Need Advice ASAP re: Creeping Charlie!!

9 years ago

I need advice on how to clear a former vegetable garden lot (50' x 30') of a heavy coverage of creeping charlie. The lot belonged to my late parents; the garden was cultivated for about 50 years and has been untouched for over a year. We aren't currently living there; I wasn't aware until recently that the creeping charlie has taken over and is spreading quickly. We need to get it under control before it invades the neighbors' yards. I've spent hours researching on the internet, talked to the county extension agency which referred me to a master gardener and called the Scott's help line; have received conflicting advice.

1) I've never used lawn chemicals before so have no experience with how well they work. The plan is to kill everything off and replant with grass seed. We may want to use a small area for vegetable growing in the future (next year). I tried applying Roundup to a test area and it had no apparent affect after a week. My research indicates tryclopyr can be the best choice for creeping charlie (of the commonly available products for "amateurs".) I bought Ortho Weed B Gone purple label which contains tryclopyr. Plan on trying this weekend but have this concern: If I use this and it's not very effective, will it then be harder to treat it with something else later? I want to get it right the first time.

2) I tried thinning the weeds in one area with a dethatching rake. Thinned it a little after hours of effort. Is this a bad idea? The master gardener believed stressing/weakening the weeds is a good idea before spraying. She also thinks less foliage means less area the herbicide has to kill. Other info indicates that healthy new foliage takes the herbicide in more efficiently. The weed coverage is very heavy. Any advice?

3) Thought about solarizing the area we might plant with vegetables in the future. Live in central Ohio; summers can be blazing hot and sunny or cool and cloudy. No way to predict in advance. Area gets full sun in the afternoon only. How do you prepare soil for solarizing? Is hand removing most weeds and watering the soil deeply enough prep?

My husband and I work long hours and have only weekends to do this. We're also inexperienced. Should we just give up and call someone like Tru-Green to nuke the area - if they even do that?

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Comments (4)

Kimmsr
9 years ago
If what you have is Creeping Charlie, "Glechoma hederacea", you have a perennial that spreads by both seeds and stem rooting, this sometimes mistaken for other, similar, plants. Creeping Charlie seems to grow best in shady, moist soils that have a lower pH and less organic matter then most grasses prefer, although these plants have adapted to a wide range of soils and conditions.
In a garden plot, such as you have, my preference would be to till the plants in and plant a cover crop to help crowd them out, since in growing there these plants have taken out nutrients from the soil that will need to be replaced at some time.
The link below describes using plant poisons, something I find quite environmentally harmful.

Here is a link that might be useful: About Creeping Charlie
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
9 years ago
If you have a solid area you want to clear, smothering would be the easiest, least toxic, and very effective against something as 'soft' as Glechoma. You can get large pieces of cardboard from furniture/appliance store, much easier to handle and stronger than newspaper. Mow everything as low as possible, then cover completely with cardboard, overlapping generously. Getting it wet, then walking all over it will help it conform to the ground. A cover of mulch or mulchy-looking leaves will keep it from blowing away, and give it enough weight to smash the weeds and prevent them from being able to keep growing. Also fixes the appearance instantly, looks like a yet-unplanted mulched bed, which it is. The cardboard will decompose and does not need to be removed. Wait at least a month before piercing to add any new plants.
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mariana6b
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for taking the time to answer. About the cardboard idea: I'd be afraid to do that because termites love to eat cardboard. It's like putting out the welcome mat. The area I'm dealing with is not very close to the house but I'm still reluctant. I hate using lawn chemicals but I would hate even more having to use chemicals in the house to treat termites. I had a close call with the little devils once before. It's frustrating when you are trying to solve one problem but may be causing another.
gsweater
9 years ago
If you are really planning to plant grass, then you should look into Tenacity. It's a pre and post emergent herbicide. It will kill the CC and keep it from setting up when you reseed. The last thing you want is that to take over your beautiful new turf.

Be sure to spray it the very day you lay your new seed down and it's effective for 6 weeks. It will allow your new grass to grow (note: be careful if using Fine Fescue, there are special directions for that).

Obviously, there's more to it, and there are plenty of threads on Tenacity on this site. I highly recommend it for new lawns.