How to Control Common Chickweed in Pennsylvania
- 1). Pull chickweed by hand in April and May, before it spreads in a thick mat and establishes more roots. Put on your gloves after a day of rain, when the soil is moist and workable. Cultivate the chickweed-infested area with a spade to loosen the soil around the roots.
- 2). Gather up the stems to find the chickweed's central roots. Pull gently and slowly, since the stems are fragile and you don't want them to break. If you feel resistance, wait, wiggle, then pull again till the roots give way, and you'll get as much of the root system as possible.
- 3). Place the entire plant, with root system and dirt, into the yard waste bag. Seal the bag and set it out for pickup and disposal.
- 4). Buy a spray bottle of herbicide containing simazine at your home and garden center. Spot-treat areas where you have pulled chickweed to stop germination of any seeds that remain. Repeat the application the following March, a month before any remaining "volunteer" seeds germinate, to allow the chemical to permeate the soil.
- 5). Calculate the square footage of a chickweed-infested lawn by multiplying its width in feet times its length. Buy enough bags of corn gluten to cover the area according to the directions on the bag. In Pennsylvania, apply in early spring with a grass- seed spreader to prevent chickweed from germinating and spreading in your lawn.
