How to Kill Violets in the Lawn

Why would anybody want to kill violet flowers? Why harm these stunning and beautiful native wildflowers? These are questions that usually pop up anytime the above subject is brought about!

Yes, they are gorgeous, but only when you have two or three branches hanging out on your front porch. Generally speaking, violets can be extremely invasive. You see one at the edge of your lawn this month, then ten more next week, and before you know it, your lawn is covered with thousands of wild violet flowers.

Well, how do you kill wild violets in your lawn? Continue reading for some insightful info on wild violets and how to get rid of violets in your yard.

A few patches of violet flowers can add a captivating burst of color to your lawn. However, if left unchecked, these weed-like flowers can quickly fan out unexpectedly all over the lawn.

You can kill these flowers by using organic or chemical methods. For either approach to work, it will require a lot of effort and time from your side.

What are Native Wild Violets

Wild violet is an annual weed-like flower found in the northern parts of the united states. It blossoms in spring, and you will start to see them in the cool, humid areas of your lawn.

Dealing with native violets on your lawn can be one of the most traumatic tasks any lawn owner can ever encounter.

These pretty flowers will take over your lawn in a matter of seasons, and once in control, nothing is more tenacious than the violet flower. Eliminating wild violets in your lawn can take years – so be sure to have a long-term strategy!

Are you in such a situation? You have done everything, but no matter what you do, they keep coming back? And you are left wondering, is there any form of treatment that one can use to kill these invasive flowers?

Not a very good scenario to find yourself in! Don’t worry, there are a couple of things you can use to kill violets on your lawn. The next few paragraphs will have some insightful information on how to deal with these pesky flowers!

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Why Is It So Difficult To kill Wild Violets?

Several different factors make killing these pesky flowers practically impossible. Below are some of them.

Factor number one: Violets have two kinds of flowers:

  • The delicate purple ones that kids pluck and play around with, and 
  • The hidden unopened flower buds that reside underneath the leaves which shield them from any harm.

The visible purple flowers are usually infertile, while the ones hiding under the leaves are highly fertile, and they can also self-pollinate and fertilize themselves –  Just imagine they don’t have to flower to reproduce – this is so weird! Right?

Factor number two:  Thick underground stems called rhizomes:

Rhizomes tend to preserve water so that violets can withstand stress and water shortage (drought). When you attempt to kill the flower, somehow, the rhizomes usually survive the on slaughter and sends out new shoots.

Factor number three: the shape and texture of the leaves :

The broad-shaped leaf is another factor that makes killing violet flowers hard. When you spray herbicides on them, the oily surface on the broad leaves prevents the solution from penetrating the leaves.

See also: How to kill torpedo grass

How To Kill Violets In The Lawn

How To Kill Violets In The Lawn

For starters, if you are serious about killing violet flowers, Fall is the best time. Why, you may ask? Because most plants will absorb herbicides more quickly at this time of the year. Let’s look at several ways to kill violets on your lawn.

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How To Get Rid Of Wild Violets Organically

There are several organic ways to deal will violets on your lawn. Let’s have a look at some of them.

1. Tolerating And Living With The Wild Violets

Even though it’s a crazy idea – it’s by far the simplest and the most cost-effective way to deal with wild violets. All you have to do is try and enhance grass lawn wellbeing to give it a competing chance against the weeds.

Furthermore, not everybody considers these beautiful flowers a weed, and if managed properly, you can live with them peacefully.

2. Removing Wild Violets by Hand

Fresh and young violets flowers are relatively simple to pull out by hand. For older flowers, you can use opt for a garden fork to help you dig them out. However, this will only work on a small area or if the flowers are scattered across the lawn.

Plus, it is not easy to pull out the flowers completely with their roots, meaning they will grow back again after a short while. It is recommended that you follow up this method with a concrete plan to enhance the health of the lawn to help choke out new weeds.

3. Using homemade Wild Violet Weed Killer

You can also use a homemade weed killer mixture to kill violet flowers on your lawn. Mix horticultural vinegar and water and spray the solution directly to the flowering foliage. This homemade herbicide is believed to have an 80% success rate on wild violet.

Also read: What is the mixture of dawn and vinegar to kill weeds?

Using Herbicides Chemicals to Kill Violets in Lawn

If larger parts of your lawn have been affected, you can kill the flowers systematically using broadleaf herbicides like Trimecor or Triclopyr(Turflon). Triclopyr is mostly used by landscaping professionals, while Trimec is readily available at your local stores.

These herbicides will do the trick,  but if the lawn is beyond saving, you can always kill the whole lawn and start afresh.

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FAQ.s How to kill little purple flowers in grass

What Kills Violets But Not Grass?

You can use several herbicides to kill violets, and they won’t harm your grass lawn. You can use broadleaf killers like Dicamba and 2.4D to selectively destroy the flowers while not killing the grass lawn.

Drive (Quinclorac) is another suitable herbicide you can use on violet flowers.

See also: What will kill weeds but not Bermuda?

Will Boiling Water Kill Wild Violets?

yes, even though boiling water kills wild violets, but can you imagine using it on a large lawn. It’s only feasible on a small scale, let’s say your small backyard lawn.

While violet flowers may look beautiful on your lawn  -with their mesmerizing purplish blooms, violets are invasive weeds that will vigorously invade your grass if left unchecked.

Furthermore, these are yearly weeds, which means if the issue is not solved, they will be back next year and the year after.

But don’t worry, as explained above there are numerous methods you have learnt on how to kill violets In the Lawn.

Author

  • Ricky

    Hi, I’m Ricky. I’ve been involved in lawn care and landscaping from when I was 15. To be honest, I didn’t like the idea of pushing mowers, collecting grass clippings, and maintaining flowerbeds at the time. But having seem the passion my parents had for gardening and outdoors and the effort they put in maintaining the health and beauty of our landscape, I couldn’t help but not only admire their hard work but also I became a part of it. As someone who loves to spend time with nature’s best, I find myself learning a lot more about gardening and outdoors on a daily basis. Not to mention I love to share the knowledge I’ve gathered over the years with my readers at We Mow Dallas. To be clear, I don’t have a Master’s degree in gardening or anything like that. Everything I’ve learned about gardening, landscaping, and lawn care spring from passion and engagement with my parents. And with a ton of free information out there, plus the ability to run tests and determine what works best for lawn care and landscaping, every day is an opportunity to learn and implement something new. My goal with We Mow Dallas is to teach you exactly how to maintain your lawn and landscape. And since I walk the talk in reality, you shouldn’t hesitate to join me in this wonderful world of landscaping and lawn care.

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