy “needs” for water, pesticide, care, etc. Amazing to me the stuff that is wild/edible in my yard (violets, lambs quarters, “charlie” and dandelions among others) are all shade and sun tolerant, need little to no water other than rain and are growing nearly all year long. If I had to – I could live on it.
don’t forget plaintain….
Charlie likes shade, so, the more you provide, the more charlie you’ll have…
It requires no encouragement where I am!
This plant doesn’t look like the creeping Charlie that I have. It looks
like wild violets. And……they are tough to get them out of the yard.
Borax is a problem. Any University Ag School site will tell you that it’s too persistent in the soil and has long lasting bad effects. Also, a couple of the makers of herbicides said that their products are ineffective against Creeping Charlie once the temps reach 80 degrees (maybe a little higher) as the plant goes dormant and stops taking up their herbicide which is why applying it in the summer usually doesn’t work. They recommend application in late fall. I tried that a couple of years ago and it really wiped out large areas of it. The trouble this year has been the unusually wet spring…everything is growing like mad, including this invader.
I can live with Charlie, but please tell me how to exterminate Japanese Knotweed! I have been trying for several years to get rid of an area of that and am loosing the battle. HELP! I do not want to resort to supporting Monsanto.
So, I have a very invasive trumpet vine….how about that? Tried boiling water with vinegar and salt added. Worked the first year and then it all came back. Can’t put too much poison around, it will hurt my other flowers.
Any help would be appreciated!!
Diane,
Cut it down as much as you can, then as it re-grows use a foam paint brush and brush on a non selective herbicide.
Thanks Mike!
is this the same charlie that is grown as a houseplant?
is this the same kind of charlie that is also grown as a houseplant?
What about Distilled White Vinegar? I hear it works for other weeds. Yes, I hear it will kill other plants, too.
I lived next to the Chairwoman of a biology department at a prestigious private college, who told me that Creeping Charlie was impossible to get rid of. Wrong! I taught her what works for me: A “regular” selective lawn weed killer (e.g. Weed-B-Gone or Spectracide) applied once to weaken the plants, then again in about two weeks when the plants look a little sickly but are not dying. Presto! Works every time. The first application rarely kills the weed, but when it is weakened the second one does the trick.
Are you supposed to dig up dead Charlie plants after cardboard treatment then and plant grass seed?
Gail,
I wouldn’t. They’ll decompose and enrich the soil. Seeds are going to grow no matter what you do, that’s why you have to thicken up the lawn so the creeping charlie gets kicked to the curb by the lawn grasses.
Is Creeping Charlie the same as Chickwed ???
Irene,
No, they are different weeds, neither of them are much fun.
We’ve always called it ground ivy………..and it is a battle to get rid of.
Thanks for the help
I have almost an acre of “Charlie” and I LOVE it – I do not have to mow – I love the green – I love the flowers – it is almost like the Perennial Peanuts I have on the west side of my house – I am a Lover of “Weeds”
I gotta agree with SPB…what’s so wrong with “weeds” in the lawn anyway? I think they add interest. In particular I love dandelions and anything that flowers. (Of course if you have animals grazing you want to get rid of toxic plants.) Perfect lawns look so artificial. This is only my opinion of course. I tend to consider lawns a waste of perfectly good gardening space. 🙂
Are we talking Plectranthus here? I have seen it growing in pots as a decorative patio plant.
I had an entire backyard of only Charlie…I tried the borax treatment…did not work. I tried broadleaf weed killer twice…it did not work. I tried glyphsophate…did not work. I finally tried a product sold at our regional nursery..it is a shrub and brush killer. It did work. the best part is it took a week….an entire week to watch the Charlie wither and suffer. So satisfying. This product does not kill grass in a lawn.
Hi sorry i have to ask what is the name of the product you bought at the nursery to kill creeping charly? thanks
Thanks for the info on Creeping Charlie. Is this the same method to use for getting Rosa Rogosa under controll. I love the plant, as a border to keep dogs off my lawn, but it creeps out into the yard.
I really liked all the replies !
This ( like chameleon plant ) is a subjective smell ! You like it or dont.
Believe it or not, there is a variegated variety that is beautiful and (to me) is great smelling ( though I dont like CC smell at all) I love the stuff.
Great forum, Mike !
Geno,Z5-6
Great thank I have bee and now I will try you and now I will try your procedure thanks again great article
How do you get rid of Gout weed snow on the mountain?
I live in Fl. and your pictures look a lot like what we call dollor weed. Are the the same or related?
