I planted my first lawn a few weeks back. I had used round up on the old grass and then tilled the ground pretty deep all around. After planting my new grass I got a really bad Glechoma hederacea (creeping charlie) infestation. My back yard seems to have grown way more than my front. I don't have a clue what to do. Some of my thoughts- Totally scrap that back yard and start over? Keep planting grass seed and spray in the fall? Here are some pictures of the front yard. The grass came in patchy and it is further behind the back yard. I think I can still save it.. The back yard it has grown a ton and I just don't see how my grass can fight against this stuff... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
The least little bit of root and vine will take hold and take over. I think the deep tilling may have been the cause of the infestation you have now...the process cut up the roots and brought them and any seeds in the soil to the surface to the sunlight. From what I have read, getting control over it is more of a pull them up or hoe them up process, they appear to be resistant to most chemical herbicides and pre-emergents are useless too. When you pull or hoe make sure every bit goes into the trash and if you mow them down use a bagger otherwise the mower will scatter more bits that will become more plants. If it was a smaller area than front and back yards you could use the solarize method to kill it off.
We've had creeping charlie in every property we've ever had, and have been able to get it under control. It's everywhere where we live. For us, keeping it under control requires yearly applications of triclopyr and/or 2-4D herbicide, fall application when cooler (60's) is ideal, and you can repeat the application after a few weeks. We've sprayed in spring too. You can get a dethatching rake to pull it, and you will need to seed where you pull it out, your grass has most likely been replaced by the creeping charlie. It's lots of work. There's no quick fix, kill and till is also an option if you are willing to start over. Once you eradicate it, regular mowing, watering, and fertilizing can encourage a thicker lawn which will help keep the weeds at bay.
I have enough plastic I could solarize the whole back yard... replant in the fall. Nothing has established roots yet. I only planted a few weeks ago.
I did find out that it is mallow and not CC. Sounds like it is hard to control, but easier than CC. I ended up letting the weeds grow tall. Like 10". I then used roundup on them. They were so thick thay I sprayed the lot without hitting my grass underneath. I then used ortho weed b gone max. Then I cut my lawn. It looks better than I expected, but we still have a long way to go. My plan is to hit it with a nitrogen fertilizer soon andthen contine to just peomote healthy grass. I will put more seed down Iin the fall. I'll uodate again as things unfold.
