The Five-Fingered Invader
Creeping cinquefoil spreads aggressively by runners, colonising up to 10 square metres per growing season. Its strawberry-like leaves and deep taproot make it difficult to remove, but a healthy, well-fed lawn can keep it at bay.
Creeping cinquefoil is one of those weeds that looks almost attractive until you realise how quickly it spreads. Those pretty yellow flowers and fresh green leaves hide an aggressive coloniser that can take over large areas of neglected lawn in a single season. It’s one of the common lawn weeds in the UK that catches gardeners off guard.
The good news is that cinquefoil rarely becomes a serious problem in well-maintained lawns. Feed your grass regularly and this weed struggles to compete. But let your lawn care slip, and cinquefoil will exploit every weakness.
How to Identify Creeping Cinquefoil
Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) gets its name from its distinctive leaves. Each leaf is divided into five sharply toothed leaflets arranged like the fingers of a hand. The name comes from the French “cinq feuilles” meaning five leaves.
At first glance, the leaves look remarkably like strawberry plants. The key difference is the number of leaflets: strawberries have three, cinquefoil has five. Both have toothed edges and a similar fresh green colour.
The plant grows low to the ground, forming a rosette that sits below mowing height. Long runners spread outward from the parent plant, rooting at intervals to create new plants.
The flowers appear from June to September on long stalks. Each bright yellow flower has five heart-shaped petals, looking somewhat like a flattened buttercup. Unlike buttercup, the petals have a distinctive notch at the tip.
Why Cinquefoil Spreads So Quickly
Like buttercup, creeping cinquefoil spreads by runners that root as they grow. But cinquefoil is even more aggressive. In favourable conditions, a single plant can colonise up to 10 square metres in one growing season.
Each runner produces multiple daughter plants, and each daughter sends out its own runners. The result is an expanding network of interconnected plants that can quickly dominate bare patches in your lawn.
The plant also produces seeds, giving it two methods of reproduction. Even if you remove all the runners, seeds in the soil can germinate and start the cycle again.
What Cinquefoil Tells You About Your Lawn
Creeping cinquefoil is an indicator of dry, nutrient-poor soil. While buttercup signals wet, poorly drained conditions, cinquefoil tells you the opposite: your lawn lacks food and moisture.
This weed is remarkably drought tolerant. Its deep taproot reaches moisture that shallow-rooted grass cannot access. During dry spells, cinquefoil stays green while the surrounding lawn browns and weakens.
You’ll rarely find cinquefoil in a well-maintained lawn. Regular feeding gives grass the vigour to outcompete this weed, while consistent watering removes cinquefoil’s drought advantage.
Hand Removal
Hand weeding cinquefoil is challenging but possible for small infestations. The main difficulty is the deep, slender taproot that anchors each plant firmly in the soil.
Use a dandelion weeder or narrow-bladed tool to extract the entire taproot. Any fragment left behind can regrow into a new plant. Water the area a day or two before weeding to soften the soil and make extraction easier.
You’ll also need to trace and remove the runners connecting to neighbouring plants. Work methodically outward from the main plant, removing each rooted section as you go.
For established patches, hand removal becomes impractical. The sheer number of interconnected plants makes it nearly impossible to remove everything. One missed root or runner, and the weed returns within weeks.
Raking Before Mowing
A simple but effective tactic is to rake affected areas before mowing. Use a spring-tine rake to lift the low-lying runners and stems into an upright position where the mower can cut them.
This won’t eliminate cinquefoil, but regular raking weakens the plants over time. It also prevents runners from spreading into adjacent borders where they could become even harder to control.
Collect and dispose of the clippings after mowing raked areas to remove any runner fragments that might reroot elsewhere.
Using Selective Weedkiller
The RHS notes that creeping cinquefoil is resistant to many selective lawn weedkillers. A single treatment often isn’t enough for complete control.
Plan for two applications spaced about six weeks apart. The first treatment weakens the plants and kills many of them. The second catches any survivors and new growth from root fragments.
Look for products containing 2,4-D, MCPA, mecoprop-P or dicamba. A combined feed and weed treatment is particularly useful because it kills the cinquefoil while feeding your grass to compete more effectively.
Apply when the weed is actively growing, typically between April and September. Rake the lawn first to lift runners and maximise leaf contact with the herbicide.
Preventing Cinquefoil From Returning
The best defence against cinquefoil is a thick, healthy lawn that leaves no gaps for weeds to exploit.
Feed your lawn in spring and autumn with a quality fertiliser. Cinquefoil thrives in nutrient-poor conditions, so improving soil fertility directly disadvantages this weed.
Water during dry spells to keep grass actively growing. Remove cinquefoil’s drought advantage and your lawn can compete more effectively.
Overseed any bare patches promptly. Cinquefoil is quick to colonise bare ground, so filling gaps with grass seed removes the opportunity.
Aerate compacted areas annually to improve root development. Healthy grass with deep roots copes better with drought and competes more vigorously against weeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cinquefoil the same as creeping buttercup?
No. They look similar with yellow flowers and creeping runners, but cinquefoil has five-fingered leaves while buttercup has three-lobed leaves. Cinquefoil prefers dry soil; buttercup prefers wet soil.
Why does cinquefoil grow in my lawn but not my neighbour’s?
Your lawn is probably less well-fed. Cinquefoil thrives in nutrient-poor conditions. Regular fertilising gives grass the competitive edge to suppress this weed.
Is creeping cinquefoil poisonous?
No. It’s actually edible, though not particularly tasty. Historically it was used in herbal medicine. It won’t harm children or pets if they come into contact with it.
Will mowing get rid of cinquefoil?
No. The rosette sits below mowing height. However, raking before mowing lifts the runners so the mower can cut them, which weakens the plant over time.
How many weedkiller treatments will I need?
Usually two, spaced about six weeks apart. Cinquefoil is resistant to many selective weedkillers, so a single treatment rarely gives complete control.
Don’t let cinquefoil take over your lawn. A combined feed and weed treatment kills this spreading weed while nourishing your grass. For severe lawn infestations that need clearing before reseeding, glyphosate kills everything including the grass. For more lawn weed advice, see our guides to buttercup, clover and sheep’s sorrel.
