I just wanted to share this with you folks, and maybe save you a lot of time/money.
A few years ago Creeping Charlie showed up in my yard. I made some attempts to control it - but the Weed N Feed products don't seem to have any affect on it, and even Round Up doesn't seem to kill it completely (but it did kill the grass). The Creeping Charlie sends out runners/vines, and if you cut or break the vine it then starts growing out the broken ends that are left in the ground - so you end up with 2 new runners instead of the single one that you cut.
Unfortunately I didn't take the weed seriously - and I now have several acres of it in my lawn. The stuff is taking over my lawn and killing all my grass. In one area I stopped mowing hoping that the long grass would choke out the Creeping Charlie - but unfortunately that didn't happen and the Creeping Charlie is doing just fine (I will try burning off that field next spring and see if that works).
I have finally found a way to beat the weed - but it is going to be a long fight. First you mix 4-5 ounces of 20 Mule Team Borax in each gallon of water and spray it on the Creeping Charlie. I use a measuring cup and even using hot water I can't seem to get more than 4 ounces to dissolve in each gallon of water. I have a 5 gallon plastic jug to mix the water and Borax, and I shake the mixing bottle after adding hot water - then pour the liquid into the sprayer and leave any unmixed Borax in the bottom of the bottle. The Borax is not toxic to most things and won't hurt most grass - the Creeping Charlie has a low threshold for Borax, and in a few days the leaves will turn yellow/brown as the plant is weakened. The next step is to mix the Purple label Weed B Gon and spray the ivy again. This will kill most of the Ivy, and whatever grass has not been killed by the Creeping Charlie will most likely survive. The websites claim that fall is the best time to kill the Ivy, and I have also read that it is effective when the purple flowers are on the Ivy in the spring.
If you see this in your yard - don't ignore it. Your fight will be much easier and less expensive if you start right away before the crap takes over your yard, garden or landscaping. If I had gone after this weed when I first saw it - it would have taken a few days to win the battle.....I anticipate that my current 3 acre crop will take me a year or more and several hundred dollars worth of Borax/Weed B Gon to kill!
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