Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens).

Here is a link that might be useful: PNW Weeds-Turfgrass Weed Control - Herbicide Susceptibility of Broadleaf Weeds in Turf

So spraying or digging out the whole area are the only options, then? I have the same problem - buttercups all through the lawn and getting worse all the time.

It's often helpful to consider weeds by the type of growing conditions they prefer and make adjustments there. Creeping buttercup is an indicator of heavy or compacted soils with low fertility and those that remain damp for extended periods. Improving soil conditions to avoid these issues and you will go a long way in controlling buttercup.

I tend to favor non-chemical controls personally, so I would do my best to remove these plants manually. They do have pernicious root systems so a tool designed for deep rooted weed removal is best (rather than a hoe or cultivator). They do respond to broadleaf weed herbicides as well.

Focus on removing the bulk of the weeds first then address ways of improving existing soil conditions to discourage their return. These are tough weeds to control but by no means the worst we face here in the PNW. Some combination of the above should help but the best practice is to nip them in the bud as soon as you notice them appearing. Trying to control a major infestation after the fact is always hard work and not a little discouraging.

>Creeping buttercup is an indicator of heavy or compacted soils with low fertility"Occurs on...nitrogen-rich soils...A widespread weed in non-forested, early-seral communities...most frequent on exposed mineral soil...A nitrophytic species..."

- INDICATOR PLANTS OF COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA (UBC Press)

"Trying to control a major infestation after the fact is always hard work and not a little discouraging.'

Man, isn't that the truth! My "lawn" is terribly lumpy and uneven and was already full of buttercups when I bought the house ~2.5 years ago. They just keep getting worse, and I've had so many other, more interesting garden projects going on that they've really taken over some areas. I'd love to be able to just re-do those areas, but I think we'd be looking at a major expense, not possible right now. I don't spray things, as a rule, but I have to admit that between the buttercups and the dandelions, I'm starting to get tempted!

I tried hand-removal with a long forked weeder the other night - it took about 15 minutes to clear a square foot. Argh!

It got started in my yard a couple of years ago, before I realized how invasive it it. I've been using my small flamer on it to slow it down at least. If I can do it whenever they start to grow again, maybe I can starve it out. Ya, I kill off som grass too, but not a big deal to me.

I just bought four Toulouse Gosling to sick on my butter cup. Not sure what variety of butter cup I have in my orchard. It's much larger than what I see in the lawns and paths. As for the dandelions, I eat them. Leaves, flowers and roots. Make dandelion tea with the roasted roots. Here is a photo of the large butter cup.

Eric

Thank you all for your responses. I was hoping for a magic bullet.

I've noticed that where the largest infestations were (4 years ago) there is LESS buttercup invasion now, even though I did nothing to control it. It's as though it hangs around for a few years and then moves on. Have you observed this?

Liking high fertility, maybe they tend to use up the soil and die out in some spots. Other plants with different requirements then replace them.

Oh, that gosling picture is too cute. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have such solutions to all of our weed/invasive problems (clover, anyone?)?

Creeping buttercup is an indicator of heavy or compacted soils with low fertilityI have it in my garden and i know it is fertile. Was given steer manuer last fall...Uhboy.
Thanks.
Cheryl

Eric, you should submit that gosling picture to www.cuteoverload.com...

Eric may I borrow that pic? So sweet!

Supposedly it's a wetland plant and as with horsetail, if you improve the drainage the buttercup will eventually die out. However I have it growing in areas where there's excellent drainage. More likely it's just a real moisture lover. It's a real b!tch to get rid of once it's established.

I am lurking here from the other side of the country but I thought I would tell you about my buttercup.
Foolishly, I bought the variety 'Popcorn' on impulse since I love foliage plants.

It started as a one gallon plant. By the end of the season is was 6' all around, growing through my other plants, overtaking my skimmia and sending runners into my lawn. As you all know, you can't just pull it out.

But all of a sudden, it started to die back - I guess one or two seasons later.

They were infested with this little guy:

I did nothing to eradicate since it wasn't killing any other plant that I noticed. This year, I have a few pieces growing back and the pest has moved on or died off - anyway, I can't find them. I will be doing some digging but it is very controllable right now. Probably, I will never completely get rid of it.
It could have been a jumping plant lice - I don't know for sure. I do see a few in the yard but these weren't so apt to jump and their numbers were much higher. They walked.
So although this is most likely not a workable IPM solution for you, I can't send you any of my bugs and I don't know if they even live on your side of the country, buttercup does have an enemy. Whether or not you want to find some for your yard or even can - that is your choice. How desperate are you? I wouldn't have gone out to get some myself, they came on their own but I'm glad for one pest.

Good stuff here. I know the property I'm on now, which we just purchased about 3 years ago, is infested with it. There must be a half acre and it is in the wetlands and all over.

I'm planning on mowing it down and hitting it with a broad-leaf herbicide. I really despise this stuff.

