Question
QUESTION: Is there a safe (i.e. organic) way to eliminate Charlie from my lawn?

ANSWER: Creeping Charlie -- 'Glechoma hederacea' to botanists -- also called Ground Ivy, is one of those delightful little weedy ivies that just won't leave.  University of Wisconsin's Extension service has guidelines about clever things you can do to send Charlie packing.

If you have not totally turned your front yard into a Superfund Site, University of Minnesota has a homemade borax solution for you that is TOTALLY effective against Charlie.  But it requires care nonetheless.  You want to avoid OD'g surrounding grass with borax. See their full instructions on this highly effective method on their website, posted as 'Creeping Charlie Control - Borax':

http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/plants/BG522.html

Why Borax?

Borax contains BORON, a trace element that most plants need -- in TINY amounts, i.e., 'traces' -- for life processes.  But Grass needs a BIT more than Creeping Charlie.  In fact, this method works because Creeping Charlie is HYPERSENSITIVE to excessive amounts of Boron.  

As University of Minnesota notes: 'Amounts even slightly over what is needed are toxic to plants.  Borax can be used against Creeping Charlie because the Weed is more sensitive to Boron than Grass is. Small amounts can kill Creeping Charlie without permanently harming the Lawn.'  They also warn us that the Grass is actually damaged, but it recovers.

'The most you should treat your Lawn with Borax is once each spring for two years,' they say.  Their instructions:

'Dissolve ten ounces of Twenty Mule Team Borax into four ounces of warm water, then dilute it in 2 1/2 gallons of water. This should be sprayed evenly over 1,000 square feet of lawn, no more, no less.'

The main problem with this method is that Boron it is so easy to over-do it.  Boron, they note, 'does not break down like standard weed-killers.  If it's applied repeatedly or at too strong a rate, you will end up with an area where you can't grow anything until the boron leaches out. That may take years.'

Creeping Charlie is not always considered a menace by everyone, Guy.  It's listed as an 'aromatic herb' that was imported originally from Europe to make medicines.  Today, it's one of the most invasive weeds you will ever come across. But it's also one of the nicer ones.

If you have not already Round-Upped the micro-organisms and Earthworms in your Lawn, you have some options.  But if you have, you will find your Lawn increasingly dependent on this
that and the other thing that cause birth defects, kidney and liver damage, brain damage, skin diseases, cancer and many other side effects among those in the Landscaping Industry who make a career out of pouring this stuff on other people's lawns.

But don't take my word for it.

Link to this:

http://www.geocities.com/bay_creek/safelawns/

a group of educated, progressive friends in Wisconsin who want to be kinder, gentler homeowners and landscapers.  Also: "5 Reasons not to use Weed and Feed", one of the highest selling 2,4-D products, listed by The National Coalition for Pesticide Free Lawns:

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticidefreelawns/

The Pesticide Companies are making a killing in this business and they are not going to give up easily.  The Borax recipe does not work overnight -- don't re-do it for the reasons stated above, just wait for Nature to take its course.  Gradually, Charlie will fizzle and the Grass will green up.  If you can measure and apply the Borax VERY carefully, you'll wipe out the Creeping Charlie ORGANICALLY, using Boron, without touching a single hair on the head of any microbe in its path.  Better Living Through Chemistry!  The Earth is Round.  Thanks for writing.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Can I assume there is no difference in the amount of borax that can be tolerated by different grass?   I am located in Texas (Corpus Christi area).

Answer
Boron is a TRACE mineral that is needed by Green Plants.  The Michigan State University Extension website posts a whole page on this necessary element:

http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modf1/05209709.html

'Boron primarily regulates the carbohydrate metabolism in plants. It is essential for protein synthesis, seed and cell wall formation, germination of pollen grains and growth of pollen tubes. Boron is also associated with sugar translocation.'

When farmers correct a Boron deficiency, they turn to Sodium Borate.  (This is anywhere from 10 to 20 percent Boron.)  But farmers are dealing with crops.  They are not dealing with Grasses and Legumes.  Corn, Cauliflower, Celery -- these are plants that need more Boron than your short green Lawn.  Between varieties of Grass, the difference would be negligible.  Your Bermudagrass is not going to have a significantly different need for Boron than my Red Fescue.  But our soils will be measurably different.

It is true that Calcium may raise the tolerance of plants, including Grass, to Boron.  But applying it will also increase the tolerance to Boron of a Weed.

Bottom line:  Boron kills the Weeds faster than it kills Grass.  And it's relatively mobile in the soil.  Which means too much will leach out.  And Weeds will be gone without side effects.  Thanks for writing.