Your Lawn Is Telling You Something
Creeping buttercup thrives in wet, poorly drained soil. Its presence is a warning sign that your lawn needs better drainage. Kill the weed, but also fix the underlying problem or it will keep coming back.
Creeping buttercup is one of the most aggressive weeds found in British lawns. Those cheerful yellow flowers might remind you of childhood summers, but this weed spreads ruthlessly by runners that can colonise over a metre of lawn in a single growing season.
What makes buttercup particularly troublesome is what it tells you about your lawn. This weed thrives in wet, compacted, poorly drained soil. Kill the buttercup without fixing the drainage, and it will simply return.
How to Identify Creeping Buttercup
Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) has distinctive three-lobed leaves that are dark green with pale spots or blotches. The leaves grow from a central rosette on long, hairy stalks. Each leaf is divided into three toothed segments, with the central segment often sitting on its own short stalk.
The plant sits low to the ground, which is why mowing does nothing to control it. The leaves stay below cutting height while the horizontal runners spread outward in all directions.
The flowers are the classic buttercup shape: bright yellow with five glossy petals that seem to glow in sunlight. They appear from May to August, though you rarely see them in regularly mowed lawns because they need established plants to produce blooms.
All parts of the plant contain a milky sap that can irritate skin in some people. The sap is also mildly toxic, which is why livestock generally avoid grazing on buttercup.
Why Buttercup Spreads So Quickly
The clue is in the name. Creeping buttercup spreads by stolons, horizontal stems that run along the soil surface and root at regular intervals. Each rooted node becomes a new plant, connected to the parent by these runners.
A single plant can send out runners extending a metre or more in one growing season. Each runner produces multiple daughter plants, and those daughters send out their own runners. The result is a rapidly expanding network that can take over large areas of lawn in just a few weeks.
This spreading habit makes buttercup one of the more difficult lawn weeds to control. While you’re treating one patch, runners from untreated areas are already colonising new ground.
What Buttercup Tells You About Your Lawn
Creeping buttercup is an indicator plant. Its presence signals that your soil is too wet, too compacted, or both. The weed thrives where grass struggles: in heavy clay soil, waterlogged areas, and compacted ground where water sits rather than draining away.
If buttercup appears in your lawn, treating the weed alone won’t solve the problem. You need to address the underlying drainage issues, or the buttercup will return as soon as conditions favour it again.
Unlike drought-tolerant weeds like yarrow that indicate dry, nutrient-poor soil, buttercup tells you the opposite: your lawn is too wet.
Hand Removal
Hand weeding buttercup is frustrating. The deep, fibrous root system is difficult to extract completely, and unlike cat’s ear, buttercup can regenerate from root fragments left in the soil.
If you do try hand removal, use a fork or daisy grubber to lever out the entire plant including as much root as possible. You’ll also need to trace and remove the runners connecting to neighbouring plants, or they’ll simply regrow.
For small infestations of just a few plants, persistent hand weeding can work. For established patches, the sheer number of interconnected plants makes manual removal impractical. You’ll spend hours digging and still miss runners that will regrow within weeks.
Using Selective Weedkiller
Selective lawn weedkillers are the most effective way to control established buttercup. Products containing 2,4-D, MCPA, mecoprop-P or dicamba target broadleaf weeds while leaving grass unharmed.
Buttercup typically requires two treatments spaced a few months apart. The first application kills the majority of plants, but some recover from their extensive root systems. The second treatment catches any survivors and new plants that have germinated from seed.
A combined feed and weed treatment is particularly effective. It kills the buttercup while feeding your grass to fill the gaps left behind, reducing the bare soil where new weeds could establish.
Apply when buttercup is actively growing, typically between April and September. Choose a calm, dry day with no rain forecast for at least six hours. Rake the lawn first to lift the runners and low-lying growth so the mower can cut them, weakening the weed before treatment.
Fixing the Real Problem: Drainage
Killing buttercup without improving drainage is treating the symptom, not the cause. The weed will return if conditions remain favourable.
Aeration is your most important tool. Use a garden fork or hollow-tine aerator to create channels through compacted soil, allowing water to drain rather than pooling on the surface. Aim to aerate at least once a year, ideally in autumn.
For severely waterlogged areas, you may need to install drainage channels or a soakaway. In extreme cases, raising the lawn level with additional topsoil can help water drain away from problem areas.
Reduce compaction by avoiding walking on wet grass and varying your mowing pattern. Heavy use areas may benefit from stepping stones or a proper path to keep foot traffic off the lawn.
Preventing Buttercup From Returning
Once you’ve killed the buttercup and improved drainage, focus on building a thick, healthy lawn that can outcompete any returning weeds.
Feed your lawn in spring and autumn to encourage dense grass growth. Thick turf leaves no gaps for buttercup seedlings to establish.
Mow regularly at 3-4cm, collecting clippings when buttercup is present to prevent spreading seeds or runner fragments. Rake before mowing to lift the low-growing stems into the mower’s path.
Continue aerating annually to maintain good drainage. If buttercup starts appearing again, it’s a sign that drainage is deteriorating and needs attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does buttercup grow in my lawn but not my neighbour’s?
Your soil is likely wetter or more compacted. Buttercup thrives in poorly drained conditions. Check whether your lawn sits lower, has heavier clay soil, or receives runoff from higher ground.
Is buttercup poisonous?
Mildly. The sap can irritate skin and the plant is toxic if eaten in quantity. Livestock avoid it, and you should wash your hands after handling it. It’s not dangerous in a lawn, but don’t let children or pets eat it.
Will mowing get rid of buttercup?
No. The rosette sits below mowing height and the runners spread along the ground. Regular mowing has no effect on established buttercup, though raking before mowing can weaken it slightly.
How long does it take to kill buttercup with weedkiller?
You’ll see yellowing and distortion within one to two weeks. Complete control typically requires two treatments spaced two to three months apart, as some plants recover from their root systems.
Can I just improve drainage without using weedkiller?
Improving drainage will slow buttercup’s spread and may eventually reduce it, but established plants won’t disappear on their own. For quick results, combine drainage improvements with selective weedkiller treatment.
Don’t let buttercup take over your lawn. A selective lawn treatment kills this spreading weed while feeding your grass. For severe infestations where you want to start fresh, glyphosate kills everything before reseeding. For more lawn weed advice, see our guides to dandelions, clover and creeping cinquefoil.
