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Keeping a lucullan , green lawn can be challenging . With manytypes of lawn weeds , it seems like we ’re always crusade something . One invasive weed that may be stress to take over your lawn is chickweed . Learning how to get rid of chickweed can aid you tame your lawn , better your home ’s curb appeal and cater you with a nice yard to habituate for entertaining and other activities . in advance , we ’ll cover some natural method acting to serve you polish off this pain without resorting to the use of goods and services of chemical pesticide . We ’ll also apportion some peak to help you keep mouse ear from rearing its worthless head again .
What Is Chickweed and Is It Destructive?
So , what is mouse ear , anyway ? As Ryan Farley , CEO ofLawnStarter , excuse , “ Chickweed is a low - growing plant life that ’s known for outcompeting many common garden plants , as well as some green groceries or crops . ” This nerveless - season works flourish in moist , atomic number 7 - copious dirt , though it can get inother soil typesas well . Chickweed circularise promptly . It can reseed itself , allowing up to five contemporaries of the mouse ear works to be produced each season . Farley enounce , “ Its ability to spread very quickly in cool condition make it a problem for many gardeners , and also make it difficult to get rid of . ”
Common Chickweed vs. Mouse-Ear Chickweed
While there are over 25 types of chickweed , common chickweed and computer mouse - ear chickweed are the two that you ’re most likely to find overrun your lawn . As its name advise , common clammy chickweed is the most prevalent type . This smoke does n’t grow very tall — only up to about 2 inches — but it get very obtusely , which can make it more hard to take away . Common chickweed has smooth leaves .
Like common chickweed , black eye - ear chickweed also arise in obtuse patches . It is easy to distinguish the two types by looking at the parting . While vulgar chickweed has smooth leaves , theUniversity of California Division of Agriculture & Natural Resourcesexplains that the leaves on mouse - ear chickweed are hairy . These leaves are also darker and have a stickier grain than those on common chickweed . Both common chickweed and shiner - ear chickweed create white flowers with five petals . However , because of the ways the petals are clefted at the ends , computer mouse - ear chickweed appears to have 10 petal . Dan Bailey , president ofWikiLawn Tampa Lawn Care , observe , “ Mouse - auricle mouse ear is hard to take away because it continuously reseed itself . ”
How to Get Rid of Chickweed Naturally
happen mouse eared chickweed in your lawn does n’t have to be the final stage of the world . There are several natural way to get rid of this nuisance works . And , if you ’re count to keeplawn care costsdown , you should be capable to remediate the problem without lease a professional lawn help caller .
Pull chickweed from the lawn.
“ I would say the absolute best way to get rid of mouse eared chickweed naturally is just to get your hands soiled andpull these weedswhen you see them , ” says Farley . He tally that because the Mary Jane “ have a shallow root system that ’s pretty sluttish to pull up all at once , ” this can be a comparatively easy agency to drink down chickweed . After off the weedsfrom your lawn , you may throw them out , compost them , or even add together them to a salad — according to theMissouri Department of Conservation , chickweed is an edible plant .
Smother chickweed.
If you do n’t require to draw up the weeds by script , you could also shoot down chickweed grass by smother it . Bailey explains , “ you may smother the weed by cover the afflict domain with mulch . Keep it covered for 3 workweek to see to it the chickweed is entirely dead . ” Alternatively , you could also set a tarpaulin over the patches of chickweed and pass on it in place for several weeks to kill it . If you use a tarp , though , you ’ll want to weigh it down to make trusted it does n’t bungle away or shift off the surface area you ’re targeting .
Aerate the lawn.
pot tell us a lot about our soil . If you have chickweed , it often signals that your grease is not draining properly or that it is too compacted . oxygenize the lawn can combat these potential issues , thus helping prevent chickweed weed from contain over . After aeration and remotion of the mouse eared chickweed , plant atougher grass varietyin the affected area may help decrease the chances of the dope returning .
Apply horticultural vinegar.
Horticultural vinegar is an effectiveorganic pot killer whale . Bailey explains , “ Its acetic acid is a good weapon against most invasive plants . ” To be effective , you ’ll want toapply the vinegarchickweed killer every other 24-hour interval , targeting the entire surface of the weed along with the bottom of the stem . “ Just make certain you wear protective equipment for your workforce and eyes , ” Bailey cautions .
Tips for Preventing Chickweed in Your Lawn and Gardens
After getting disembarrass of clammy chickweed , there are a few steps you may take to foreclose it from pop back up on your lawn or in your garden . They include :
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
We ’ll serve you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your patio , a raise layer , or an in - dry land patch out back — and choose the correct plants for your soil and region .
Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: istockphoto.com
Common Chickweed (Photo: istockphoto.com)
Mouse-Ear Chickweed (Photo: istockphoto.com)
Photo: istockphoto.com
