How to Get Rid of Chickweed

Chickweeds are difficult to remove from your lawn and are highly adaptable and are present in all of the lower 48 states of the US. Homeowners are usually desperate to know how to get rid of Chickweed. As an invasive plant, you must remove Chickweed using weed killers or other herbicides when you spot it.

You need to manage it properly before Chickweed invades other plants and passes through the turf of other grasses. Identifying and removing them from many other plants using selective herbicides can be hard. For this purpose, this guide explores the best ways to remove these weeds and their prevention techniques for the future. Let’s get Started!

How to Get Rid of Chickweed

Getting rid of Chickweed is the most common question many homeowners ask. There are two species of Chickweed. One is the perennial species called Mouse-ear Chickweed. It forms dense, low-lying patches in your lawn and garden.

The second species is known as the common Chickweed; it is an annual Chickweed that you can easily control without any problem. One of the best ways to kill Chickweed is by hand-pulling it as much as possible from the ground. The roots of both Chickweed species are shallow, and you can easily remove them by pulling them with your hand.

If you want to stop the growth of these species of Chickweed in your garden, you need to remove the entire plant from the roots. Otherwise, they will keep coming back now and then.

How to Remove Chickweed from Garden Areas

If you want to remove Chickweed from your garden area, you must do a proper weeding. This will remove Chickweed permanently and completely. You can find multiple weedkillers and other herbicides that could kill Chickweed. Most of them are best to use during spring, which will stop the seeds of the weeds from germinating and re-growing. 

However, some of them can also be used during fall to prevent germination in spring. You can also consider using a non-selective herbicide to remove chickweed from your lawn. These herbicides attack the weed’s roots and kill them entirely without any chance of growing back again. If you use a non-selective herbicide, you might damage most of the plants and weeds.

If you are sure no important plants are near the weed, you can easily use this herbicide for weed killing. This type of weedkilling is mostly not suggestive as it is an invasive method of weed removal. Another method of weed removal includes dusting the Chickweed with ammonium sulfate when there is morning dew. The label on the package helps you understand the right method to use it.

How to Kill Chickweed in the Lawn

There are different methods of removing Chickweed from your lawn. Gardeners usually use non-chemical methods, including hand pulling, cultivation, and other organic methods. Here is the detail of different types of methods for removing Chickweed from your lawn;

1. Cultural Methods

The cultural method is one of the most effective methods to kill chickweed. If you want to get rid of chickweed, you need to keep the soil dry, and it works magically if the plants are small. Cultivating when the soil is wet and the plants are large can lead to the spreading of the weed by re-rooting. Here are some of the tricks you can use:

Mow the lawn

You can start mowing the area where you see chickweed growing. When you see a patch of your lawn growing weeds, you next want to spray some weedkiller and get rid of the chickweed. But you must be patient to save your garden; start by mowing the lawn. 

While mowing, you are interfering with and disturbing the normal life cycle of chickweed. Instead of growing out, they begin to shrink and stop growing for some time after mowing. You can start regular mowing to stop the weed from growing.

Solarization

Soil solarization is another best method to remove Chickweed. You can use clear plastic mulch, which will heat the soil to such a high temperature that it will be lethal for the Chickweed. This method is mostly best for removing annual Chickweed from your lawn.

2. Chemical Methods

Chemical methods are the safest and best for pesky chickweeds when you don’t want to risk your life. You need to use chemical pesticides to get rid of the chickweeds permanently. If you have tried all the steps mentioned above and still can’t get rid of weedkiller, you must use pesticides.

These chemical pesticides have the fastest effect on weeds in a very short time. These pesticides are well-known to affect the plants and others growing near the weeds.

