Ground ivy remains one of our toughest weeds to control. Following is our recommendation for maximizing control, based on experience and seven years of research:
- 1. Mow at 3” or higher.
2. Remove as much of the shade as possible.
3. Increase fertilizer up to 4.0 lbs N/1000ft2/yr fertilizing primarily in the fall
4. Make a late September application of two or more of the following active ingredients at their high label rate:
2,4-D
Triclopyr (Turflon)
Fluroxpyr (Spotlight)
Carfentrazone (Speedzone, Powerzone, Quicksilver)
Consider including isoxaben (Gallery) in this application
5. Make a second application in late October using different active ingredients than in September and Gallery shouldn’t be needed.
6. Make a third application after flowering in spring, using a different active than the October application for sure. Also consider Gallery in this application.
7. If you start the program in the spring, it likely will not be nearly effective as fall applications. Start with the first application following flowering, a second application one month later, and then wait until September and October to make additional applications.
8. Depending on your results, you should be able to reduce the number of applications in future years, needing only the late September and/or late October application