How To Kill Wild African Violets

The autumn is the ideal season for controlling wild violets. The weed is a perennial with a protracted tap root. Use a broadleaf killer that contains 2,4-D or Dicamba to destroy the violets only; the grass won’t be harmed. Drive is a fantastic wild violet herbicide (quinclorac). Quinclorac is marketed under many names in other lawn weed control solutions.

Because the leaf surfaces of violets are so waxy, adding a spreader-sticker product to the herbicide mixture will improve the herbicide’s adhesion to the leaf surfaces and increase control. Visit your neighborhood garden center and request a spreader-sticker product.

One treatment is insufficient. Multiple treatments will be required. Applications used in the spring or summer merely burn back the leaf tissue; the plants will eventually regrow. Herbicides used in the fall have better effectiveness controlling plants because they move down into the tap root.

Can wild violets be killed by vinegar?

To get rid of wild violets, combine horticultural vinegar and water to make a DIY weed killer. You can mix vinegar and water at a ratio of 80% to 20%. When applied to the foliage of the problematic plant, this homemade wild violet weed pesticide has an 80 percent control rate against the majority of broadleaf weeds. For every gallon of water used, add 1 teaspoon of a non-ionic surfactant or dishwashing liquid if the horticultural vinegar does not already contain one.

When working with horticultural vinegar, exercise caution. It is significantly stronger than regular kitchen vinegar and can seriously harm your skin and eyes. When working with horticultural vinegar, be cautious to wear safety gear. Wearing long sleeves, rubber gloves, pants, and safety glasses can help you avoid getting vinegar in your eyes and on your skin.

Which chemical will effectively eradicate wild violets?

The best herbicides for controlling wild violet species are those that include triclopyr; nevertheless, for effective control, repeated application over the course of the growing season and over several years may be required.

Can you destroy wild violets easily?

Although they thrive in shade, these low-growing broadleaf weeds can also flourish in bright sunlight. Wild violets can have white, blue, purple, or yellow flowers. Despite having a modest, delicate appearance, wild violets are actually highly aggressive and can grow thick mats of leaves that rob the rest of your lawn of nutrients. Because of their deep root systems, waxy leaf covering, and propensity for rapid growth (and spread), violet weeds are unfortunately challenging to eradicate.

Will African violets be harmed by Roundup?

With the help of Roundup Ready-To-Use Weed & Grass Killer III with Sure Shot Wand, eliminate wild violets that are growing in your landscaping and flower beds. The best time of year to treat them is in the fall when the active ingredient is readily transferred to the root system, just like wild violets growing in the lawn.

I have wild violets in my flower beds; how do I get rid of them?

“Enjoy if you adore wild violets and consider the season’s brilliant blossoms to be your favorite part! Shipman asserts. Take these actions, though, to prevent them from taking control totally.

Chemical weed killers: Broadleaf herbicide application is the most efficient method for eradicating wild violets. However, these products have hazardous compounds that can harm children, pets, necessary pollinators, and other wildlife in addition to humans and other animals. If not handled carefully, they can harm your grass and other landscaping plants as well as polluting groundwater and freshwater.

Hand weeding: While removing wild violets by hand requires a lot of work, it is the safest way to do so for your yard. Use a hoe or other weeding tool, dampen the soil, and hand-weed in the spring and summer when the plants are growing the fastest so that you can remove the entire root system. According to Shipman, “the rhizomes will continue to put forth new growth even when leaves and blooms are cut from the top. ” To prevent the rhizomes from sprouting again, make sure to remove the entire plant.

Natural/organic herbicides: In the event that persistent hand weeding is ineffective, you may want to consider using a natural or organic herbicide. Spread corn gluten flour to stop seed germination, or use a home-made herbicide on existing plants. To assist the spray adhere to and penetrate the waxy leaves, Shipman advises combining equal parts vinegar and hot water with a small amount of dish soap (one tablespoon per gallon).

Covering: To smother wild violets and other weeds that have overtaken a sizable area, spread out multiple layers of cardboard, newspapers, and/or mulch. But this is not an instant fix. The process of suffocating the plants and allowing them to degrade may take several months to a year, but the end result will be a weed-free, ready-to-plant bed, according to Shipman.

How long do wild violets take to die?

Herbicides should be applied to specific weeds rather than the entire area in order to effectively destroy wild violets. By doing this, the amount of chemicals released into the environment will be reduced. You may target the leaves of certain weeds with a garden sprayer equipped with a wand nozzle while minimizing chemical mist drift.

