Virginia buttonweed: the weed your mower spreads
Virginia buttonweed is a deep-rooted perennial broadleaf weed that creeps through wet lawns. It spreads by seed, by underground stems and by pieces your mower or string trimmer cuts off, and Clemson says controlling it may take two years.
What does Virginia buttonweed look like?
It has shiny, dark green, lance-shaped leaves set in pairs along the stem with no leaf stalks. The flowers are small, white and tubular, with four petals that open into a four-pointed star. In late summer many plants turn yellow-green and mottled. Clemson attributes the mottling to an unknown virus. It is easy to mistake for a nutrient problem or herbicide damage.
Why is Virginia buttonweed so hard to control?
It has three ways to spread. It makes seed from flowers above and below ground, it creeps by rhizomes, and stem pieces cut by a mower or trimmer root easily in moist soil. It tolerates mowing as low as half an inch, and it favors poorly drained or overwatered lawns.
Where does do-it-yourself treatment go wrong?
- Hand pulling. Clemson says pulling is ineffective, because root and stem pieces left behind resprout.
- Using the wrong product in the heat. Clemson lists temperature limits: no 2,4-D products above 85 degrees on centipede or St. Augustine, and no 3-way herbicides above 90 degrees.
- One application. Follow-ups come 3 to 6 weeks apart depending on the product, and Clemson says control may take two years.
When should Virginia buttonweed be treated in the Midlands?
Clemson recommends starting in spring when the plants come out of dormancy and put out tender growth, with 3-way products used only after a warm-season lawn has fully greened up. Follow-up applications continue through the season.
How does Spring Green treat Virginia buttonweed?
Pre-emergent doesn't stop an established perennial like Virginia buttonweed, so the work happens after it comes up: every visit on our lawn care program includes post-emergent weed control. The 14-Day Reset guarantee applies: if weeds aren't under control by day 45, we treat free every three weeks until they are.
Talk to us about your lawn
Call or text (803) 407-7000. We serve Irmo, Chapin, Lexington, Prosperity, Gilbert, West Columbia, Harbison and Cayce.
Call or text (803) 407-7000Sources
The agronomy on this page follows Clemson Cooperative Extension guidance for South Carolina lawns and landscapes.
Last updated 2026-09-25. Spring Green is owned by Stockton Wells.