What Creeping Woodsorrel looks like
A flat, ground-hugging mat of tiny clover-like leaves — three heart-shaped leaflets that fold down at night — very often tinged purple or bronze, with small yellow five-petal flowers and slim upright pointed seed pods; unlike upright yellow woodsorrel it creeps along the ground and puts down roots wherever a stem node touches soil.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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Best approach: Herbicide spray
Hand-pulling only works if you get it before the seed pods form and remove every rooted node; established mats need a triclopyr or fluroxypyr spray matched to your grass type.
Best products for Creeping Woodsorrel
Formulated to kill creeping woodsorrel without wiping out your grass — see the timing and chemistry below.
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Hi-Yield Triclopyr Ester (8 oz)
✓ Kills creeping woodsorrelTriclopyr is the strongest broadleaf-specific herbicide available to homeowners. When 2,4-D products fail on creeping charlie or wild violet, triclopyr gets the job done.
Spectracide Weed Stop + Crabgrass Killer Concentrate (40 oz)
✓ Kills creeping woodsorrelBeginner friendlyFour active ingredients in one bottle - knocks out broadleaf weeds, crabgrass and nutsedge in a single pass, so you treat a mixed-weed lawn without buying three products.
BioAdvanced All-In-One Weed & Feed (22-0-4)
✓ Kills creeping woodsorrelBeginner friendlyHow much do you need?
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When to treat Creeping Woodsorrel
Spray in spring or fall when temperatures are 60–80°F and the weed is actively growing. Avoid summer heat — stressed grass takes collateral damage.
Chemical treatment
Triclopyr and fluroxypyr are the two active ingredients university extensions rate as genuinely effective on creeping woodsorrel; 2,4-D on its own is weak, so a plain three-way (2,4-D + dicamba + MCPP) is a fallback rather than a first choice. Triclopyr is for COOL-SEASON lawns only — tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue — because it injures every warm-season grass: never use it on bermuda, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia or carpetgrass, and on zoysia only at the low labeled rate. On WARM-SEASON lawns, fluroxypyr is the better chemistry but is not injury-free either — use the lowest labeled rate as a spot spray (labels allow it on bermuda and St. Augustine only if some temporary yellowing is acceptable, and cap the rate on centipede) — or stay with a southern-labeled three-way at its reduced rate, sulfentrazone + quinclorac (bermuda, zoysia, centipede, tall fescue), or thiencarbazone + iodosulfuron + dicamba (Celsius, safe on bermuda, centipede, St. Augustine and zoysia). Spray in mild growing weather with temperatures below about 90 F, expect to repeat in 3-6 weeks, and apply a fall pre-emergent (prodiamine, dithiopyr, isoxaben or pendimethalin) to stop next year's flush.
Non-chemical management
Pull or hoe it before the seed pods form, lifting every rooted stem node, and keep beds mulched two to three inches deep so seed stays in the dark. Timing matters more than effort here, because once the pods ripen they fling seed up to ten feet.
How to stop Creeping Woodsorrel coming back
Get it out before it flowers — one plant can make over 5,000 seeds — and keep beds mulched and the lawn dense enough to shade the soil.
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Measure my lawn — it's free →FAQ
What does Creeping Woodsorrel look like?
A flat, ground-hugging mat of tiny clover-like leaves — three heart-shaped leaflets that fold down at night — very often tinged purple or bronze, with small yellow five-petal flowers and slim upright pointed seed pods; unlike upright yellow woodsorrel it creeps along the ground and puts down roots wherever a stem node touches soil.
What's the best way to kill Creeping Woodsorrel?
Herbicide spray. Hand-pulling only works if you get it before the seed pods form and remove every rooted node; established mats need a triclopyr or fluroxypyr spray matched to your grass type.
Is Creeping Woodsorrel hard to get rid of?
Creeping Woodsorrel is rated hard to control. It usually requires multiple applications and a consistent plan.
How do I stop Creeping Woodsorrel coming back?
Get it out before it flowers — one plant can make over 5,000 seeds — and keep beds mulched and the lawn dense enough to shade the soil.
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