[Foxylock]

Does anyone out there have a solution for this cursed weed in one year it has taken over my back lawn and now wants the front lawns as well. I would prefer an organic solution but would not be averse to using flame throwers at this stage aaaaarghhhhhhhhh

[forest flame]

hi foxylock
the only organic solution i know of is the handfork and back breaking digging which will only work if the lawn is fed and cut regularly. though i would like to use the organic approach as often as possible the best solution for this problem is verdone or similar.you would be as well to wait until end of march as it may not be effective with the cold weather

[Foxylock]

Thanks Forest Flame, the extent of the problem unfortunately rules out the handfork ( coupled with some old fashioned laziness of course ) I will give your suggestion a shot when the weather is more appropriate.

[dinahdabble]

In June I took relatives to see Benvarden Garden. Part of the lakeside walk was covered in buttercups. They'd mowed them back, but they were still there in abundence in a thick mat. I asked one of the Gardeners if this was deliberate. He said they looked great when they came into flower and were extreemly popular with the bees.
I thought this sounded like a great way of letting the facts of the matter do the donkey-work.

[walltoall]

There you go Foxy, Dinah is on my wavelength. Just like the hadge and the bank and the concrete is there any way the creeping buttercup can be incorporated into the scheme of things. Sometimes a bit of lateral can prevent a huge amount of vertical digging.

However, if you want to protect the front lawn (and why shouldn't you) I have a cunning plan for you. It uses systemic weedkiller but not like agent orange in Vietnam. Because systemic poison is absorbed into the plant through the 'pores' on the green leaves and finds its own way to every part of the plant this is wickedly effective. Because you are down on your hands and knees positively identifying every leaf, you are probably being as 'organic' as any 'organic' purist.

THE METHOD
Get yourself a tiny artist's paintbrush and a bought bottle of the poison. Being very careful to keep the poison away from your skin, wear a diver's dry suit if you have to. But dip the wee brushín into the jar of neat and dab a single green leaf of any plant you want to kill. At least 6inches away dab another one. Stop after the tenth dab. Wash the little brush under a tap or whatever and attach it to the jar with an elastic band. Store carefully and put an aide memoir in your i-phone for the same date one month hence. Repeat the above monthly until the problem is gone.

The great thing about this apparently lunatic warfare is
a. there is abosolutely no 'drift' so nothing innocent gets kilt.
b. the poisin bottle lasts for years no matter how small it is;
c. the methodology is idiot proof
(if one can't dab ten green leaves 6inches apart once a month
one should retake the idiot test lol)
d. it can be done any month there are green leaves,

Well that's my eurosworth for tonight.

Codlath sámh díbh go léir

[ormondsview]

Why not roto till it? Get one of those machines, if your ground isn't too stony and take up everything, grass and all, rake it and reseed putting on some top dressing soil. I found that getting viny things out of my beds forever meant digging up all the plants there. Mulch didn't work, only hid them and it popped up again. If it doesn't do well in shade, then put in some trees on your lawn.

Also known as better and cheese, butterchurn, crazy weed, cuckoo buds, dellcup, fairies basins, gidlcup, king's clover, teacups and yellow creams, according to my wildflower book.

Don't let it into your flower and vegetable beds as it poisons the nitrogen in the soil which will stunt growth. Similarly it can be poisonous to small animals.

In Ireland, many of the names of butter and gold, in Gaelic, correct me if I'm wrong allude to this plant or have their heritage from it. On May day they used to rub cow's udders with it to improve milk production.

It belongs to the ranunculus family, latin rana for frog. Other yellow plants - cinquefoil and broom which is a dastardly thing to deal with but flowers beautifully.

[verge]

Lots of methods of control and removal here Foxylock Creeping buttercup - Ranunculus repens - Fearbán reatha organic an otherwise.

[Foxylock]

Plenty food for thought there lads, much obliged , I'll go do some thinking