# Plan on dealing with creeping charlie



## Devil (Jun 15, 2018)

So this summer, half my backyard got taken over by creeping charlie. Other smaller weeds, I pulled by hand, but Mr. Charles, nope.

Anyway, my plan is to spray prodiamine and tenacity as a pre-M in early september (between the N blitz), and then let winter run it's course.

Start fresh, once again with prodiamine and tenacity in spring 2020 and cross my fingers for Mr. Charles not returning.

Thoughts?


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## Babaganoosh (Apr 21, 2019)

It'll be back but the tenacity will help. Triclopyr is great for Creeping Charlie.

It's a marathon not a sprint.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Creeping Charlie is a perennial that spread both by seed and stolons (above ground runners). To get rid of it long-term you need to both kill the existing plants and prevent future seed germination.

To kill existing plants, use triclopyr (e.g. Ortho CCO) with 2-3 applications about 7-10 days apart, preferably in fall (now) or spring.

To prevent future seed germination, keep an active pre-emergent (e.g. prodiamine) for as much of the growing season as you can manage.

Challenges will be if your neighbors have it, too, you'll have to deal long-term with both threats (spreading in via stolons and spreading in via new seeds).

However, it's a battle that can be won with diligence.


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## Dan1234 (Aug 31, 2018)

here is a long, but interesting article on fall control for ground ivy (creeping charlie)

https://turf.unl.edu/research/weeds/Fall-control-of-ground-ivy.pdf

It's very detailed, but I think it sums up that fall is a great time to try and control it.

If you can do the multiple apps K&N mentions this fall and again next spring you will make a good dent in it.

Would also recommend a surfactant. Keep in mind triclopyr is usually a slow kill, so make the multiple apps at the suggested rate and have patience!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

^ a Zac Reicher report. Great turf guy.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Get your pre e down ASAP. September is on the later side IMO.


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## Devil (Jun 15, 2018)

Thanks so much guys!
I finally have Triclopyr on order, but I'm also trying to first look for an organic method to get rid of this (neighbour problems).

Found this article which pretty much says to use a thatch rake to "pull out". I'm gonna go get that rake this weekend and see how it goes.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

I don't think killex has triclopyr as a ingredient.


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## aaronchristopherbake (Jul 8, 2019)

Anybody aware of any articles comparing efficacy of triclopyr to tenacity? The Reicher article does not include Tenacity.


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## Devil (Jun 15, 2018)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> I don't think killex has triclopyr as a ingredient.


Oh man, yes realized that lol
And that thatch rake is a tough job. So mowed to 2" 3/4 and going to give it a shot again this evening.


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## Zbyler (Aug 23, 2019)

Battling this same issue in my lawn right now. Hit the worst spots with Ortho CCO this weekend. I'll check it throughout the week and see how effective it is, and then reapply if necessary. This stuff SUCKS


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## Kaba (Mar 29, 2019)

You could try borax if you consider that organic...

https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2003/10-10-2003/groundivy.html


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## jingobah (May 6, 2019)

My backyard was pretty much all creeping charlie this year & I sprayed it with the Ortho CCO using 2 applications 7-10 days apart...it annihilated it. Was very impressed. I did go heavy on the trigger though.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Kaba said:


> You could try borax if you consider that organic...
> 
> https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2003/10-10-2003/groundivy.html


That's an interesting idea that I hadn't heard of before. One warning, though, is that boron is a toxic ingredient if overapplied. In other words, if you overapply Borax, you may make the soil "dead" for the purpose of planting grass (or most other plants) until it leaches away. Personally, I would view the downside of potential overapplication to far outweigh the benefits of avoiding the use of a chemical herbicide such as triclopyr.

Put another way, just because something is a "natural" substance doesn't make it less dangerous / toxic than an "artificial" substance. As an example, mercury is a "natural" substance with significant long-term consequences to human health, even in small amounts - lots and lots of "artificial" substances are far less environmentally damaging.


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## Kaba (Mar 29, 2019)

^ totally agree, I love cco.

Allyn did this with borax a long time ago:
https://youtu.be/SQcqr0pi-yc


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## Devil (Jun 15, 2018)

Hey everyone!

Hope you guys had a great winter and are currently having a great isolation due to COVID. I checked my backyard yesterday and it seems CC from last season is still there (hasn't died), albeit with a reddish brown tinge to it (like it's burning). I was unable to follow with any of the steps recommended here (borax, cco, etc) because work got heavy in 2019 summer/fall.

We're seeing highs of 5-10 degree celsius (about 40 deg F) in Toronto and rain is starting to come in in heavy doses, so I was wondering what I could do.

I have KBG from 2018 summer so I was thinking I can simply overseed with that right now and hope for it to come in heavy and thick and edge out the CC?


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## beardizzle1 (Jun 13, 2019)

I had a really bad problem with CC, still is a problem but not nearly as bad. I used weed b gon and spot sprayed it once a week for 3-4 weeks maybe longer. I also did this after I mowed (CC would be cut and more exposed for the weed killer).. my KBG in the back has thickened and not sure if that's one of the reasons it's helped to suppress it or not? Here's my pics from one year apart in August 2018 (bottom) vs August 2019.. I'll be treating again this spring and again next year..


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## Devil (Jun 15, 2018)

beardizzle1 said:


> I had a really bad problem with CC, still is a problem but not nearly as bad. I used weed b gon and spot sprayed it once a week for 3-4 weeks maybe longer. I also did this after I mowed (CC would be cut and more exposed for the weed killer).. my KBG in the back has thickened and not sure if that's one of the reasons it's helped to suppress it or not? Here's my pics from one year apart in August 2018 (bottom) vs August 2019.. I'll be treating again this spring and again next year..


Hey man, thanks a lot (we also had a PM chat about this) - that gives me hope. I'm thinking of buying one of those Scott turf builder fast growing seeds and thinking of choking it out because we don't have that Weed B Gon CCO in Canada


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## Devil (Jun 15, 2018)

Ok that plan above didn't end up happening. And haven't done anything actually because I've been at a cross roads.

Gotta do the first mow, but not sure what order of events are any good. If I bag mow it, it might be fine. And then later spray some prodiamine and then later put down fertilizer?

Any thoughts guys?


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