How to Cure Creeping Charlie With Borax

Creeping Charlie, according to the Wisconsin Master Gardener Program is also called "ground ivy", "gill-on-the-ground" and "creeping Jenny." It's a weed in the mint family. You can identify creeping Charlie by its green, scallop-edge leaves and its bluish flowers that appear in the spring. This perennial may be pretty, but it's a pest in yards. It's also hard to control. You can pull-up creeping Charlie, but unless you remove the entire root system, it will continue to grow. That's why using an herbicide like borax to cure creeping Charlie is more effective.

Things You'll Need

• Borax
• Lawn sprayer

Instructions

1. Test the lawn sprayer to be sure it is in good working order. Fill the sprayer with water. Choose an area the same size as the area you're going to treat. Walk back and forth and spray the test area at a pace that empties the sprayer while evenly covering the plants.

2. Find borax in the laundry section of supermarkets.To treat 1,000 square feet of yard, dissolve 1 1/4 cups of borax in 1/2 cup warm water. Mix this into 2 1/2 gallons of water. If the area being treated is smaller, reduce the amount of borax and water accordingly.

3. Pour the borax and water solution into a lawn sprayer. Spray the herbicide evenly over the creeping Charlie to kill it.

Tips & Warnings

• The best time to cure creeping Charlie with borax is when it's growing in the springtime.

• Wait until there is no rain in the forecast for forty-eight hours before you apply borax. Borax stays in the soil once it has been applied. Grass may become brown temporarily. Use borax to kill creeping Charlie once a year for two years. If it's still a problem after that, use a standard herbicide instead. Borax should only be used on lawns and not in gardens because grass is more resistant to it than other garden plants.

References

• Using Borax To Control Creeping Charlie

Resources

• Creeping Charlie Definition