What is Creeping Buttercup?

The Creeping Buttercup, a particularly invasive and poisonous weed causing substantial concerns, is a ground-covering perennial plant that propagates through sprawling stolons. It's a common sight in various urban and rural environments, such as parks, farmlands, gardens, and lawns. The plant is known to sprout stems reaching a height of a foot. It features dark green leaves with pale patches divided into three serrated leaflets. The leaves and stems bear a somewhat hairy appearance. From March through August, it yields vibrant yellow, glossy flowers, typically having five, but up to ten, petals. The plant multiplies both via seeds and vegetatively, using extensive, branching stolons that take root at nodes. It starts growing in spring, peaking in the late summer.

Identifying Traits:

• It's a perennial plant characterized by short bloated stems and sprawling stolons that take root at nodes.
• The plant can rage from an inch tall to a foot tall
• The leaves are dark green with paler patches and split into three serrated leaflets.
• Both the leaves and stems have a somewhat fuzzy texture.
• The flowers usually have five, occasionally up to ten, glossy, bright yellow petals.
• The flowering period typically spans from March to August.

Effects:

The Creeping Buttercup's vigorous growth displaces other plants. A single plant can expand over a 40-square foot area within a year. It also drains potassium from the soil, negatively impacting nearby plants. Its tolerance for heavy, moist soils makes it particularly problematic on well-irrigated lawns and waterlogged pastures. When eaten fresh, it is poisonous, causing symptoms like excessive drooling, skin irritation, blisters, stomach discomfort, inflammation, and diarrhea.

Growth and Reproduction:

Creeping buttercup multiplies through seeds and by branching stolons that root at nodes to spawn new plants. Depending on environmental circumstances, it focuses on flowering and seeding in drier conditions, while stolon production augments in wetter conditions. Its seeds can germinate, and seedlings can thrive even under water-saturated conditions.

One reason why creeping buttercup is so competitive is the adaptive nature of its stolons. Under favourable conditions, the plant forms more stolons through branching. In nitrogen-deficient conditions, stolons tend to be elongated and unbranched, reaching further to locate more suitable sites. Once optimal conditions are discovered, stolon branching recommences, enabling swift colonization of available resources.

Creeping buttercup is robust, enduring frosts and moderate droughts, and can survive trampling, compacted soils, and grazing. It also colonizes sandy and gravel-based soils if they retain adequate moisture.

Control:

Effectively controlling this plant necessitates a careful strategy, starting from the least infested areas, progressing towards the more heavily infested ones, and ensuring protection for native and beneficial species.

Prevention:

• Boosting the health of grass in lawns through seeding and fertilizing when required.
• Thoroughly cleaning equipment to inhibit the spread of buttercup seeds to unaffected areas.

Manual Removal:

• Use a sharp trowel or fork-like tool for extracting the plant, ensuring the total removal of runners, roots, and growing points. This method is most effective from fall to spring when soil is damp, and root breakage is less probable.
• Cultivation or partial digging may increase buttercup population, as it can regenerate from stem and root fragments.
• Soil disturbance can activate seed germination.

Mechanical:

• The plant's growth point is at soil level, enabling it to resist mowing and quickly regenerate when cut.
• While regular tilling can kill the plant, buried plants can grow back up through deep soil and reestablish. Also, dormant seeds can germinate and re-infest the area once cultivation ceases.

Treatment:

• If required, we deploy eco-friendly treatments to eliminate buttercup. Following the treatment, the root system will die. Our treatment will not harm other plants and has no soil activity or run off.
• Since our inception in 2017, Ascent Yard Care has permanently eradicated hundreds of buttercup infestations.

Buttercup Removal Cost:

Contact us for a complimentary in-person estimate in Victoria, BC, and Jake will provide an exact work order and pricing. We are deeply committed to the success of each project.

Will the Buttercup Regrow?

In the worst infestations, up to 2 follow-up visits may be necessary to totally eradicate regrowth. Most buttercup infestations we service are completely and permanently removed in a single visit.

\

Expert Assistance:

Reach out to us for a free estimate. We are deeply committed to the successful eradication of buttercup.