Killing Creeping Charlie with Vinegar & Herbicide

All plants have a place in the garden, but some are better suited for your setting than others. The nutrients in your lawn that you have worked so hard to maintain are being stolen by invasive weeds.

Low-growing perennial creeper Glechoma hederacea, sometimes known as “Creeping Charlie,” has ruffled leaves and purplish-blue spring blooms. Although it is alluring, it likes to encroach when it is out of control. Ground ivy is a stealthy weed that is resilient and adaptable to its environment, making it challenging to eradicate. It is a member of the invasive mint family that can easily fill any area.

You can get all the information you require about how to get rid of Creeping Charlie naturally in our article. You can get rid of Creeping Charlie and you’ll decorate your garden beautifully.

What Actually Creeping Charlie Is?

If you want to make a beautiful lawn full of flowers then you should know about the weed which can destroy your lawn. Creeping Charlie is one of them.

Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea) is an herbaceous perennial plant that spreads by seed and by creeping stems (called stolons) that grow along the ground. It is characterized by its round or kidney-shaped leaves with scalloped edges, and it produces small, tubular purple-blue flowers in the spring.

It gets its name from its growth habit, as it spreads low to the ground by sending out creeping stems or stolons, which root at nodes and create a dense mat of foliage. This makes it difficult to control and eradicate.

How Does Creeping Charlie Attack?

Creeping Charlie spreads through its creeping stems that root at the nodes, growing low to the ground in moist, shady places. Left to its own devices, the weed will create a dense, thick, mat-like cover.

What Kills Creeping Charlie Permanently?

To control creeping Charlie, the most effective approach is to use a post-emergent broadleaf herbicide, however, this should be read and followed as directed by the label.

The best option for homeowners is to use a weed killer containing dicamba salt (3.6-Dichloro-O-Anisic Acid) or triclopyr, which are active ingredients commonly found in combination products. Examples of such products include Trimec or three-way lawn weed killer.

It is important to read the ingredient list to ensure that the product contains dicamba, as even a small amount of the herbicide can cause serious harm.

The other chemicals found in these combinations are usually 2, 4-D (2.4, 4, 4), mecoprop, or MCPP, propionic acid.

These products are suitable for lawn applications, but cannot be used in vegetable and flower gardens as they are highly susceptible to herbicides. In these areas, it is recommended to manually pull or hoe any invaders.

If there is more creeping Charlie in the lawn than grass, it may be simpler to begin over by killing all vegetation and reseeding.

Does Vinegar Kill Creeping Charlie Weeds Permanently?

Vinegar can be used to control Creeping Charlie, however, it is not a simple, effective, or environmentally friendly method.

Acetic acid is present in vinegar and, upon contact with plant leaves, dries them out. Acetic acid neutralises upon contact with soil, which is the primary reason why vinegar does not kill weeds to their root.

Furthermore, vinegar is not selective, meaning that it will target grass and other plants in the vicinity of the infestation.

Creeping Charlie is one of the toughest invasive weeds out there, so if you spray it with vinegar, it’ll probably just kick up new leaves and keep growing.

You’ll have to keep spraying it every time it tries to come back, which could take months. Plus, you might be killing bees and other important pollinators in the process. So, it is risky to use vinegar on Creeping Charlie.

How to Remove Creeping Charlie by Using Vinegar?

If you want to use vinegar to get rid of Creeping Charlie, mix two parts white vinegar and one part warm water in a spray bottle. Pour the solution into a garden sprayer and spray the Creeping Charlie’s leaves. The leaves will dry out and shrink.

But don’t worry, Creeping Charlie will try to come back, so you’ll need to spray again and again throughout the season to get rid of it completely.

• Mix 2 cups (480 ml) of white vinegar with 1 cup (240 ml) of warm water in a spray bottle.
• Spray the leaves and stems of Creeping Charlie with this mixture.
• Within 1–2 days, the leaves will begin to shrivel and die.
• Repeat this spray each time Creeping Charlie attempts to regrow.
• DO NOT add salt to your vinegar spray—this can poison your soil and prevent plant growth in the area for years.

It is imperative to avoid combining salt with vinegar weed killer. While salt increases the potency of the weed killer in your mixture, it will poison the soil. Salt remains embedded in the soil for a period of months or years, impeding the growth of new plants.

Additionally, water and rainfall will disperse the salt throughout the soil, resulting in a vast dead zone in the yard.

Conclusion

When you want to make a garden you should know about various types of weeds and must know how to get rid of them. Don’t focus only on plants, also focus on the entire environment. Many insects may be dependent on your garden so don’t use any pesticides which are harmful to them.

Daily care is needed to make your garden beautiful and get rid of weeds like Creeping Charlie.