Ground
ivy, a broadleaf lawn weed you may know as creeping charlie, is
hard to control. It is a vigorous, low-growing perennial weed
that has round opposite leaves with scalloped edges, small
purple flowers, and square stems. Crushed leaves and stems have
a distinct strong odor.
Ground ivy
is hard to control because you can't pull it easily in lawns and
many commercial broadleaf lawn weed killers have little or no
effect on it. The most common active ingredient in granular and
liquid broadleaf lawn weed killers is 2,4-D, but 2,4-D has
little effect on ground ivy. Another common active ingredient,
MCPP, or, mecoprop, also has little effect on ground ivy,
although you can use it against white clover and chickweed, two
other troublesome lawn weeds.
Dicamba is
an active ingredient that does control ground ivy. Dicamba is
also called Banvel. There are several lawn weed killer products
available that contain dicamba. Most of them also contain 2,4-D
and MCPP. However, you may still need to make repeat
applications wit dicamba-containing products to completely
control ground ivy.
The
following tips will help in your attempts to control ground ivy
in your lawn:
Mow your grass high,
about 3 inches. This helps your grass compete better with ground
ivy and other weeds. Your lawn is more likely to be weedy if you
consistently cut grass too short.
Keep your lawn
vigorous through proper fertilizing, watering and mowing.
Vigorous lawns compete better with weeds.
Ground ivy is a
shade-tolerant, creeping plant that often comes in from adjacent
lawn and garden areas or from beneath trees and shrubs. Watch
these areas closely when you mow to help catch ground ivy
problems early. Ground ivy is easiest to control before it gets
a good foothold.
Even with a
dicamba-containing
product, you will probably need to make repeat applications to
control ground ivy. In fact, it may take you a full season or
more to control it completely. To add to the difficulty, you
should not use dicamba-containing products in the root zone
areas of shallow-rooted trees and shrubs since the chemical can
damage these plants. Unfortunately, ground ivy commonly grows in
the shade beneath trees and shrubs.
Broadleaf
weeds, like ground ivy, are easiest to control when actively
growing. This is when they are able to quickly absorb the weed
killer. The best times to control ground ivy are in mid to late
spring, from early May through early June, and in early fall,
from late August through mid-October. Early fall is actually the
best time to control most broadleaf weeds because they are
usually growing vigorously, and the weeds you don't kill with
the weed killer are often weakened enough to die over winter.
Also, there are fewer problems with weed killer drift onto
desirable landscape and garden plants in fall. For best ground
ivy control, apply weed killers in fall.
The more leaf surface
there is, the more weed killer the weeds absorb. Avoid mowing
too soon before or after you apply weed killers. Apply the weed
killer several days after mowing, and wait at least two days
after you apply it before you mow again.
Don't use broadleaf
weed killers too early in the spring, before ground ivy starts
to grow, or too late in the fall, after it stops growing, or
during a summer drought, when it goes temporarily dormant.
Liquid
weed killer products tend to be more effective than granular or
dry products, including the granular weed-and-feed products,
because they give better leaf surface coverage.
Follow weed killer
label directions carefully. You'll get better results if you
choose the right chemical and mix, apply and store it properly.
Professional lawn
services have, for professional use, weed killers that are more
affective against ground ivy than the dicamba products available
to the general public.
