Creeping Charlie, also known as Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea), is a persistent, low-growing perennial weed that invades lawns and gardens across North America. This aggressive plant is a member of the mint family, and its dense, mat-forming habit quickly overwhelms turfgrass and ornamental beds. Homeowners often seek natural, non-toxic methods to eliminate this pest because its tenacity often resists common broadleaf herbicides. Effective control requires a strategic, multi-pronged approach due to its extensive root system and rapid spread.
Identifying and Understanding Creeping Charlie’s Invasion
Accurate identification is the first step in combating this weed. Creeping Charlie is characterized by its bright green, kidney-shaped or rounded leaves with scalloped edges. A defining trait is its square-shaped stem, which is characteristic of all plants in the mint family. When crushed, the foliage emits a slightly minty aroma.
The plant spreads aggressively via seeds, rhizomes, and stolons. Stolons, the above-ground stems, creep along the soil surface and root at numerous nodes wherever they make contact with the soil. This rapid rooting creates new, independent plants, which is why simply pulling the surface growth often fails. It also produces small, bluish-purple flowers in the spring that contribute to seed distribution.
Cultural and Physical Removal Strategies
Successful, long-term control begins by modifying the environment to favor dense turfgrass over the weed. Creeping Charlie thrives in areas with poor drainage, heavy shade, and compacted, nutrient-poor soils. Improving these conditions naturally inhibits the weed’s ability to compete and spread. Annual core aeration can help alleviate soil compaction, allowing turf roots better access to oxygen and nutrients.
Raising the mowing height to three inches or more encourages taller, denser grass, which shades the soil and physically blocks the weed from receiving the sunlight it needs. Proper watering techniques, such as deep, infrequent watering, also support a vigorous, healthy lawn that can outcompete the weed. Addressing excessive moisture and shade by pruning overhanging trees or improving drainage will make the area less hospitable to Creeping Charlie.
In areas where the weed is confined to garden beds or small patches, physical removal is the most reliable method. Hand-pulling is effective, but it requires meticulous attention to detail. It is easiest to pull the runners immediately after a soaking rain or deep watering, which loosens the soil. The crucial step is to follow the stolons and rhizomes to ensure that all rooted nodes are completely removed from the ground. Even small fragments left behind can quickly re-establish themselves and regrow.
For larger, non-lawn areas, covering the patch with an opaque material can smother the weed. Laying down thick cardboard or black plastic and covering it with mulch will block all light, effectively killing the plants over a season. This solarization and smothering technique clears an area before establishing desirable plantings.
Targeted Natural Spot Treatments
When cultural controls are insufficient, targeted natural treatments can be used as a spot application to eliminate persistent patches. One highly localized treatment involves the cautious use of borax, or sodium tetraborate. Creeping Charlie is uniquely sensitive to boron, an essential micronutrient, but becomes toxic to the plant in minute excess amounts. The standard application ratio is 10 ounces of 20 Mule Team Borax dissolved in four ounces of warm water, then diluted into 2.5 gallons of water to treat approximately 1,000 square feet of lawn.
Apply this borax solution with extreme care, as boron does not dissipate or break down in the soil over time. Over-application can accumulate and create a toxic environment that sterilizes the soil, killing desirable plants, including your lawn and surrounding trees. Due to this risk, this treatment should only be applied to established lawns once per year for a maximum of two years.
Another effective topical application is high-concentration horticultural vinegar, which contains 20% or more acetic acid. This concentration is much stronger than household vinegar and works by rapidly drawing moisture out of the plant cells, causing the foliage to dry up and die within hours. Horticultural vinegar is non-selective, meaning it will damage or kill any plant it touches, so it should be used only as a precise spot treatment.
Since perennial weeds like Creeping Charlie can regrow from the roots, multiple applications are typically needed with vinegar, as it primarily works by burning the above-ground foliage. Adding a small amount of liquid dish soap to the spray mixture acts as a surfactant, breaking down the plant’s waxy cuticle and allowing the acetic acid to penetrate more effectively. Always wear appropriate personal protective equipment, including gloves and eye protection, when handling concentrated vinegar.