I'd love to try Loretta's solution, but there are several native Ranunculus in my wetland that I dare not as they would probably like the native more than the R. repens

I had a patch or two before I was fighting but this year it is in big patches a long way from that area, popping up everywhere. I have tried cutting off the roots on the suckers, don't know how effective that will be. My #1 favorite method of eliminating weeds is covering them with newspaper, cardboard, or black plastic long enough that they are completely gone (this is sometimes temporary with weeds with really deep persistent roots like thistles or blackberries). I may try blanketing the areas that have it this fall to see if I can make most of it go away by spring. It seems to be under trees in most places it has popped up. It may be unsightly but not a lot of work. Bark dust or chipped wood could be put on top to make it look better.

I don't know why but there's something comforting about reading these entries, maybe it's knowing that I'm not alone in buttercup hell...in fact it seems that buttercup's roots link the world like some pestilential internet. Maybe that seems a tad dramatic and/or obsessive, but I am now entering my third year of buttercup battling and so far plant is defeating man without even trying. It all started innocently enough when my girlfriend confessed that she's always wanted guinea pigs, ever since she was nine and neglected her guinea pig Iggy and he died of a broken heart(or possibly of cold and hunger). Anyway I indulged her and built a hutch, and Myrtle and Arabella began their happy, uncomplicated existence in our yard. At first I was quite pleased as I hardly ever had to mow the lawn, but then one fateful day I looked out the back door and thought, whats that funny looking plant over there? Oh and over there...because folks, it turns out that not only is buttercup one invasive swine of a plant, grazing animals won't eat it! In fact it's poisonous to em...I've dug it up for hours on end, I've hit it with broadleaf spray, weedandfeed spray, even a nasty non-specific weedkiller but it always comes back and takes over the lawn grasses I plant. I'm gonna try the lime thing cos someone mentioned that to me as well, and if that doesn't work then I'm starting to think that my yard would look pretty good in concrete and that Myrtle and Arabella would make a nice Peruvian snack. So if anyone out there has any other ideas, don't hold back-you'll be slowing ugly suburban sprawl and saving some cute south american rodents(and maybe my sanity)...

nzjase- Your post brings to mind repetitive dreams I have of discovering I've been neglecting to feed cages of cavies and they are in a bad way (kind of like dreaming you've been forgetting to go to a class all semester and now the final is half over...). But I haven't had cavies for 12 years. I guess I fail to see the cavie/buttercup connection. Is it that they won't eat them? They are amazing, I used to stuff their cages full of dandelions and come back and they would all be gone.:-) Spare the guinea pigs and blanket your yard in black plastic over the winter? Keeping them from setting seed and digging them up has seemed to work for me.

hemnancy- I wonder just how many people out there are carrying the terrible burden of cavie guilt, no doubt a therapeutic industry in the making...Thanks for the advice, I had been considering the black plastic thing and might try it next year if I have no success this summer(it's only a few days from the start of spring here in nz)...yeah the connection is that they won't touch the buttercup(no stock will apparently)and basically selectively graze my lawn, suppressing the grass I do want and letting the buttercup roam free...they are funny little critters tho, I agree. As you say they adore dandelions and can eat incredible amounts of them; I defy anyone in a bad mood to stay grumpy while watching a guinea pig eat a dandelion like a piece of spaghetti :-))

That buttercup gosling picture is so cute and vivid! Now my desktop picture :-)

Eric, how are those 4 goslings doing with your buttercup? Do you keep them in a pen at night so the coyotes don't eat them? Do they eat slugs? What else in your garden do they eat?

Geese are supposed to be good "watch dogs" -- are they?

I fight them and win by pouring boiling tea kettle water on them. I just take the tea kettle with me every time I go down the stairs into the yard. It works and it's not poison.

From the WSU publication on controlling creeping buttercup, Ranunculus repens:

"The most important factor in creeping buttercup management is to correct the conditions that are favorable to buttercup: poor drainage, soil compaction, low fertility, and low soil pH (acidic). While these conditions are favorable to buttercup, they are very damaging to grasses; which require better drainage, aeration, fairly neutral soil ph levels, and good fertility in order to maintain a healthy, dense cover. Improved drainage through trenching or grading, soil amendments, mechanical aeration, and addition of fertilizer and lime, should be included in any buttercup control plan."

Correct the conditions in which the buttercup are growing and you will reduce their likelihood to spread to areas where they are not wanted or suited.However, like many weeds, this is a very adaptable plant and is not all that fussy about soil conditions, so I would make sure to remove as best you can (either chemically or manually) as well as providing a less hospitable environment.

Does anyone know if the buttercup are removed whether other ranunculus like R. Asiaticus would colonize the area successfully? I have a part shade very damp corner filled with buttercup also. I am spraying it with vinegar and dish soap.

That's brilliant Iris! I foresee my kettle and I making many a trip together into the yard.

I trained my chickens to eat it by limiting all their treats except for handfuls of buttercup. LOL. They managed to beat it back to the point I could get it under some control with hand pulling. I moved their chicken tractor around over the worst patches.

Repeated cultivation in hot weather helps - has a harder time reestablishing. It also doesn't like lime very much, which has been helpful in the lawn to a degree. I HATE buttercup. I live next to a woodland area and it is taking over and regularly migrates into my yard. ARGH!! I don't use any chemicals in my yard, but the buttercup has sorely tested my resolve on many occasions.