TCRG - The War on Charlie

This is what my yard looks like:

Have you ever seen so much Creeping Charlie??!!?!?!  There is a little grass mixed in, but this is what 90% of the yard looks like.  Not so much in the pasture or in any parts of the yard that we don't use; but all over in the parts that we do in fact use. 

So, here is the mission: To Destroy Charlie. 
(I am not making light of any other historical references to Destroying Charlie, I am just however borrowing the reference in a lighter hearted manner.  I am fighting a war of my own - disclaimer)

When we had the party a few weeks ago, my Grandparents and Ma were here.  And as we toured the garden, the sadness crept (get it?) over Grams face.  I watched it come in, and she said in her best concerned voice, "Oh Tina, look how much Creeping Charlie you have.  What a project you have ahead of you!"  And I do.  I listened very carefully as we discussed different options to rid the yard of this beast.  We finally decided that the best bet might just be to start over.  Kill the entire yard and start fresh. 

And so it has begun:

I started in the back corner, and am making my way out.  The only problem here is that in that back corner, there are some plants that I actually DO like.  So, I have to take them out and move them before I can spray out the entire area.
Day 1 - I stood in 1 spot and sprayed as far as the nozzle would go.  I sprayed until my hands got sore. 
Day 2 - I took 1 step back and sprayed as far as the nozzle would go, I sprayed until my hands got sore.
Day 3 - I took 1 more step back and sprayed as far as the nozzle would go, sprayed until my hands got sore. 
You get the picture....here is the progress....

So far, this was working out great.  But then I ran out of Round Up.  So, Deron brought home some 2, 4-D weed killer.  The problem with this stuff folks, is that it is super toxic...and we have pets, and a well.  Definitely I am concerned with the livelihood of our beloved 4 legged friends.  I am more concerned that this will seep into our groundwater and contaminate our well.  So, off to Google I go. 

While researching this 2,4-D stuff, I find out that it is not nearly as toxic as I believe it to be.  It was developed in the 1940's during WWII to help farmers increase crop yields for a nation at war.  It was the first successful herbicide and really worked well for "Cereal" crops (rice, wheat, corn) because it only kills the broad leaf plants and leaves behind the grasses.  (Unlike the Round Up I've been using which totally killed everything!)

So, my fears have been calmed.  We do still need to be aware and cautious for our pets, they can not be let into the treated area for at least 2 days.  But my ground water fear has been laid to rest.  Deron tried last night to tell me that the "well is 135 feet underground, we would have to saturate the entire area for it to get into our well."  And of course, Google confirmed this; however, I was under the impression that we would have to saturate the entire area, that is what I had been doing with the Round Up.  Turns out this stuff is much better!  I don't have to saturate.  Just get the leaves wet. 

I also learned that Creeping Charlie thrives in moist, shady areas.  Did you happen to get a good look at the pictures....definitely a moist, shady area!!  There will also be some major trimming going on!!  This will benefit my vegetable garden as well, there is entirely too much shade in that front area.  So, I'm excited to start begging Deron to do this for me.  I also learned that the best time to do this is in the fall when the plants are coming to an end and begin to go dormant and store nutrients.  They will actually store the herbicide rather than nutrients and almost never return when sprayed in the fall.  I'll do this again in the fall!

So, now I am super excited to get a jump start on this project!!  Starting inside the fenced garden to get the Charlie out.  Finishing up outside the garden to keep it from creeping back in.  I also found that this 2,4-D stuff will kill the Stinging Nettles we have all over outside the fence.  Praise Jesus!!

Anyways, today is my Gram's 76th birthday, and I am excited to get re-started on this whole Charlie situation tonight.  It'll be my present to you Gram, a Charlie Free yard.  Can't wait for you to see the end result.  Thank you for all the great ideas Gram, Grampa and Ma, we're gonna lick this thing, watch and see!