How to get rid of wild violets in the lawn
How to get rid of wild violets: dig out small clumps with their rhizomes, spot-spray larger patches with a triclopyr-based lawn weed killer in fall and again in spring, and expect to repeat treatments for more than one season. Thick, well-mowed grass keeps them from spreading back.
Contents
How do you identify wild violets?
Wild violets (Viola species, most often the common blue violet, Viola sororia) are low, clump-forming perennials. Look for:
- Heart-shaped leaves with rounded teeth along the edges and a pointed tip, glossy and hairless on many plants, up to about 3½ inches long.
- Five-petaled flowers about ½ to ¾ inch across, in purple, blue, white or yellow, mostly in spring.
- Thick, branching rhizomes just under the soil, about the size of your little finger, that store food and send up new plants.
After the spring flowers, many violets form small, closed flowers near the ground that pollinate themselves and set seed without ever opening. The seed pods split and fling the seeds away from the plant, which is how violets pop up in new spots even after you deal with the visible blooms.
Violets are easy to confuse with creeping Charlie, which has smaller, rounder scalloped leaves on long creeping stems and smells of mint when crushed. If you aren’t sure, use our weed identification guide.
Why do wild violets grow in grass?
Violets are shade-tolerant and do best in moist, fertile soil, so they often start under trees and along shady edges, then spread into the lawn by rhizomes and seed. They can also hold on in sunny, dry spots once established. They are most noticeable in the cool weather of spring and fall. Violets in the yard are less a sign of a soil problem than of turf that is too thin or too shaded to compete. They are one of the harder broadleaf weeds covered in our guide to lawn weeds.
Some homeowners leave them: the common blue violet is native to eastern North America, flower early and are host plants for fritillary butterfly caterpillars. If they bother you only in part of the yard, you can control them in the lawn and let them grow in a shady bed.
How to dig up wild violets
- Soften the soilWater the area well and wait until it is moist but not muddy.
- Lift the whole crownPush a narrow trowel or weeding fork in beside the clump and pry it up. Pulling the leaves just snaps them off.
- Follow the rhizomesFeel for the knobby underground stems and remove them. A piece left in the soil can resprout.
- Bag the plantsEspecially if seed pods have formed.
- Check backRemove new shoots every few weeks, then reseed the bare spots with grass suited to the light.
Digging is practical for scattered clumps and in flower beds. For patches mixed through a lawn, a selective herbicide is usually more realistic.
What kills wild violets? Herbicides compared
Wild violets are among the hardest broadleaf weeds to kill with a spray, because their waxy leaves shed the product and their rhizomes regrow. Choose the active ingredient carefully:
| Active ingredient | On wild violets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Triclopyr | Best | The ingredient extension trials rate highest |
| Triclopyr + fluroxypyr or 2,4-D | Good | Broader mixes that also cover creeping Charlie and clover |
| 2,4-D + MCPP + dicamba | Fair | Suppresses violets; usually needs several applications |
| Vinegar (acetic acid) | Poor | Burns the leaves and the grass; rhizomes regrow |
| Pre-emergent | No | Does nothing to established perennial violets |
See our guide to broadleaf weed killers for how these products compare, and the lawn weed killer guide before buying for a southern lawn: triclopyr is not labeled for every warm-season grass, and St. Augustine and centipede grass are sensitive to many broadleaf herbicides.
How and when to spray wild violets
- Best timing: fall, roughly mid-September to early November in the North and transition zone, while violets are green and moving food to their rhizomes. Mid-spring to early summer is the second window. See the weed control calendar.
- Spray actively growing plants in moist soil, on a calm day between about 50 and 85°F. Drought-stressed violets absorb even less through their waxy leaves.
- Spot-treat: wet the leaves evenly without runoff.
- Don’t mow for a few days before and after.
- Repeat: plan on a fall treatment, a spring follow-up and another fall application if leaves return, within the number of applications the label allows per year.
Read the label: it lists the grasses the product is safe on, the rate, the rain-free period and how long to keep kids and pets off the lawn. In the US the label is the law.
How to keep violets from coming back
- Mow regularly and high — around 3 inches for most cool-season lawns. Regular mowing reduces violets; fertilizer alone does not.
- Thicken the turf by overseeding with grass suited to the light, such as fine fescues in shade.
- Let in light by pruning low tree limbs over the lawn.
- Use a shade ground cover where grass just won’t grow.
- Cover bare soil in beds with mulch; see our guide on mulch for weed control.
Common mistakes
- Using a standard three-way mix once and expecting violets to disappear.
- Spraying in summer heat, when the leaves are toughest and grass is stressed.
- Pulling leaves instead of lifting the rhizomes.
- Stopping after one season, when rhizome pieces and seeds are still in the soil.
Wild violets, creeping Charlie and white clover often grow together in shady, thin lawns, and a fall triclopyr treatment helps with all three.
FAQ
What kills wild violets but not grass?
Triclopyr. University trials and extension services rate selective broadleaf herbicides containing triclopyr as the most effective on wild violets in cool-season lawns, alone or combined with fluroxypyr, 2,4-D or dicamba. Products with only 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba give weaker results. Check that the label lists your grass, and follow it.
Why are wild violets so hard to kill?
Two reasons. Their leaves have a thick, waxy coating that keeps sprays from soaking in, and their thick, branching rhizomes store enough food to push out new leaves after the tops are killed. That is why control usually takes repeat applications over more than one season.
How do you dig up wild violets?
Water the area, then push a narrow trowel or weeding fork under the clump and lift the whole crown with its rhizomes, the knobby underground stems about the thickness of a little finger. Shake off the soil, bag the plant and check the hole for broken rhizome pieces. Any piece left behind can sprout.
When is the best time to spray wild violets?
Fall, from about mid-September into early November in the North and transition zone, while the violets are still green and actively growing. Mid-spring to early summer is the other window. Spraying in the heat of summer is the least effective.
Does vinegar kill wild violets?
Vinegar burns the leaves but does not kill the rhizomes, so violets regrow. It also kills the grass it touches. Strong horticultural vinegar (20–30% acetic acid) can burn skin and eyes, so wear gloves and eye protection if you use it.
Related
- Lawn weedsCommon lawn weeds by type (grassy, broadleaf, sedge), what each one says about your lawn, and the right control and timing to get rid of weeds in grass.
- Creeping CharlieCreeping Charlie (ground ivy) is one of the hardest lawn weeds to kill. What works: triclopyr in fall after frost, pulling runners, more light, thicker grass.
- Broadleaf weed killerBroadleaf weed killer explained: how 2,4-D, MCPP, dicamba and triclopyr kill weeds but not grass, the best fall timing, and how to avoid drift and tree damage.
- CloverHow to get rid of clover in lawn grass: pull small patches, feed the turf, spot-spray the right active ingredient in fall — or decide to keep it.
Updated October 3, 2026