When I was a kid, our lawn had a patch of “minty” flat leaves that smelled great when I had to mow the lawn. Maybe that was creeping Charlie. We never considered it something we had to get rid of. I believe that some mint plants repel mosquitoes. Has anyone ever heard of creeping Charlie repelling mosquitoes? I live in New Jersey, where the state bird is the mosquito, and if creeping Charlie repels them, send all of yours to me. I’ll take it!
no, it does not smell minty, and it does not deter mosquitoes and does not stay in a patch. I live in NJ too. It is a vine that goes out of control and gets everywhere, evem growing up trees and around plants in sun and shade.
It does smell minty. I am reading up on Creeping Charlie. I plan on experimenting with infusing it into alcohol adding water and spraying my brussel sprout plants with it in hopes that it deters bugs. I would like to see how it does as a repellent and if it helps with tinnitus.
I think you’re talking about pennyroyal. Flat and smells strongly of mint.
Mosquitoes love me and the only thing I found that works, on skin anyway, is parsley juice, if I look a little green out in the garden that’s why.
I’m going to try that Borax method. Thanks for this, I have it all around my herb beds and woodland garden.
I found that using a lawn de-thatching rake works great for pulling out creeping charlie. It does pull out some lawn too. It is much faster than pulling it out by hand. I have 1.5 acre lawn. Slowly my creeping charlie is going away.
I had looked into buying a thatching rake but they are a little pricey, $30 was the cheapest I found near me. Will doing it with a regular lawn rake work? Or would spending the extra for an actual thatching rake be a better idea? I’m asking because I just moved into my house last May and along with the creeper I have a lot of crab grass, dandelions and other weeds. There’s actually less grass than weed in my yard.
Larry,
Anything that will disturb the soil should work just fine.
I have been fighting creeping Charlie for years & years. The Borax did work, but with the amount that I have to use for(1/2 acre+) it’s too expensive so I just pull it out in the spring & fall. Although it is suppose to grow only in the sun, mine grows under the fallen leaves in the back of our yard (we have hundreds of trees). This is the first time I read of it only be able to grow in sun. We live in CT, don’t know if this changes it’s growing habit.
Barbara, if you’re still battling charlie, it LOVES shade, the more, the better, so if you can let the sun in, charlie will leave. If you cannot trim trees/shrubs/bushes, try reseeding with shade-loving grass to thicken it and feed to strengthen it..charlie won’t be able to penetrate and establish itself in a thick, healthy lawn…although I’d rather see it as a flower/vegetable garden…
The only way to kill Creeping Charlie is with Borax/water solution IN THE FALL – (that is the best time to kill all weeds and also the best time to start new grass).
http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h519borax.html Here is a reliable link to read before applying Borax to your lawn.
Thank you, thank you thank you !!!!! I have it throughout my yard and it’s been taking over ! I never knew the name of it but I refer to it as the demon weed ! Hahaha ! It’s really taking over and to pull it out by hand I’d need a crew of migrant workers to accomplish this. Borax here we go ! Thanks again and Mike, thanks for publishing this informative article.
Greatful in Pa.
Donna
I have a weed in my flower beds that resembles creeping charlie but the leaves are thicker and darker. It also has a terrible odor and puts out a small white flower. I have been trying to get rid of it for 3 summers. At the first of the summer I pulled it up and turned over the soil. When I got back from vacation it was everywhere again. We just sprayed Cornerstone to kill it. There are some in my daylillies and I hate to kill them…any suggestions?
Sandra,
If you cover them with cardboard or 9 layers of newspaper then mulch that should do the job. The spray should do the trick if you’ve already sprayed them.
I have a creeping ground cover that stinks and has a white flower with 4 petals, check and see if this is what you have. I got some not knowing it would get into the lawn, etc, and the flower is cute.
http://www.waterfordgardens.com/More-Hardy-Bog-Plants/Houttuynia-cordata-p-456.html
It sounds like you have Garlic Mustard ( http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/alpe1.htm ) When it is small it looks like creeping charlie. Please do yourself a favor and be alert to it – and pull it out, including the root before those flowers go to seed. I find that doing so after rain or watering around it makes this fairly easy. Those seeds will stay viable and wait for optimal conditions to germinate. Roundup will kill the plant but the seeds will remain viable and if let to grow, it will go from a small patch to a huge one – it will take over everything! It took us three years and we do occasionally get a new one but we diligently pull this one.
It was brought over as a culinary herb to replace garlic and i believe it has some medicinal use. The problem is, it is horribly invasive, and overtakes the understory. It chokes out all of our native plants, especially our wildflowers.
If you keep up with it, it is IMO easier to control than creeping charlie, bindweed or violets. Best of luck to you & everyone here!
