Name-That-Weed

[l008com]

I'm having particular problems with two different weeds in my lawn. Thankfully in different areas so I can tackle each separately. It may be relevant, I am located in the Northeast, outside of Boston but in the suburbs. And we've had a very cold spring so it's still very early in our growing season.

The first are these weird balls of grass-like stuff. They grow super early in the season, they grow way taller and faster than normal grass. And if you dig them up, they seem to grow with bulbs on their roots. They seems to always grow in bundles, and they bundles are spreading. They started way in the back of my lawn but they are creeping up the hill and I can tell they really want to take over. As you can see, my yard grows up to a drop off and it's all wild brush down there. So they may have just crept up the hill. But they gotta go. Also this entire state is infested with wild rabbits and somethings I think they are eating seeds elsewhere and shitting them all over my lawn.

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My front lawn is a pretty small space so the weeds I have there are pretty contained. But within the front, these things are growing pretty widespread. I'd love to knock them out and get the front growing nice and thick with good grass. I previously had a lot of creeping charlie in the back yard. But these don't look like that. Similar but if you look close, they seem very different.

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Any ideas what each of these are?
And more importantly, how to kill them?

 

[bertsmobile1]

The first weed is a clumping grass so it is easiest removed by pulling, by prefference after some rain so the ground is soft.

Iron Sulphate at a rate of 4 tablespoons per gallon should id you of the boadleaf

 

[chilly]

The second are wild violets. Weed b gon - chickweed clover oxalis version (Triclopyr). They can be tough - especially the older ones that have spread to a larger clump. Usually takes a few applications. If they already flowered, bag clippings so you don't spread the seeds as bad.

 

[l008com]

A year ago, it was suggested to me that boric acid mixed with water will kill my creeping charlie. #2 above is NOT creeping charlie I know, but a similar overall weed. I was spraying some boric acid anyway so I splashed some on these guys just to see what would happen.

It was VERY harsh on them, any that got hit are definitely dying. But it seems to be killing the lawn too where it hit. Is that a thing with boric acid, does it also kill "good" lawn? Or would it be because i splashed it on rather than using the sprayer so maybe it got too harsh a dose? It seemed to work so well on the weed, I'm willing to try again if there is a sweet spot where I'll be able to kill the violet and not harm the lawn.

Otherwise that weed B gone you referred to is cheap enough, I may try that next.

 

[l008com]

The second are wild violets. Weed b gon - chickweed clover oxalis version (Triclopyr). They can be tough - especially the older ones that have spread to a larger clump. Usually takes a few applications. If they already flowered, bag clippings so you don't spread the seeds as bad.

So I finally got my weed b gon and applied it. I mixed in some dish soap as suggested on many forum so it would spread better on the weed. Then when I was done, I looked at the bottle and realized they sent me the wrong stuff! It's crabgrass weed b gone, not the chickweed stuff. However it lists all the same weeds, including clovers and creeping charlie and wild violet. So hopefully it's "close enough" that it kills everything I'm hoping it kills. And grab grass too, that'd be nice.

It may not though. Instructions say 2.5 oz per gallon, per 400 feet. Well I read that after I was done. I used 2.5oz per gallon, but I used 2 gallons total on nearly my entire yard which is probably more like 6000 sq feet minus all the structures and walkways and driveways etc. It felt like I was wetting everything pretty well, I was very methodical. Hopefully the dishwashing liquid supercharges the coverage because I put it on SO much thinner than suggested. Oops.

 

[l008com]

Update:I'm still spraying this stuff with weed-b-gone and it's not dying. Not even a little. This stuff kills creeping charlie so well but this wild violet seems completely un-affected by it. It is taking over my front lawn. Neither the fertilizer/weed preventer I put down in the spring or the weed-b-gone I keep hitting this stuff with seems to have any affect.
Also note that subsequent applications were at the correct dilution. Pulling these things up by hand would be like trying to pull up all of the grass in your lawn by hand, it's just not goona happen. I'm even mowing my lawn much taller this year but still, this stuff grows no problem

 

[gotomow]

Ortho's site states that the fall is the best time to attack the wild violets

 

[l008com]

Yesterday was October 8th, squarely 'fall'. I gave all these weeds a good spraying of weed b gone. I made the mix a little stronger than suggested. 3oz per gallon instead of 2.5oz. A splash of dish soap to break the surface tension. And I sprayed pretty much everything, including some creeping charlie that keeps trying to cross under the fence from the neighbors yard. I'm sure it will kill that but hopefully it also kills all the wild violet out front. Theres so much of it and I've had zero luck killing is so far.
Maybe next spring I need to not mow my lawn at all, let it get a foot tall, then start mowing.

 

[l008com]

So after my fall spraying, it did look like it all died. But sadly, it's coming back this year. Maybe not as thick but it's pretty widespread still I guess this is just an ongoing battle forever. I'll spray for it every fall and hope for the best.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

I suggest you get professional advice from your county agriculture extension service if your state / county has one .

If so we just hope they are above Mr. Kemball's pay grade and i'm betten they are .