Plant Doctor Archive

Getting rid of Dichondra

Could you tell me how to get rid of dichondra from lawns as any weedkiller I have used doesn't seem to affect it. The dichondra dies off every winter with the frosts but in summer it comes back and tends to choke the grass. I was wondering if scarifying the lawn with a motorised scarifyer might help or will it spread it?

Without knowing what you have tried to get rid of your dichondra, Turfix or Woody Weedkiller are two sprays that control hard-to-kill broadleaf weeds without affecting grass. By scarifying (breaking up the soil's surface) you will spread the dichondra further.

How big is the area? If neither of these sprays work, you could spray the whole area with Roundup, which will kill grass as well, and resow the whole area again.

Advice by Dr Dan Blanchon from Unitec's Diploma in Sustainable Horticulture and Bachelor of Resource Management.

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