by Connie Oswald Stofko
In this month’s issue of WNY Gardening Matters, the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County give us some hints on what to do about creeping Charlie, a weed that many of us struggle with.
As they suggest, I will get out there now. It’s easier to get rid of this weed when you catch it early, and it’s easier to pull out when the ground is wet.
In the article, you will not only get tips on how to get rid of creeping Charlie, you can find tips on how you might make use of it. You can eat it!
Reni, click on the link to the Master Gardener article to get all the details.
How do you get rid of creeping charlie?
I have so many lilies and have yet to get the beetle. I hope they bypass our area.
Found them Sunday in several areas of my garden in Lockport the red makes them easy to spot, I will try the needle nose pliers if it ever stops raining. Hope the rain slows them down. They were on several different lily sections both in the front and the back yard. Don’t remember them so prolific or so early last year.
Susan, I hope it works for you. I will have an article next week on parasitic wasps that might help. However, the wasps aren’t here yet and it may take years or decades for them to make a dent in the red lily leaf beetle population, so keep doing what you’re doing.
Found 6 Red Leaf Lily Beetles yesterday in my Lewiston garden. Sprayed Neem oil immediately. Hope this gets them.
Liz, thanks for that tip!
Deb, this is the time to look. Last year it was still a little cold, so they might have come out later. I’m glad you’re catching them early.
I’ve been seeing the red leaf lily beetles too. My husband suggested crushing them with needle nose pliers – it does the job!
Good tip regarding the Red Leaf Lily Beetle as I already found 5 of them on my Tiger Lilies and Blackberry Lilies. I thought it was too early to have to worry about these pests.