Creeping charlie

Creeping charlie is a perennial lawn weed, not a grass disease. It spreads by runners that root at the nodes, stays green through winter and grows low enough to escape the mower. It is native to Eurasia and was introduced to the U.S. in the 1800s or earlier, according to University of Maryland Extension. The first decision is whether you have a patch you can dig out or a lawn-wide problem that needs a multi-season plan.

The 60-second identification check

You do not need a flower to identify creeping charlie. Check these four things in order:

1. Roll the stem between your fingers. It is square, not round.
2. Look at the leaf arrangement. Leaves grow in opposite pairs, not alternately up the stem.
3. Check the leaf edge. It is rounded to kidney-shaped with scalloped edges, 0.5 to 1.5 inches across.
4. Crush a leaf. It smells minty or unpleasant.

The flowers, when present, are small, funnel-shaped and lavender-purple to blue-purple. Illinois Extension gives April to June as the bloom period. The plant also keeps its leaves through winter, so it can stand out against dormant grass in early spring.

Creeping charlie or henbit?

Henbit is the usual mix-up, and the difference matters because the two plants have different life cycles. Henbit is a winter annual. It starts from seed in early fall or early spring, flowers, sets seed and dies. Its upper leaves half encircle the stem, and its fibrous root system does not creep. Creeping charlie is a perennial. Its runners root at the nodes, so pulling one plant does not remove the patch.

That changes the plan. A spring pass on henbit can work while the plants are young. A spring pass on creeping charlie usually just sets it back. Our creeping charlie vs henbit comparison gives the full side-by-side test. For the annual look-alike with white star flowers, see creeping charlie vs chickweed.

Does it actually kill grass?

Not directly. Creeping charlie outcompetes grass for light, water and space, especially in thin, shady or poorly drained lawns. Once the runners knit together, the grass underneath declines. Maryland Extension notes that its low growth habit lets it avoid mower damage, and Illinois Extension lists shady lawns with poorly drained, fertile soil as the typical problem sites.

That is why herbicide alone is a temporary fix. If the lawn stays thin and damp, creeping charlie will come back from the edges or from seed already in the soil.

What works, in order

Small patch, early infestation: dig it. Pull or rake out every rooted stem and remove the runners. Maryland Extension says this is most practical when the infestation is young.

Thin lawn under trees: fix the cause first. Mow high, sharpen the blade, reduce overwatering and improve drainage. If the shade is too deep for turf, consider a groundcover that fits the site instead of fighting the lawn.

Large patch in lawn: use a broadleaf herbicide timed to active growth. Illinois Extension gives mid-spring to early summer and mid to late fall as windows. Maryland Extension says more than one application will probably be necessary, and Illinois Extension says one or two fall applications are likely needed for complete control.

Ingredients named by the extension sources: 2,4-D, MCPP (mecoprop), dicamba, triclopyr and fluroxypyr. Illinois Extension reports that fluroxypyr and triclopyr worked best in cool-season grass research, applied at bloom time or just after, with a second application three to four weeks later.

Follow the product label; the label is the law. Do not spray dicamba over the root zone of desirable trees and shrubs, because roots can absorb it and the tree can be damaged.

Skip the homemade borax mix

Illinois Extension is explicit: homemade mixtures containing boron are not recommended. Results are inconsistent, and boron can build up in the soil and cause long-term damage. A product labeled for lawns, used at the label rate, is the safer and more predictable choice.

What to do this week

1. Confirm the square stem, opposite leaves and minty smell, and rule out henbit.
2. If it is a small patch, dig out every runner and root.
3. If it covers the lawn, improve mowing and drainage first, then treat actively growing plants in spring or fall.
4. Plan a second pass. One application is rarely the end of it.

For removal methods across other plants, see the removal guides. State lists and reporting contacts are collected on the Ohio state page. More profiles are listed under invasive plants, and image credits are on the image credits page.