Creeping Charlie is not so bad in comparison with bindweed. Unfortunately, my garden hosts both, and I’ve discovered that, especially during a drought or extremely dry season (as we suffered last year), Creeping Charlie was actually beneficial as a sort of living mulch.
That bindweed, though, has no redeeming features that I’ve been able to discover, except maybe its tiny morning glory-like blooms. Nothing seems inclined to eat it, it is very persistent, it clambers over every plant out there and pulls (binds) them together…grrrr! If you’ve ever spent the better part of a day patiently untangling the delicate tendrils of cucumbers or peas from its tenacious grip, only to discover the next morning that you’ve overlooked a bit and have to start over, you know my frustration.
As far as glyphosate (i.e., Roundup) goes, the herbicide was found to stay in soils in Oregon for 55 days but up to three years in Swedish forestry studies. In 1993, the EPA Ecological Effects Branch concluded that the “herbicide is extremely persistent under typical application conditions.” Glyphosate harms the bacterial ecology of soil and causes micronutrient deficiencies in plants including nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which can have a bad effect on peas and beans. A 2012 study found that Roundup had toxic effects at low levels on three food microorganisms commonly found in otherwise healthy soils.
1 gallon of W vinegar+1/2 cup salt+1 tablespoon dish soap
I kind of like this plant and wish that it would cover my entire lawn area. I am opposed to the maintenance a grass lawn requires not to mention the water it consumes/wastes.
Any thoughts on how to encourage this plant?
are you nuts?
creeping charlie can be controled by spreading 20 mule team borax over it
Joyce,
And what does that do to the soil?
BORAX IS POISONOUS!
We grow juice grapes commercially, and had our soil tested last year. The soil was actually deficient in boron and we had to add it back in. We suspected a deficiency because the leaves of the vines were not a healthy green. They were more a purply black. When you do the borax cure for Creeping Charlie, you just use a small amount.
Here’s what works to stop the spread of existing plants and keep them manageable “mechanically” (by hand). The Corn Gluten stops the formation of roots by the runners just like it does germinating weed seeds. http://willyvon1-willyswill.blogspot.com/2012/04/corn-gluten-magic-stuff.html
I,too, have used corn glutin. Used it in the early spring and fall. Worked better than most other products I had used. We got it from a seed suppler. I hand pull it but when it breaks it just re-roots. And I pull up grass with it. Pretty much a ‘no win’ situation. It’s very hard to get all the runners. The runners go a long way. Our neighber has a whole yard of it so it’s hard to stay ahead of it. Now have some in my flower beds. THAT’S hard to get at!! Spring seems to be the best time to get it out of the flowers. They haven’t started to grow up for the season. Good luck to all who have it. I think it’s an awful plant.
I have been eradicating creeping charlie from my yard for quite a few years. I win a little bit more each year. I have found that carefully pulling the weed out of the grass you can get the whole length of one plant. Some plants that have been allowed to establish themselves are easier to pull out later in the summer.
Are the flowers a purply blue? I thought they were violets.They are pretty.Do you consider Dandy Lions a weed too? If so do you know they are very edible and make good wine and the leaves are good to eat also.
Good question. To most they are an invasive weed, to others they are salad, a garnish or great fried with butter!
To kill weeds and not pets or people
PLEASE use 1 gallon of white vinegar+1/2-1 cup of salt+1 tablespoon of dish soap—mix well and pour or spray on plants,please,please,please
I was glad to see post about vinegar and salt. Will this kill poison oak. I have it really bad around an azalea bush. Will it hurt the shrub. Ellen
I had success with a vinegar method i bought at a supermarket. Take 1 gallon of white vinegar and simmer it until reduced to a quart. This raises the acidity from 5% to 20% which is horticultural vinegar. Spray this on your weeds when you are not expecting rain and watch them die. Be selective in your spraying because this will kill grass and other plants too if the wind takes it or you spray it all over.
I’ve heard that recipe before. I’ve got no problem with the vinegar. But do the soap and salt cause problems for future vegetation in that area?
that kills lawn too right?
Thanks for the recipe! I was looking for this!
Is that 2nd picture upside down? I have morning glory too. How do you get rid of that?
I’d like to know something for morning glory too. My neighbor planted it on the fence last year and it grows 3-4 feet a week and wraps around my plants. I don’t want to lose that whole side of my yard. I need to create a barrier or something. Beautiful plant when the person who planted it gets to maintain it on all sides, but it is not neighbor friendly.