Chemical Name	Application Method	Application Rate	Effectiveness	Residual Activity	Environmental Impact
Glyphosate	Foliar Spray	2 liters/ha	Effective	4-6 weeks	Low toxicity to non-target species
2,4-D	Spot Treatment	50 ml/m²	Moderately Effective	2-4 weeks	Minimal risk to aquatic ecosystems
Pendimethalin	Pre-emergence	1.5 kg/ha	High effectiveness	8-12 weeks	Biodegradable and low-persistence
Acetic Acid	Foliar Spray	3 liters/ha	Mildly Effective	2-3 weeks	Environmentally friendly

Organic Method

One of the organic methods to kill this chickweed includes using organic herbicides, you need to add these herbicides to the weeds to get rid of them. These herbicides do not contain any chemical preservatives and consist of 100% natural organic ingredients. These organic herbicides have little to no effect on the environment and do not threaten the children in the house.

Using Vinegar

You can add vinegar to the Chickweed-affected area to get rid of them. For this purpose, you must mix horticulture vinegar and spray it on the weed. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which helps in combating invasive Chickweed.

Corn Gluten Meal

Corn gluten meal is a natural herbicide that inhibits seed germination. Applying it in early spring can help prevent chickweed seeds from sprouting.

Why Do Lawns Get Chickweed

If your soil is damp and there is no sunlight exposure to the lawn, you are providing a perfect home for all species of chickweed. You need to keep checking your water schedule and stop irrigation for some time if you notice any chickweed. If there is any shaded area like tree mulch skirts, there are chances of attacking the chickweed.

Mouse-ear chickweed is present in shady and sunny areas and is highly invasive to nearby plants. If you notice or find anyone on your lawn, you need to remove it right away without thinking. Furthermore, with a compact soil lawn or soil with high nitrogen levels, then there may be more chances of chickweed growth in your garden.

How to Prevent Chickweed

If you have a single Chickweed plant in your garden, it consists of 800 seeds and more. These seeds remain inside the soil for more than 10 years and keep growing every year whenever they find suitable conditions outside.

If you want to prevent these seeds from coming out, you need to limit watering the plants and increase the mowing height of the grass when fall arrives. When the lawn is short and there is much moisture, these Chickweeds grow more. If your garden has flower beds, you can also consider mulching to prevent Chickweed from invading your lawn.

(Expert Tip: Maintain a healthy lush lawn and occasionally fertilize it to prevent the growth of chickweeds. You can also use pre emergent herbicides to avoid the growth of chickweeds in your garden.)

Final Thoughts: How to Kill Chickweed Easily

This article contains different methods of removing Chickweed from your lawn. You can choose any of these methods after analyzing the situation of your lawn. If you don’t have any important plants growing on your lawn, you can use chemical pesticides. But, if you can’t compromise on the nearby growing plants, you need to use other methods, including organic methods and manual pull. When you notice any If Chickweed growing in your lawn, remove it as soon as possible, as it spreads quickly and invades other plants. So, do follow the tips and tricks given in this article and have a chickweed-free lawn!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why Is Chickweed So Hard to Kill?

Chickweed can grow dense and spread quickly in cold weather. This makes it challenging to pull by hand or any other mechanical method. Using chemical control is the only way left in heavy infestation. That’s why Chickweed is very hard to kill.

2. What Kills Chickweed Best?

It would help if you got good lawn weed products to remove them permanently. There are multiple weed killers present in the market that you can use, including; Scotts, turf builder, weed and feed, tripe action, and many more. If you visit the market, you can easily get the best-suited weed killer for Chickweed.

3. Why Is Chickweed a Problem?

Chickweed is a problem as it takes away the plant’s nutrition and water, spreads the virus into these plants, and aphids spread them to other plants. Another big problem with Chickweeds is that they produce many seeds, bury them in the soil, and become dormant. Dormant seeds come out in the next blooming season, and the cycle continues to make it impossible to remove them permanently.

4. Are There Benefits to Chickweed?

Although chickweed is an annoying weed, however, its usage in traditional medicines and as a food source is not deniable. As food, it’s a good source of Vitamin A and C, iron, and potassium. It’s also a source of food and shelter for insects.