re: Virginia Button Weed

Im thinking pre-emergent might work on buttonweed but it grows in late summer. I think most people spray in spring and sometimes fall. Might have to spray again in late june or july. Im just guessing about this but it could work.

It my understanding that VBW can reproduce and expand by 4 different methods - above ground seeds, underground seeds, underground rhizomes, and above ground stolons. Pre-emergent herbicide would only potentially affect affect the seed method of reproduction. This is one reason it is so difficult to control.

Pre em will not prevent buttonweed. I have said numerous times on this board. Treat it with Celsius

For those new to battling VBW, article I received this AM from local plant nursery’s newsletter

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Virginia Buttonweed Working at Louisiana Nursery for over a year I have noticed one question that is asked almost weekly by customers, “What is this in my lawn and how do I go about treating it” and 80% of the time customers are battling Virginia Buttonweed. Virginia Buttonweed (Diodia Virginiana) is one of the hardest, most invasive weeds to control in turf and flowerbeds. This resilient weed is extremely prolific and has multiple ways to reproduce and spread. From heavy seed production, the ability to root from a stem fragment, and long tap roots make this nuisance a battle to deal with. Without proper timing your efforts could just be a waste of time. Cultural practices such as hand pulling or cutting it flush will only make this beast worse. Its long tap root gives the mother plant not only the ability to survive winter conditions but if you try to pull it and you leave any fragments of root in the ground it will eventually turn into a viable plant again. Not to mention the heavy fertile seed production, one plant can turn into hundreds within a growing season. Treatments on Buttonweed need to start as soon as plants start breaking dormancy. April to Late May is a great window for treatment of button weed both returning plants and seedlings have broken dormancy and have started pushing out tender new growth which makes them extremely susceptible to herbicide uptake. Treating in early spring with Fertilome’s Weed Free Zone or turf MSM will easily knock out the population significantly but be careful with Weed Free Zone once temperatures rise above 85* 2,4-D (the active ingredient) will cause significant damage to Centipede and St. Augustine. For control during the warmer months Turf MSM has been tried by LSU and has been proven safe in higher temperatures. The worst move to make with buttonweed is to wait until late summer (August-October) to start treatments. By this point in the season the plants have already hardened off and are no longer putting out as much new growth making them extremely resistant to most herbicides. The only thing you can do at this point before winter is start putting a pre-emergent herbicide down to rob any seedlings the chance of germinating in the spring. Applying a pre-emergent down now will also help aid in the suppression of any cool season weeds like clover and chickweed. Written by Austin Heltzel, Store Employee

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Would it be easier to just spray round up and re sod the area?

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If you have large areas of solid VBW, with no or little lawn grass that is always an option, to nuke it with glyphosate or another non-selective herbicide and re-sod. That’s pretty much true of any weed that’s crowded out 100% of lawn grass in an area. Understand that doesn’t guarantee it won’t come back in that same area from seeds, underground rhizomes that wasn’t killed by the herbicide, but it gives one a fighting chance.

In my mind, the most salient point of the article I posted is to spray VBW early, when it first emerges in the spring when it’s more susceptible to the selective herbicides recommenced for VBW, and that’s my personal observation and experience. When I miss areas of VBW in the spring, and later find it, usually when it goes to flower, I find more difficult to kill even with the good herbicides recommended in this thread.

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When I miss areas of VBW in the spring, and later find it, usually when it goes to flower, I find more difficult to kill even with the good herbicides recommended in this thread.

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I guess I have a harder time seeing it when it is tiny and miss a bunch. Those damn white flowers are like targets though impossible to miss lol.

Can anyone recommend a pre-emergent to use?

How's everyone doing? I pushed my lawn after sunset last night so I could avoid seeing the Virginia Button Weed.

Can I spray some no weed zone this afternoon?
It's cool enough right??

I’d wait until this weekend. Do it before the game because Sunday is gonna be a physical suckfest

I’m spraying prodiamine Sunday FYI