Did you know that Creeping Charlie is edible? http://www.ediblewildfood.com/creeping-charlie.aspx
Thanks for that bit of useful information, Elizabeth. I have a lot of ground ivy in my lawn and gardens, but I actually like it. It has nice flowers, a pleasant scent, a pretty flower, and it’s soft beneath a bare foot. And although it creeps through the grass, it doesn’t smother the grass. Despite its virtues, I’m eager to try it as a vegetable, perhaps as soon as tomorrow.
there must be a better way to kill this creep…we have a very large yard and lawn..
On a lark I just cast some weed and feed over the area in my lawn, and low and behold it all withered and went away! This will leave you with the smaller job of tracing it back and getting rid of the roots as in Duston’s article.
Jeff,
What weed and feed did you use? What time of year? I have been researching this and based on what I found, I thought I had to wait until fall and apply some specific chemicals for creeping charlie.Tell us more about how this worked for you and has the creeping charlie stayed away?
Vieve,
Weed and feed can be applied anytime during the growing season, but not when your lawn is extremely dry. The fertilizer can kill you lawn if it doesn’t have enough moisture. Brand name of weed and feed really doesn’t make a big difference.
we have this creeping Charlie everywhere can’t use cardboard cuz we would have to cover the hole lawn , any other thing we could use or do other than ripping up all grass and starting over
Gail,
If you don’t want to use an organic method you can spray the weed with a non selective herbicide that contains glysophate. Non selective means that the herbicide will kill any plant that it touches, but glysophate will not linger in the soil. So if you spray your lawn, it will kill grass and weeds. If you have it in your lawn and basic weed and feed fertilizer will take care of it. But you have to re-seed to fill in the bare areas or it will come back. The best way to keep it at bay in a lawn is to establish a nice thick lawn and use weed and feed on the lawn at least 3 times per year.
Roundup (glyphosate) causes BREAST CANCER… “contributing to diseases as far-ranging as inflammatory bowel disease, anorexia, cystic fibrosis, cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and infertility. In fact, the authors (at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) propose that glyphosate, contrary to being essentially nontoxic, “…may be the most biologically disruptive chemical in our environment.”” Link if you don’t believe me: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/lethality-roundup-weedkiller-may-extend-beyond-plants-humans-study-shows Other articles on that site point out that glyphosate has these toxic qualities in concentrations as low as in the parts per trillion (yup, with a “T”). Feel like poisoning your neighbors, or perhaps your own, unborn child? Want some terminal CANCER? How about a little cystic fibrosis? Sure, just use a little Roundup, as directed. Are we complete idiots? No, just kinda brainwashed, a lot. Millions of dollars in slick ‘green’ advertising accomplish that in a jiffy.
Not to mention what it has done to the bees and butterflies! It amazes me that people will spend money on a fitness club, but not spend their free time pulling weeds for free!
Cystic Fibrosis is Genetic! Are you CRAZY? It might be aggravated by glyphosate, but certainly NOT caused by it!
Donata, Read the article sweetie. Pax
Thanks Rick: I am taking my #Roundup to the county recycling center.
Let’s hear a solution for a !/2 acre of Creeping Charlie…
Tom,
I just offered that in another comment.
Just use 2,4-D Weed Killer – I used ‘Amine 400’
Surprised Mike does not know that.
Goodbye Charlie – Hello grass.
Hi, I have 8.5 acres and got infested last yr. didn’t think too much of it til this yr. OMG it was everywhere pastures, lawn and flower beds and covering everything fast. Did the research and used 2,4-D with borax and got rid of it all.
Can you tell me the exact name of the killer you used for the 8.5 acres with the creeping charlie ?
thankS!!!
also, should I do it now in the summer, or wait until fall ?
Will it kill my herbs and flower?
Have you tried goats? In California parks they are used to clear away poison oak. Should work for you too!
I know you don’t want to hear that Creaping Charlie (Ground Ivy) is an herb related to Peppermint and that it can be used as a tea in the spring when you first spot it to help replenish you with lots of Vitamin C and other nutrients so I’ll get to the nuts and bolts. 1 Tablespoon of Borax, the stuff of “20 Mule Team” mixed in 1 quart of water and sprayed liberally on the plant will kill it. You may have to apply a couple of times to make sure you have done the job. One note of caution: Since Creeping Charlie is related to Peppermint, if you spray this on ANY mint plant it will kill it.
Thank you.. that was my very question.
I mean, about consuming the creeping charlie.. nettles make a great tea, too.
It is green isn’t it?? My ground is so poor the place for the lawn looks like a gravel driveway. Do you think I could plant this stuff and get some green to grow? Can not afford truck loads of top soil. We have spent quite a bit on seed though. Still no grass.
just pour white vinegar on it-great for Any weeds-just the yard smells like a pickle for a few days-but it works