Onion Grass

(Question)

Onion grass is starting to spread, we have been digging out the bulbs. Is there an easier way to rid the lawn of this type of grass?
thank you!

(Answer)

Dear Gardener, thank you so much for posing this question to the Toronto Master Gardeners. It is a really interesting one since there is a philosophical dilemma inherent in the question — that is, are wild onions a weed or an edible?

Wild onion is cultivated and sold as a delicacy. It makes a lovely soup, is delicious pickled, and makes a terrific base for a broth for mussels and oysters. It has a pretty flower as well. Gardeners who advocate permaculture, love it since it is edible and is a perennial. You may enjoy reading this website: https://www.permaculturenews.org/2017/10/11/outstanding-onions/

But I do understand that you regard wild onion as a weed in your lawn, and there is no doubt that it does spread easily. In Toronto, we cannot use herbicides in our gardens. So use the lovely weather coming up to dig up each plant. Make sure that you get the bulb which grows close to the surface of the soil. Compost the wild onions, or make yourself a very nutritious soup.

I understand that wild onion grows best in very heavy, compacted soil, so aerating your soil, and adding compost and top soil to your lawn will also discourage its vigorous growth.