Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How can I eliminate Creeping Charlie/Jenny?

A: Field bindweed (creeping Jenny) is very difficult to control because of its extensive root system. In turf situations, where cultivation is not practical, a post-emergent herbicide is recommended. Small infestations of bindweed in non-turf areas sometimes may be controlled by covering the area with mulch and not allowing any green plant material to emerge. Field bindweed control is best achieved when plants are actively growing and in the seedling to flower stage of growth. Multiple applications may be required for complete eradication. The reason for it not appearing to be as bad last year is probably linked to your persistence the previous year, which weakened the energy reserves of the plant’s root system. I really think your best approach is to follow a combination approach of spraying anything that comes up with Roundup and covering the area with a black tarp for this growing season to hopefully starve the plant to death!

Update!!  20 mule team borox (laundry soap) has shown some positive results against creeping Charlie

Q. Are all Corn Gluten products the same?

A. No. We use Corn Gluten Meal which has 60% protein making it much more affective as a pre-emergent while adding up to 10% Nitrogen. The cheaper corn gluten products are typically only 18% protein. Its the protein that is the catalyst to the pre-emergent affect and the nitrogen source.

Q. What ingredients are used in our liquid applications and is there manure in it?

A. We have a compost special made for us by an organic herb farm in Central IL, so it has lots of plant residues from many different herbs. We see this giving our compost tea a unique habitat for the microbes not only those that are native to the compost, but also the ones we specifically add to increase diversity. By keeping manure out of it, we have not had any issues with pathogens, and our supplier routinely checks for E Coli, Coliform, and Salmonella. If they did find any in our QC checks, they would dump that batch and not sell it. Since this is the same product used with commercial produce and fruit growers, they don’t take any chances with those pathogens.

This is one of the things that sets our liquid application apart from home-brewed compost teas or any product utilizing manures, where the chance of containing these pathogens is much greater.

Q. How important is the timing of the applications?

A. Timing is critical for the pre-emergent application due to the seed germinating process, however not so much with the remaining applications. Production farmers are using compost teas weekly so applying once a month will not harm your plant life and applying any amount of compost tea/extracts is better than applying no application.

Q. Is the organic approach affective on weeds?

A. Yes, but it may take time. Please refer to our article Controlling Weeds Organically for more details.