How to Control a Creeping Charlie
Creeping charlie is a persistent, invading lawn cover that thrives in shady areas and crowds out lawns, sending out thousands of tiny vinelike shoots that root into the soil. It's also called creeping jenny and gill-on-the-ground. Borax contains boron, a mineral that's been shown in some university studies to be effective in controlling creeping charlie. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Spray bottle
- Bucket
- Funnel
- Wooden spoon
- 20 Mule Team Borax (sodium tetraborate)
Instructions
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1
Pour ½ cup warm water into a 5-gallon bucket. Add 10 oz. of sodium tetraborate, typically sold as 20 Mule Team Borax, a laundry additive. Stir well with a wooden spoon until the borax is mostly dissolved.
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2
Add 2 ½ gallons of water to the mixture and continue stirring until the borax is completely dissolved. This quantity of solution will cover about 1,000 square feet of creeping charlie.
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3
Transfer some of the diluted borax solution into a spray bottle marked "Borax. Do Not Ingest." Write the date that you applied the mixture to creeping charlie.
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4
Attack creeping charlie with the borax spray solution when the weed is flowering and vulnerable to attack. This is usually in late spring and early summer.
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Keep an eye on the weather. University studies have shown that borax solution is most effective against creeping charlie when applied and allowed to penetrate the plant without being diluted by rain for at least 48 hours post-application.
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Spray lightly, being careful to spray only the creeping charlie. Avoid spraying the borax solution near flowers, vegetables or new lawn growth. Do not overspray.
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Only spray once a year. You'll know the toxin is working when you begin to see the edges of the creeping charlie turn brown and the stems begin to wilt. Rake and remove the dead weeds.
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Remove all remaining creeping charlie by hoeing and hand-weeding to stymie the plant's ability to reseed and take over again.
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Tips & Warnings
Try giving your lawn more sunlight to keep creeping charlie away.
Boron builds up in the soil, so don't reapply for a full year.