Mix the Weed Killer

Following the instructions on the label, prepare a batch of broad-spectrum weed killer in a garden sprayer. Wear the safety equipment that the label advises.

Add Dish Soap

To the weed killer, add surfactant or a tablespoon of dish soap. The herbicide may run off from the wild violets’ waxy leaves, but the surfactant will help it stick so that it can be absorbed.

Observe the Plants

Over the upcoming two to three weeks, keep an eye on the plants. They should start to turn brown and eventually pass away. You can manually remove the brown leaves once the wild violets are obviously dead.

Treat Again, if Necessary

Reapply pesticide if the plants don’t entirely perish after two weeks. Some plants commonly survive the winter and reappear in the spring. If so, apply an additional herbicide application to them in the spring when new growth is beginning.

When should I use wild violet spray?

Herbicides should be used in the fall, between late October and early November, when the temperature is at least 50 degrees. Wild violets can be treated in the spring or the fall, but the latter is preferable because the plants are actively transporting resources from their tops to their roots.

Why is my yard so full of violets?

Many people consider the lawn to be a sacred space where neither dandelion nor clover dare to grow. Some people are diversifying their lawns to attract more bees or to stop fighting weeds altogether. I had never seen violets in turf before; dandelions and clover may come to mind first when thinking of weeds in lawns.

Untrained eyes may suppose creeping charlie or dead nettle, two common weeds with purple flowers, are the source of this purple colour in the lawn from a distance.

But as I looked closer, they were violets! Though one of our turf lecturers explained that wild violets are actually one of the most infamous lawn weeds and are challenging to maintain, I mistakenly thought of this as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Violets (viola sp.) spread by rhizomes and seeds. They are available in purple, white, and yellow tones. Some are two-tone.

Violets draw pollinators and serve as the main host plant for the fritillary butterfly group’s caterpillars. The mining bee Andrena violae, a specialized bee that exclusively visits violets, likewise relies only on them for food.

Violets thrive in moist, shaded locations where the turf is weak and unable to cope with the weeds and violets. Violets may be a welcome choice for ground covers in these situations, which frequently provide difficulties for turf development. Once established, though, they have the potential to grow from that difficult place onto your ideal lawn sections.

Violets can also indicate areas where lawns are being mowed too short, which inhibits their ability to regrow thickly and vigorously. This is a sign that lawns are becoming thinner overall.

You get to decide, of course! Do they need to stay? OR ought they to leave? OR, as a reader suggested, WHY NOT BOTH? Those discovered at Chadwick were a pleasant sight to run in this spring and appear to have integrated themselves into the show. This is a nice illustration of how some natural places may add color, beneficial insects, and perhaps cover some problematic spots to a lawn’s aesthetics.

There are options if you want to manage your violets in lawns. Digging and manually pulling them might be the best method for control if a patch is discovered early. Take into account the site’s conditions as well. Is it possible to make a turf stand that is thicker so that it can outcompete weeds or increase light penetration? The application of post-emergent broadleaf herbicides with the active component Triclopyr is one method of chemical control for violets. To have an effect on established violets, two or more applications would be necessary. Application in the fall is thought to be most efficient because plants are focusing their energy on their roots. Violets are challenging to control, even with a good solution. They are resilient little things. Make sure you read all labels and follow directions before applying insecticides. The law for usage is on the label.

What are the benefits of wild violets?

Violet leaves have a strong medicinal value and a calming mucilaginous quality. They have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and blood purifying properties.

They can be put into a violet leaf and honey cough syrup and are beneficial for coughs and colds.

Violets can also be applied topically to treat skin issues like varicose veins, dry skin, bug bites, and dermatitis.

Here are some easy homemade recipes for soothing violet lotion and violet leaf balm.

Violet leaves and blooms are wonderful additions to soap. Try this violet leaf soap or this wild violet soap.

Mountain Rose Herbs sells dried violet leaves if you can’t find any wild violets or if the time of year isn’t right (my favorite place to get high quality, organic dried herbs).

Are wild violets contagious?

Rhizomes on wild violets make it simple for them to spread, and they frequently form clusters. On their own, they dispersed contentedly and peacefully. However, it is unusual for these delicate blossoms to take over an entire yard. They spread but do not completely supplant other plant species.

Wild violets—are they weeds?

Wild violets (Viola papilionacea) are weeds that can be annual or perennial in the winter and frequently form clumps. Heart-shaped leaves are supported by rhizomes that the plants produce. The wild violet has five petals on its blossoms, which are often purple but can alternatively be white or yellow. The plants are most frequently found in shaded settings, and the flowers typically bloom in early spring and summer.