June 2004

First, drop down to the bottom of this data sheet and see if you can identify the broadleaf weed pictured here? Just one hint: on a weed scale of 1 to 10, this one comes out a 9½. This doesn’t help all that much, but at least you know this is one of the worst weeds you’ll ever encounter in the lawn and garden. Poison ivy is a 9 by comparison.

OK, what you see is Ground Ivy, also known as Creeping Charley because it creeps like crazy. It’s a perennial weed, meaning if you have it one year, you’re going to have it the next year, too. Let’s go into some detail so you have a greater feeling for the weed.

First, ground ivy has scalloped edges. Always, always look for this when you’re trying to identify the weed. The leaves always happen at the ends of stems, one leaf to a stem. If you check further, you will always find these stems (on a main stem) to be opposite each other. It’s impossible to see “stems opposite each other” in these pictures, but this is a giveaway that such a weed is ground ivy. These stems are always square, not round.

It’s the spreading and rooting ability of ground ivy that drives gardeners crazy. There are nodes wherever leaves form, and ground ivy develops roots along most of these nodes. What starts out as an innocuous weed develops into a wholesale army of weeds in the span of a few years.

Tubular flowers are light purple, with four triangular seeds in every flower. Your first encounter with ground ivy usually happens from seeds wind-blown from neighbor’s gardens. Ground ivy develops roots in the top few inches of soil, so you may want to consider pouring concrete in worst cases.

How will you control ground ivy?

Digging is out of the question because you can’t possibly get every root no matter how exhaustive your digging may be. Your best choice is the proper use of a pesticide, not just any herbicide, but one whose label specifically highlights the control and elimination of ground ivy.

The easiest and most popular herbicide for the control of ground ivy is the Trimec formula of 2,4-D, Mecoprop and Dicamba. This formula was developed by the P.B.I. Gordon Company of Kansas City in the last half-century. Today, many secondary formulators rely on the Trimec formula for flawless control of weeds. The best source of information on Trimec-based herbicides is your local nursery, specifically the nursery manager who is familiar with Trimec products on his retail shelf. Don’t go to Home Depot or Lowe’s in search of a Trimec herbicide because it probably won’t be on their shelf.

Trimec products are available in all concentrations, so you should check the label for the percentages of 2,4-D, Mecoprop and Dicamba in the container.

Trimec products may be safely applied to consumer lawns of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial rye, fine fescue, tall fescue, zoysia, Bahiagrass, Bentgrass, Bermudagrass, Centipedegrass and St. Augustine grass.

PBI Gordon offers a wealth of liquid concentrate herbicides for the control of ground ivy and dozens of broadleaf weeds on lawns and gardens. Their products are generally available in gallon and 2½ gallon containers for golf course and professional lawn service companies, but homeowners have access to quart containers of Trimec products for ground ivy and broadleaf weed control.

Preparatory to killing weeds, use a hose-end sprayer to apply a liquid water-soluble plant food (20-20-20 is perfect for this) over the weeds and the lawn. Within minutes, weeds will be energized and will resume producing sugar. If it rains after, that’s OK. Fertilize weeds 3 days before applying herbicides to the lawn. Also, DO NOT cut the lawn at least 3 days before spraying weeds and 3 days after. If weeds aren’t making sugar, your herbicides won’t work!

* For cool-season turfgrasses, Trimec Plus is available in quart containers. It contains 5.83 percent 2,4-D, 2.93 percent Mecoprop, 1.46 percent Dicamba, and 18 percent Monosodium methylarsonate for crabgrass control. To 1 gallon of water in a hand-pump sprayer, pour 3 ounces of Trimec Plus. Air temperatures must be below 80 degrees so you don’t harm grass when you spray. You should spot-treat ground ivy and other weeds early in the morning (7-9 a.m.) when no rain is forecast for at least 12 hours. Avoid watering the lawn for 24 hours after treatment. A second treatment a week later is sometimes needed for total eradication.

* For warm season grasses, Trimec Southern is also available in quart containers. It contains 18.74 percent 2,4-D, 17.37 percent Mecoprop, and 3.85 percent Dicamba. For Bermudagrass, the rate is 2 pints (64 ounces) for weed control over an acre. For homeowner use, this translates to 1 ounce of Trimec Southern in 3 gallons of water, or 1/3 ounce to a gallon. Hand-pump sprayers should be used to avoid turf injury.

Homeowners can call P.B.I. Gordon toll-free at 1-800-821-7925 and ask to speak with a sales representative. Tell the sales person where you live and they will suggest a local distributor for you to call for UPS shipment of Trimec Plus or Trimec Southern to your home. When you call the distributor, have a credit card handy.

Aside from killing ground ivy, both herbicides will control a wealth of other weeds, including clover, hawkweed, lambsquarters, mallow, oxalis, Pennsylvania smartweed, plantain, poison ivy, purslane, ragweed, spurge, Virginia buttonweed, wild garlic, wild strawberry, and wild violet.