Dollar weed, also known as Pennywort, is a broad-leaf weed primarily found in wet areas.
It is sometimes cultivated as a pond plant and in mucky areas but has a tendency to invade lawns and garden beds.
While it might appear ornamental, the weed is highly invasive and hard to eliminate, making it a nightmare for homeowners. Fortunately, it is possible to control or even eradicate dollar weed.
If you are looking for how to get rid of dollar weed, there are several solutions.
One of the easiest ones is using natural methods such as pulling by hand, burning, or using natural weed killers. However, you can also use chemical herbicides to kill the weed.
We have compiled detailed information on dollar weed control, whether on your lawn or garden bed. We’ve also included tips for preventing the growth of the weed in the first place.
These are the best ways to control dollar weeds on lawns or garden beds.
Using natural methods
Natural weed control is one of the best solutions when dealing with any type of weed. It is an excellent option if you want to kill dollar weeds without killing grass, crops, and flowers.
These are some of the natural solutions you can use to get rid of dollar weed:
1. Pull the weeds by hand or with gardening tools
Hand pulling is one of the oldest and still very effective ways of controlling weeds. The technique works well on dollar weeds, especially when dealing with young sprouting plants.
For more established plants, you can use various gardening tools to ensure that you pull everything – including the roots – out.
Unfortunately, hand pulling (and even using tools) has some drawbacks. To start with, it is time-consuming and tedious. The method is also not feasible if you have a large lawn or garden.
2. Using homemade weed killer solutions
Another excellent natural solution for controlling dollar weed is using homemade weed killer solutions.
One such solution is a mixture of white vinegar diluted in water. Spot spraying to the dollar weed causes them to wilt due to the acetic acid in the vinegar. You can also add dishwasher soap and salt to the mixture for extra results.
Other ways include using vodka and applying Epsom salt right on the dollar weeds.
3. Using a weed barrier
Don’t want to deal with dollar weeds on your lawn or garden? One of the best ways to prevent them is to use a weed barrier before planting.
The barrier prevents the sprouting of any weed seeds in the soil.
4. Improving your lawn turf
Dollar weed is highly invasive in lawns with weak and unhealthy turf. Therefore, one of the best ways of controlling it is to ensure that you have a healthy lawn.
Start by fertilizing your soil and watering regularly to get a thick, lush lawn. If you find your grass growing thin, you can overseed to revitalize it.
Using chemical herbicides
Herbicides are another effective solution for getting rid of dollar weeds. There are two main options to consider, pre-emergent (targeting seeds before they sprout) and post-emergent (after sprouting).
These are the most effective herbicides for eradicating the dollar weed.
1. Roundup
Roundup is one of the most popular weed killers there on the market.
It contains Glysophate and other chemicals, which are absorbed through the leaves, poisoning the weeds as it moves through the plant.
Roundup, however, has one major drawback – the chemicals it uses are not selective and will kill both weeds and beneficial plants.
When dealing with crops and flowers, you can avoid killing them by spot treating the weed plants.
However, you can use Roundup for Lawn for your lawn. It is a selective, grass-friendly herbicide that kills weeds but not the grass.
2. Ortho WeedClear
Ortho WeedClear is another effective herbicide designed to eliminate dollar weed on a grass lawn.
It is a selective weed killer, which won’t harm your grass. Aside from dollar weed, it also works on other weeds such as dandelion, clover, and chickweed.
3. Scotts Turf Builder
Scotts Turf Builder is a three-in-one product designed for use on lawn turf. First, it comes with a herbicide formula that kills weeds without harming the grass.
It also has a pesticide formula that protects your lawn from fire ants, armyworms, ticks, sod webworms, crickets, and other insects.
Lastly, the product comes with a strengthening formula for protecting your lawn from hot sunlight and drought conditions.
The above are some of the most effective methods that you can use to get rid of dollar weed without damaging your lawn or crops. You can use one or a combination of these methods depending on the severity of the invasion.
IW’s Chief Editor and a lover of green spaces.