While chives are a good addition to a fabulous recipe, most people don’t care for them in their lawn. Getting rid of pesky chives or wild onions in your lawn can be difficult and frustrating, but there are a few things you can do. If you don’t mind having the purple flowers in your lawn that the chives or wild onions provide, or you like the onion smell they emit each time you mow your lawn, then you can just ignore them and do nothing. But if you want to get rid of them, here are a few options.
Of course the simplest method is to dig them up every time you see them in your lawn. This is effective and organic, but it is time consuming and they can still spread if you are not careful.
Another method is to use a product such as Hi-Yield Kill-Zall or Round Up. These products contain a chemical called glyphosate. This chemical is effective because it works on killing all plant tissue. It is a non-selective weed killer. This means that it will kill not only the weeds in your lawn, but the grass too. Depending on the severity of the chive problem you have, this can make your lawn not appear very pretty until enough time has passed and you can re-seed your lawn. This is usually within 14 days from when you sprayed the chemical to begin with. Sometimes it will be even longer, because you will need to do more than one application of the chemical for your chive problem to disappear. So if you don’t mind waiting awhile to re-seed your lawn and then waiting for it to re-grow, then this may be the option you will choose.
Another option that is new to the market is to use a product called Weed-Free Zone by Fertilome. This product is a selective weed killer for lawns. It will kill the unwanted weeds in your lawn without damaging or killing your grass. The label includes wild onions/garlic which belongs to the same family as the wild chive. By following the directions on the label, and targeting and applying to the patches of the wild chive you should have success in eradicating this nuisance plant from your lawn. I actually like to use this product for all of my weed problems in my lawn. It is very effective on mallow, clover and dandelions. I like how it kills the weeds and leaves the healthy grass intact.
Getting rid of wild chives or wild onions in your lawn can be a nightmare. However, with diligence and persistence, you can knock them out and have that healthy lawn you crave for the summer. Which method will you choose to eradicate the chives and wild onions from your lawn?
Photo by Matthew Bridges
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Chives in the Lawn
I actually like them…I think the flowers are pretty..LOL
Aren’t weed killers hazardous? I mean over here its against the law to use pesticides and such understandably because it drains chemicals to the sewers, and because little wild animals like squirrels or local cats, and dogs may get it on their paws. I’m looking for something organic and safe, I don’t want to hurt other wild life in the process.
How come I never see any purple flowers on mine?
[...] lawn can be difficult and frustrating, but there are a few things you can do. If you don??t mindhttp://her-gardening-blog.com/2008/05/chives-in-the-lawn/Horticulturist offers advice on lawn maintenance – Grand Falls-Windsor AdvertiserFor some, the [...]