In my yard I have lots of wild violets. Does anyone have any suggestions on how do get rid of them?
Cathy
I love violets. I only wish you could send them to me rather than destroying them. I have no idea how to go about that (destroying them). I wonder why you would want to get rid of such beautiful flowers?
By Darlene Kidd
Oh my gosh, Darlene, I was going to say the same thing! I have my son pick them for me - as many as he can get. That's an idea, Cathy, if you have children or grandchildren, they might really enjoy picking as many as possible for Mom or Grandma. If you're not worried about chemicals, you might check out some of the popular weed killers on the market. Sorry I can't be of more help. (04/23/2005)
By terry
Of course, violets in bloom are beautiful. If they were mine, I would move some of them to the garden or to one corner of the lawn. Where you want to kill them, use a broadleaf weed killer. It will kill other weeds that you might have in the lawn. Be careful because you need to have plenty of grass left over or you'll spend the summer moaning about the bare spots in the lawn. (04/23/2005)
By Barbara
Here is a link about them:
It sounds like digging them up or a weed killer will work. They are pretty but spread like crazy where I live and crowd out other plants.
(04/23/2005)
The only solution I've found to get rid of these is to pull early and often. I have them in every bed on my property. I hate them. They can snuff out perennials with the best of them (bindweed, creeping charlie). If you pull them early, it keeps them from producing underground seed pods that form whether they bloom or not. They also will generally have a sort of rhizome so dig for them. If you only pull the leaves, they'll sprout right back. (04/28/2005)
By Eric from Northern NY
I've been fighting wild violets on my lawn for three years now. The only sure-fire way to get rid of them is by hand removal. They just laugh at common broadleaf herbicides. I did try one product called Spurge Control ($25 a pint!) over a period of eight weeks. All that did was weaken the plants for a brief period of time. It's even difficult to kill them using Roundup. Warning to anyone contemplating planting wild violets in your garden: Don't do it! They multiply like crazy, and will invade your lawn in no time. Then they'll move on to your neighbor's lawn...
(05/07/2005)
By Steve in KC
Short of turning pigs loose to root up the yard there is just no sure way I've discovered to rid a property of violets. However, on the advice of a local nursery, here is my latest plan of attack:
1.) This spring, use a high-nitrogen fertilizer and water the lawn regularly.
2.) Use a preemergent in the fall and again in the late winter or early spring.
3.) In an effort to keep the infestation localized, dig up the violets, especially around the extremities of the infected areas. 4.) Move away and leave no forwarding address so that irate town's folk will be unable to locate and tar and feather me for infecting our once fair city.
As for cleaning up flower beds, regularly digging them out seems to be the only reasonable solution.
A word of encouragement, don't be too easily discouraged. If digging is the only effective weapon don't look at a lawn full of violets. Just tackle the job a small area per day. Every plant you see drying in the trash sack will seem a small victory.
Good luck! (To both of us.)
(05/09/2005)
By Roger
Yes, they are pretty for a brief time in early spring, then they turn into the Godzilla of weeds. Yes, I call them weeds. Give me clover, even creeping charlie, but these things are the absolute worst. They can be the death of your lawn. They crowd out the grass (any type) and then at the first frost they die back leaving, well, nothing but bare soil. The next spring they'll re-emerge with a vengeance and attack what they haven't already destroyed.
The only thing that will kill them quickly is a strong mixture of Glyphosphate (the active ingredient in Round-Up) and water. But don't buy the puny premixed stuff, get the concentrate and make your own. I use 2 oz. per gallon. But only use it where there are only wild violets. This is the scorched earth strategy and it works. (But then there are always those thousands of tiny seeds in the soil that pop to life overnight.)
To kill the violets already in your lawn use triclopyr concentrate or anything with 2-4-D in the label at 1-2 oz. per gallon, but, be careful, these things can kill some grasses. This strategy will probably take at least two applications in the spring or autumn before they go dormant.
As for hand weeding, well, I do it a small area at a time, making certain to dig up the fat rhizome completely.
To keep them from returning I have had some success in the moist, shady areas of my backyard planting ivy. The ivy does a pretty good job of smothering the violets and it is a lot easier to control than the violets.
Oh, one last thing, in the spring, don't allow the flowers to produce seeds. I pinch them off as soon as I see them.
Good luck. (05/17/2005)
By Dancing Rabbit
Just had my yard sprayed for weeds yesterday and I have gobs of wild violets. The man said what he was using would not kill them, that they'd have to be killed with Roundup, then the yard dug up and reseeded. I've decided not to worry about them....LOL (04/25/2006)
By Pat
I got some to plant along the edge of my garage. Planted them last fall. This spring I saw they dropped seeds or something and are filling up the area fast. Found on the web how they take over a lawn! I am getting rid of them now before that happens! (05/16/2006)
By Mark
How could something so beautiful be so bad. I was thinking it would be a good ground cover as we have 1/3 acre - my husband would not be happy with something so invasive. I am glad I found your website. Thanks. I will keep looking for something that is less invasive and beautiful. (06/07/2006)
By elly
Why would one want to get rid of the wild violets? Yes, they are very pretty and they certainly cut down on grass and therefore on the need to mow. But being a broadleaf, they are very juicy, so when I'm mowing, the mower gets badly clogged with quantities of wet green glop, the blade gets stuck, the mower stalls, and I've run out of cuss words. The wet glop that builds up on the mower wheels falls off all over the lawn in big wide thick strips of matted glop and causes need for additional clean-upo. The sloped areas of the lawn get wet and slick with the cut leaves of the juicy violet and it's dangerous to walk an maneuver a mower on them. I've slipped and landed on my tailbone more than once, or wrenched muscles as I've started to slip but caught myself. The mower slides sideways on the slick slopes and is hard to control. That's why I, for one, want to get rid of the pretty violets. (09/06/2006)
By Michelle
Wild violets are my all time favorite flower. Yes, they do spread quickly, but can be contained in beds by digging up the rhizomes around the edges of the beds. I just let mine grow wherever they want. (09/21/2006)
By Peggy
Boy, most of you sound like the Violets grow overnight! They don't. You have to tend to your gardens regularly. I can't believe someone suggested planting ivy to smother the violets. Ivy is invasive! And no it doesn't grow overnight either. Here's a suggestion: plant cactus. (03/31/2007)
By Phoebe
Being a Master Gardener, wild violets are a no no. There is virtually no way to get rid of the suckers. Once they get started in the yard you cannot find anything to put on them to kill them. The roots get to be tubers and when you pull them up half of them break off and continue to grow. They will take over the yard. If you like violets, grow the ones inside of the house, "african violets" instead of the ones that will take over your yard. UGGG (05/03/2007)
By Donna Adams
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