HELP -- wild violets are taking over my lawn
Laura Dreisbach
gardens. Back in Feb. I dug up my garden in preparation for
planting spring flowers. There were all these clumpy, knotty
growths which I dug up. I thought they were weeds and I thought
I got them all out. Well, several months later, I discovered that
they were wild violets. They have taken over the garden and have
spread into the lawn. They are quite thick in the lawn and I am
scared they will overpower the grass. Does anyone know what I can
do to get rid of this? I don't mind digging up my garden, but I
hope not to have to dig up my lawn. Will weed-n-feed be strong
enough for the lawn? If anyone has had successful experience
getting rid of this, please help.
Thanks,
Laura Dreisbach
Paul G Johnson-1
>Help!! Wild violets have taken over my lawn and one of my
Is the lawn very shady? If so, its likely that the grasses are not as
competitive as the violets under those conditions. Even if you spray, the
reason the violets are there is not going to go away. The best thing is to
do some overseeding with a shade tolerant grass mixture. I'm not sure
where you are located, fine fescues would be a good bet, and maybe some
shade tolerant Kentucky bluegrasses. Look at your local garden center for
some such mixture. Also be careful with the watering if you are currently
doing so.
Personally I like a few wild violets in the lawn, but too many is not good
for most cases.
If I missed the mark on the shady area, let me know.
Thanks
PJ
John Snyder
Well, I'm not sure this is what you want to hear, but I have wild violets
in my front yard, and I think they're great. I love the color and variety
that they add. I don't really notice the plants among the grass, just the
purple flowers, and they and the grass seem to coexist happily. I wouldn't
think of trying to kill them. My Dad in eastern PA had lots of them in his
back yard, and I remember picking them to give to my mother when I was a
wee tyke.
My front yard was full of yellow dandelion and purple violet blooms last
weekend, and I thought, "What a beautiful picture this yard makes. It's
a shame to have to mow it."
Greg Mccrory
> Help!! Wild violets have taken over my lawn and one of my
> gardens. Back in Feb. I dug up my garden in preparation for
> planting spring flowers. There were all these clumpy, knotty
> growths which I dug up. I thought they were weeds and I thought
> I got them all out. Well, several months later, I discovered that
> they were wild violets. They have taken over the garden and have
> spread into the lawn. They are quite thick in the lawn and I am
> scared they will overpower the grass. Does anyone know what I can
> do to get rid of this? I don't mind digging up my garden, but I
> hope not to have to dig up my lawn. Will weed-n-feed be strong
> enough for the lawn? If anyone has had successful experience
> getting rid of this, please help.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Laura Dreisbach
Why would you want to get rid of them? I have tons of them in
the back yard and when I sprayed for the blackberry vines, I
purposefully did not spray the violets. They never get taller
than about three inches and they make cute little flowers in the
spring. Actually I think they look better than the grass :)
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Sorry, I cant give you any help in getting rid of violets.
But I can tell you that for at least 15-20 years your lawn
will not be damaged by the violets. My folks have them in
with the lawn and the grass is still strong and healthy. so
are the violets! (this is USDA zone 5-6, PA, dont know the
grass type -- thin, nice stuff)
So if you want them gone because you're worried about the
grass -- worry no more! If you want them gone because
you dislike the look, i can't help. I love violets in
my lawn so we may be on opposite sides of the fence here.
If you're not sure of the look, give em a try, they are
very pretty in the spring and mow down the rest of the
year. If you dont like the look -- good luck. And remember
they WILL spread across your lawn over the years.
pk.
Robert Chambers
I have some in my grass also... I spent an hour or so last year digging
a bunch of the roots up, they grow from a tuber type thing.. corm?
I replanted a lot along a pathway and they come up quite nicely.. talk about
hard to kill..
I noticed a bunch more growing in the same place so perhaps I should spend
some time and try to dig some more out.. They don't hurt the grass any
and the flower look quite nice (mine are the white with splashes of purple)
They compost in with the grass clippings just fine!
Robert
david.j.daulton
>gardens.
>scared they will overpower the grass. Does anyone know what I can
>do to get rid of this? I don't mind digging up my garden, but I
>hope not to have to dig up my lawn. Will weed-n-feed be strong
>enough for the lawn? If anyone has had successful experience
>getting rid of this, please help.
>
Egads! Violets! And can anyone tell me what to spray to get rid of
these pesky hummingbirds and butterflies that keep getting on my flowers? ;)
Seriously, while I attempt to repair the basement drainage problems
caused by the roots of a willow tree a former owner planted by the
foundation (the jerk), and as I struggle to evict the world's most persistent
squirrels from my attic, violet problems strike me as a bit funny.
In fact, the violets I planted under my roses have spread nicely into my
lawn, and I like the way they look. Do your violets look all that bad?
Maybe just enjoy them.
If one is going to have weeds, you can do worse than violets.
Dave
Ken Hardy
>Wild violates (:-)
>hard to kill..
I kept getting them in a half-shaded area that I had problems deciding
what sort of flower or ground-cover to grow. It eventually dawned on
me that if they wanted to grow there so badly (and so cheaply!), I'd be
a fool to fight them. I dug up others from lawn, etc., and
transplanted them.
==> This doesn't answer the original question of erradication, but it makes
the point that there's nothing like a good and eager _native_ plant to take the
effort out of gardening.
Oh, and I second the part about them not harming a lawn; my grandmother's
grass has been cohabitating with them for decades.
--
Ken Hardy
k...@bridge.com (racerx!ken)