How to Eradicate Weeds

(Question)

I live in Scarborough (clay soil) and this year have been plagued with both creeping Charlie and violets in both front and back yards. Any advice on how to eradicate this would be much appreciated. Anne

(Answer)

Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners.

Weeds in the lawn can be frustrating. The best way to a weed free lawn is to have thick grass that does not allow the weeds to take hold.

Creeping charlie, Glechoma hederacea, is a vine that grows along the ground rooting where ever the leaf nodes touch the soil. Hand pulling will remove it however, any rooted spots left behind will become new plants. There are herbicides that can be used. Your local nursery should be able to direct you to products that are allowed in your community. You will need to follow the directions carefully. Violets, Viola, spread with rhizomes under the ground and they also can self pollinate. Like the creeping charlie, they can be pulled and herbicides can be used.

The Toronto Master Gardener (TMG) Library has several articles from questions similar to yours. They outline what you can do to attain a thicker lawn which allow you to have the upper hand with weeds. I have attached two articles below. Each article also contains links to further TMG articles as well as other articles for further reading.

Good Luck.

Nothing but Weeds

Overseeding lawn