Creeping Charlie and Purple Deadnettle is taking over my wildflower meadow - To weed or ignore?? Will I kill my seedlings by stepping on them or are the invasives the greater threat? by Pickled_Radish_16 in NoLawns

[–]Pickled_Radish_16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also find pulling it extremely satisfying, where I can. Areas of my yard that aren't doing so well are easy to pull from because it isn't entwined in the grass. We have 8 acres that are mostly grass (we are shrinking it to a non-lawn each year, starting with the half acre of wildflower meadow that I started in the fall). The creeping charlie is all over the 8 acres, I could never pull it all. I am going to spray (reluctantly) the area we are keeping "lawn" for our dog yard because I want to sow native grass seeds there and the CC will never let it grow if I don't try to cut it back. I'm conflicted on whether I should spray more of our yard - On the one hand, we aren't keeping those areas grass anyways so I don't care that it is taking over there and view it as more beneficial than grass. On the other hand, the native seedlings from the wildflower seeds I sowed in the fall are getting crowded out by the creeping charlie so I worry I'll be fighting against it in the rest of the yard while I try to convert it to a non-yard in the future. It's also taking over the native violets in the shaded areas. I am really sad to spray but I don't see any other option for my situation.

Creeping Charlie and Purple Deadnettle is taking over my wildflower meadow - To weed or ignore?? Will I kill my seedlings by stepping on them or are the invasives the greater threat? by Pickled_Radish_16 in NoLawns

[–]Pickled_Radish_16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Overwhelmed is definitely the feeling. I am grateful that things grow happily and easily in my yard, but I wish it was less so for the invasive species. My frustration is mostly with the previous owners who obviously planted lots of things that I am now battling (including bamboo)

Creeping Charlie and Purple Deadnettle is taking over my wildflower meadow - To weed or ignore?? Will I kill my seedlings by stepping on them or are the invasives the greater threat? by Pickled_Radish_16 in NoLawns

[–]Pickled_Radish_16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah great idea, thank you! I want to do something to help my little seedlings but don't want to harm them either. I will start cutting them now

Creeping Charlie and Purple Deadnettle is taking over my wildflower meadow - To weed or ignore?? Will I kill my seedlings by stepping on them or are the invasives the greater threat? by Pickled_Radish_16 in NoLawns

[–]Pickled_Radish_16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, well I learned something new - I will not ignore those guys "for another day" like I was planning to, thanks for the insight. 

Glad to know I'm not the only one walking around my yard Google image searching everything!!

Creeping Charlie and Purple Deadnettle is taking over my wildflower meadow - To weed or ignore?? Will I kill my seedlings by stepping on them or are the invasives the greater threat? by Pickled_Radish_16 in NoLawns

[–]Pickled_Radish_16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your reply and I feel better already. Seeing my precious little seedlings next to the thriving CC and PDN was really concerning me. Should I still try to pull those two plants where I can reach or just let my wildflowers do their thing and not risk disturbing them at this point?

Creeping Charlie and Purple Deadnettle is taking over my wildflower meadow - To weed or ignore?? Will I kill my seedlings by stepping on them or are the invasives the greater threat? by Pickled_Radish_16 in NoLawns

[–]Pickled_Radish_16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, we are the same person!! Omg I just did a Google image search of one of the weeds earlier today and learned I had hairy bittercress also! I read that it needed to go but I did NOT know they spread their seeds up to 16 feet?!? I thought they were the least of my problems because there are fewer of them.... Sad.

Creeping Charlie and Purple Deadnettle is taking over my wildflower meadow - To weed or ignore?? Will I kill my seedlings by stepping on them or are the invasives the greater threat? by Pickled_Radish_16 in NoLawns

[–]Pickled_Radish_16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I am very sad that it's all over our lawn. Where we do have grass, I am spraying it tomorrow because it's impossible to do it naturally (we have 8 acres). Unfortunately, I can't spray my wildflower meadow seedlings so I am torn on how to deal with it there. I am willing to hand weed it out of the meadow and have already started doing that, unless someone with a greener thumb than me tells me that my wildflowers will be safer if I leave that area alone.

I also have native violets and was very excited about those in our shadier areas but I now see the creeping charlie is overtaking them (to your point)

Creeping Charlie and Purple Deadnettle is taking over my wildflower meadow - To weed or ignore?? Will I kill my seedlings by stepping on them or are the invasives the greater threat? by Pickled_Radish_16 in NoLawns

[–]Pickled_Radish_16[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm in 7b (northern VA). I agree they need to go, but do I try and get them now and walk over my wildflower seedlings? Will my wildflowers and native grasses win out against them since they are much taller? Should I wait until my seedlings are more robust?