Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Use Borax on a Lawn to Kill Creeping Charlie

...
Outside Hose image by Janet Wall from Fotolia.com

Gardeners have used Borax to kill creeping charlie in lawns for decades. The secret to Borax's effectiveness is its active ingredient, boron. Boron is actually a plant micronutrient found in trace amounts in most soils. When it is present in large amounts, it kills plants. However, you can eradicate creeping charlie and keep your grass alive because it takes a slightly higher amount of boron to kill turf grass than it does to kill creeping Charlie. The solution used in these steps makes enough Borax weed killer to treat 1,000 square feet of your lawn.

Add 1/2 cup of warm water to 1-1/4 cups of Borax in a small plastic container. Stir until the Borax is completely dissolved.

  • Gardeners have used Borax to kill creeping charlie in lawns for decades.
  • The solution used in these steps makes enough Borax weed killer to treat 1,000 square feet of your lawn.

Fill a bucket with 2-1/2 gallons of water. Add the Borax solution. Stir until the Borax is completely dissolved.

Pour the diluted Borax solution into your hose-end sprayer.

Spray the contents of the hose-end sprayer evenly over 1,000 square feet of lawn.

Refill the sprayer and reapply to your lawn. Repeat until all of the diluted Borax solution has been sprayed on the lawn.

  • Fill a bucket with 2-1/2 gallons of water.
  • Pour the diluted Borax solution into your hose-end sprayer.

Kill Weeded Creeping Charlie With Borax

Creeping charlie, or ground ivy, is a flowering weed that grows in shady, moist areas and, if left unchecked, can quickly take over other areas of your lawn. After this has been accomplished, it is important to ensure that this pesky flowering invader no longer attempts to take over your yard. Pour the borax mixture into 2 1/2 gallons of water. Mix the solution until the borax is completely dissolved. Put on a pair of gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks, shoes, goggles and a face mask. Apply this borax mixture once more next year around the same date.

Tip

The horticultural experts at Iowa State University Extension recommend treating creeping charlie with Super Trimec or another dicamba-based herbicide when Borax is no longer an option.

A healthy lawn is the best defense against creeping charlie. Once you have kileed the creeping charlie with Borax, reseed any bare patches. Follow a regular fertilization, mowing and watering schedule to encourage a thick, weed-resistant lawn.

Warning

Borax accumulates in a lawn. You can only treat the lawn with Borax once a year for two years. After that, you should switch to a standard herbicide.

Related Articles

How to Kill Weeded Creeping Charlie With Borax
How to Kill Weeded Creeping Charlie With Borax
How to Apply Caseron Weed Killer
How to Apply Caseron Weed Killer
How to Kill Stickers in Your Yard
How to Kill Stickers in Your Yard
Directions for Using Killzall Weed Killer
Directions for Using Killzall Weed Killer
How to Kill Nutgrass in Bermuda
How to Kill Nutgrass in Bermuda
How to Mix Image Herbicide
How to Mix Image Herbicide
How to Kill Dallis Grass
How to Kill Dallis Grass
Will Borax Kill Grass?
Will Borax Kill Grass?
How to Repel Dogs From Your Lawn
How to Repel Dogs From Your Lawn
After Fertilizing Your Lawn, When Is it Safe to Let Your Pets on the Lawn
After Fertilizing Your Lawn, When Is it Safe to Let...
The Best Way to Kill Weeds in Centipede Grass
The Best Way to Kill Weeds in Centipede Grass
How to Mix Groundwork Weed Killer
How to Mix Groundwork Weed Killer
How to Mix Up Killzall Herbicide Concentrate
How to Mix Up Killzall Herbicide Concentrate
How to Kill Sedge Grass
How to Kill Sedge Grass
Homemade Insect Spray for Lawns
Homemade Insect Spray for Lawns
Garden Guides
×