Grassroots Grasssports. Whats invading my lawn?

8 years ago I put down sod in my front yard after removing a deck and shrubs.

Slowly this stuff has taken 1/2 the yard and is intermixed with the rest.

What is it? What kind of grass seed can I throw down that will force it out? I don't want a putting green for a lawn. But this is pretty bad.

I hate that ivy.  You can get killer that just goes after that ground crawling ivy, but you'll have to re-apply every year or so- as that stuff never actually goes away.

Creeping charlie.  Fought this crap for decades.  Tried many chemicals, grass strains, even fire.  In the end TZone has it under control. Mix it, spray it, watch it die.  It has a root network that is like the borg in star trek.  It will come back so get a big jug of the stuff.  I got a HF backpack sprayer and did the whole yard in the spring 2 years in a row.  Now it is just a spray bottle every few weeks.  There are other chemicals that will kill it but the TZone has been the best.

24d will kill it and not harm the grass. It will take a few years to do it in permanent like. 

If your neighbors don’t take care of it in their yard it will cross the property line. 

Yup.  Creeping Charlie.  AKA ground ivy.  I've got so many noxious weeds that I don't think it even rates in my top ten, but I've got some.

It's probably heartier than grass and it's green, so it would work for me. 

 

I've always called it creeping Charlie as well but my neighbor told me the real name because he said that names denigrates Vietnamese. I can't remember the real name now.

Its hard to kill and keep killed because it comes from your neighbors yard, or the fields around you if you live in the country.

Putting that image in the plantnet app says it is lawn marshpennywort. 

OP, does it have a square stem?

I've got the same thing taking over on one side of our house. It came from the neighbor who barely mows her lawn or cares for anything. Ugh. So very frustrating because we take pride in our things and this plant is getting everywhere. 
 

glad to see there are solutions to get rid of it.  I'll have to look into those chemicals and soon because it's spreading to the the beds now

Folgers said:

If your neighbors don’t take care of it in their yard it will cross the property line. 

When I first moved into my house 30 years ago, the widow next door used to have her lawn treated and it looked nice and weed-free. However, she was the only person on the street so dedicated to keeping the weeds out. The next two occupants have had an attitude more in line with everyone else on the street: As long as it's green, that's good enough. 

I think I have some creeping charlie, but I also have many other weeds including wild strawberries and a lot of clover.

When Canada declared a ban on  consumer use of pesticides and herbicides, I surrendered and learned to love all of God's green things.  

FWIW, I'd still like to replace our lawn with something more native. The grass doesn't want to be here. 

I love the variety we've got in ours.  Some white flowers that I assume are clover, a good mix of dandelions early in the season (the uromastyx absolutely loves those and they're so good for him to eat), some sort of ground cover that is similar to the picture above, and some purple flowering things that also look a little bit like clover.  There's a few other things mixed in there with the grass as well, but I don't know my plants.  As long as it keeps the dirt from washing away, it's fine by me.

Funny side story...  Since the dandelions are so good for the lizard, we decided that it would be a good idea to harvest some of the seeds and start growing some in containers so we can have them year-round for him.  Personally, I'm not convinced that we can possibly grow enough to keep the little guy fed at the rate he eats, but whatever.  So the wife went out and got a big container, some good potting soil, some MiracleGro and set about planting these seeds.  After three or four weeks of care:  nothing.  We are so bad at gardening that we can't even get weeds to grow.

I can see "pretty manicured lawn" and "whatever, it's green" becoming a heated debate. 

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) :

Manicured lawns are not natural. Landscape to your region's native flora or perish.

David S. Wallens said:

FWIW, I'd still like to replace our lawn with something more native. The grass doesn't want to be here. 

Sand!

wae said:

I love the variety we've got in ours.  Some white flowers that I assume are clover, a good mix of dandelions early in the season (the uromastyx absolutely loves those and they're so good for him to eat), some sort of ground cover that is similar to the picture above, and some purple flowering things that also look a little bit like clover.  There's a few other things mixed in there with the grass as well, but I don't know my plants.  As long as it keeps the dirt from washing away, it's fine by me.

Funny side story...  Since the dandelions are so good for the lizard, we decided that it would be a good idea to harvest some of the seeds and start growing some in containers so we can have them year-round for him.  Personally, I'm not convinced that we can possibly grow enough to keep the little guy fed at the rate he eats, but whatever.  So the wife went out and got a big container, some good potting soil, some MiracleGro and set about planting these seeds.  After three or four weeks of care:  nothing.  We are so bad at gardening that we can't even get weeds to grow.

Need to remove the miracle grow and introduce Pepsi, nuclear waste and ground up pottery to really get that dandelion growth moving.

Is lawn marsh pennywort edible?

Its English common name is manyflower marsh pennywort or dollarweed. It is native to North America and parts of South America. It can also be found growing as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed on other continents. It is an edible weed that can be used in salads or as a pot herb.

There is your answer.  If you act like you want it, it will probably stop growing.

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

It's probably heartier than grass and it's green, so it would work for me. 

 

I thought about trying to grow grass years ago.  But all the work and expense!  Bah.

Noddaz said:

There is your answer.  If you act like you want it, it will probably stop growing.

Better still, plant it in your garden and attempt to cultivate it.  All manner of insect pest, viral disease and pestilence shall promptly descend upon it and hasten its complete and total annihilation.