Violets are those low-growing spring beauties that love to carpet the ground in light shade. But let’s be real: while they look great in a woodland garden, they aren’t exactly a welcome guest in a manicured lawn because they can take over in the blink of an eye.
Violets in the Lawn
A few violets popping up in your grass usually isn’t a big deal—in fact, those little purple splashes of color look pretty charming in the spring. However, violets have a habit of spreading like wildfire. If you have ants in your yard, they actually help move the seeds around for you! Before you know it, your lawn is more violet than grass. If you’re someone who takes pride in a pristine turf, these uninvited guests can be a real headache.
How to Get Rid of Them
Before you reach for the heavy-duty chemicals, I always recommend trying some mechanical methods first. Here are your best bets:
- Dethatching (Verticutting)
- Regular mowing
- Hand weeding
Dethatching Your Lawn
Using a power rake or dethatcher will rip out a good portion of the violet plants or at least cut them back significantly. You’ll want to repeat this a few times at short intervals. It’s also a great idea to fertilize and water your lawn afterward. Stronger grass roots mean the turf can eventually crowd out the violets on its own.
Mowing the Lawn
If you’ve got a serious violet invasion, try mowing once a week to keep your grass at a consistent height of 1.5 to 3 inches. By keeping the violets trimmed down, you’re constantly weakening the plants. Over time, at least some of those unwanted flowers will give up the ghost.
Hand Weeding
It’s the most effective method, but I won’t lie—it’s also the most work. Here is the best way to tackle it:
- Wait until the soil is moist (it makes pulling so much easier!)
- Grab the main stems right at the base and pull straight up.
- For older, established clumps, you’ll need to dig them out because they tend to snap off if you just pull.
- Use a hand fork or a small spade.
- Make sure you get those underground rhizomes (the horizontal roots), or they’ll just grow right back.
Using Herbicides
I’d suggest only going the chemical route if you’ve tried everything else and the violets are still winning. Most broadleaf lawn weed killers will do the trick. Look for products containing active ingredients like Dicamba or Quinclorac. These are great because they target broadleaf weeds without harming your actual grass. Just make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter!