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London Rocket Control: How to Get Rid of London Rockets
This page is a general DIY guide for controlling london rockets. Using the recommended products and methods, you will get rid of london rockets. Follow this DIY article and use the recommended products, and we guarantee complete control of london rockets.
London rocket isn’t just another winter annual weed, it has a story that stretches back centuries. Its name is famously linked to the Great Fire of London in 1666, when the plant sprang up in vast numbers across the burned city’s exposed soil. It’s a plant with history, and a name that sticks.
But history aside, London rocket has a reputation that makes gardeners and landscapers wary: it germinates quickly in cool seasons, grows rapidly often outpacing turf and ornamental plants, and, as a member of the Brassicaceae family, is considered a weed because it produces abundant seeds and competes aggressively with desired plants. This aggressive growth can disrupt the appearance of landscapes and turf, creating extra work for homeowners and groundskeepers during the winter and early spring seasons.
Another challenge with the London rocket is its prolific seed production, which allows it to return year after year once it has become established in an area. Large numbers of seeds can remain in the soil for up to 10 years, which makes it a constant challenge for anyone trying to maintain neat, healthy outdoor spaces. Despite this resilience, London rocket can be controlled and prevented using the tips and products outlined in our DIY guide.
Identification
Before carrying out a treatment program, you will need to be certain that you are dealing with london rocket and not some other weed. Careless identification can lead to the use of the wrong treatment methods, which can be a waste of time and money. Below, we have shared some identifying characteristics so you know what london rockets looks like:
- London rocket is a winter annual broadleaf plant that begins its life as low-growing rosette of green leaves close to the ground. Later, it produces erect green stems that branch at the base, growing up to about 2 to 5 feet tall, and sometimes the stems have a purple tinge and fine hairs.
- The lower leaves on these plants are larger, up to 6 inches long, and have several pairs of opposite lobes separated by a prominent midvein, while the upper leaves are smaller, oblong or narrow, usually smooth-edged, and may have one or more pairs of elongated basal lobes. All the leaves are green with little to no hair.
- Flowering occurs from January to May, producing small terminal clusters of bright or pale yellow flowers at the end of stems, each about 5 to 7 mm wide with four petals.
- After flowering, the plant forms long, slender, tubular seed pods approximately 1 to 1.5 inches long, which are green to brown, hairless, straight or slightly curved, and grow upward along the flowering stems in an ascending pattern.
Use the description and image above to help you properly identify london rockets on your property. If you are not totally sure, contact us and send us a photo of your weed. We will identify it for you and suggest treatment options.
Inspection
After you have confirmed that you are dealing with london rockets, you can proceed with the inspection. During this phase, you will locate areas where london rockets are thriving and observe the conditions that allow it to grow. This information will help you know where to focus your herbicide application.
Where to Inspect
London rocket grows best in open, disturbed sites with partial to full sunlight, and well-drained or dry soil. It tolerates a broad pH range, thriving in mildy acidic, neutral, or mildy alkaline soils.
Often it can be found in vacant lots, lawns, fields, roadsides, vineyards, orchards, landscapes, alleys, desert environments, urban areas, sidewalk cracks, construction sites, and other places where the soil is disturbed, ground is open, and vegetation is sparse.
What to Look For
As a winter annual, London rocket germinates in the fall and winter when soil temperatures are around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). Since it grows during the cooler months, it can withstand light frost without damage.
During the cooler months, watch out for rapid spreading, as London rocket can quickly colonize open or disturbed areas. It's rosette of basal leaves lies close to the ground early in the season, allowing the plant to establish itself before producing erect flowering stems in the late winter to spring.
Treatment
Before proceeding with control, you will need to wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when mixing and handling herbicides.
Control of London rocket should begin early in the fall or winter, as soon as seedlings emerge or before the plant produces erect flowering stems and seed pods for best results.
Active ingredients that have proven effective against London rockets are glyphosate, 2,4-D, sulfentrazone, quinclorac, metsulfuron, or carfentrazone-ethyl.
Step 1: Mix and Apply Herbicide
Expel Turf Herbicide and Eraser 41% Glyphosate are effective choices for controlling London rocket due to their broad-spectrum activity and proven efficacy against these plants.
Determine how much herbicide to use by measuring the square footage of the treatment area. Find the square footage by measuring the treatment area's length and width in feet, then multiplying them together (length X width = square footage). For acreage, take the square footage and divide it by one acre (square footage / 43,560 sq. ft. = acres).
Expel Turf Herbicide is a selective herbicide formulated for use in warm-seasoned and cool-seasoned turfgrass and landscape areas, targeting weeds like London rocket while minimizing damage to surrounding desirable vegetation.
For cool-seasoned turf, use 4 to 8 fl. oz. of Expel Turf Herbicide per 10 gallons of water per acre.
For warm-seasoned turf, mix 8 to 12 fl. oz. of Expel Turf Herbicide per 10 gallons of water per acre.
It is ideal for areas where precision is important, but it may be less effective against very dense infestations or mature plants.
Due to this product’s high-volume applications, high-capacity equipment like a spray rig may be necessary. Once your product is thoroughly mixed, broadcast your solution evenly over the area.
Eraser 41% Glyphosate, on the other hand, is a non-selective herbicide that is absorbed and transported throughout the plant, including the roots, ensuring complete eradication against broadleaf and grassy weeds such as London rocket.
It is particularly useful in bare-ground areas, roadsides, along roadsides, in driveways and sidewalks, and applications near trees and shrubs.
Keep in mind it is non-selective, meaning it will kill any vegetation it comes into contact with. If the desired foliage is not contacted, this herbicide generally will not reach or kill the roots.
We recommend making applications with a handheld pump sprayer. To avoid cross-contamination with other products, it would be best to mark the sprayer for non-selective herbicide use only.
A spot application with Eraser 41% Glyphosate will use 2 1/2 oz of product with 1 gallon of water to treat 300 sq. ft.
Fill the sprayer with half the amount of water, add the proper amount of herbicide, and pour in the remaining half of the water. Close the tank lid and shake until well-mixed.
Spray the top and bottom of weed leaves until wet, but not to the point of runoff.
Keep people and pets away from the treated area until the spray has dried.
Using these products together or individually allows for flexible, efficient management depending on the site and severity of the infestation.
Step 2: Retreat
Even with an initial application, London rocket may require a follow-up treatment to ensure control.
Retreatments should be scheduled once new seedlings emerge or if any surviving plants begin to regrow, particularly in dense infestations.
For areas treated with Expel Turf Herbicide, allow 35 days to pass before reapplication.
After applying Eraser 41% Glyphosate, treated London rocket plants usually begin showing visible symptoms within 2 to 4 days, and complete plant death typically occurs within 1 to 2 weeks.
If weeds are not fully controlled after about 4 weeks, a second application with Eraser 41% may be necessary to achieve complete eradication.
Prevention
Once London rockets have been removed, you will want to ensure that it does not return with some preventative measures. Here are some preventative practices you can take against London rockets:
- London rocket can be prevented by creating conditions that discourage its germination and establishment. Maintaining healthy, dense turf through proper mowing, consistent watering, aeration of compacted soil, and fertilization based on seasonal needs helps grass outcompete winter weeds. We recommend mowing no more than 1/3 of the grass blades. Also, be sure to use no more than 1 inch of irrigation once per week, preferably early in the morning so the turf has enough time to dry.
- Hand-pulling or tilling young rosettes before the produce seed is also valuable, as this weed generates large number of seeds that can persist in the soil.
- Limit bare areas in the soil by overseeding thin turf areas further reduces opportunities for London rocket to take hold.
- For chemical prevention, Dimension 2EW Herbicide is a pre-emergent herbicide concentrate that stops broadleaf and grassy weeds, including London rocket before it germinates and appears in lawns, field ornamentals, and landscape ornamentals, and more. Best to make applications with pre-emergents in late summer to early fall, depending on your region. Apply 0.73 fl. Oz. of Dimension 2EW Herbicide per 1 gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. You will need a backpack sprayer or handheld pump sprayer to make applications. Ensure thorough coverage of the area you wish to protect, but do not spray to the point of runoff. Wait until 6 hours have passed after application before watering the treatment area. Reapplications may be made every three to four months, provided the total amount used does not exceed the annual limit of 6 pints per acre, or 2.2 fluid ounces per 1,000 square feet.
Key Takeaways
What is London Rockets?
- London rocket is a highly competitive and fast-growing winter annual herb/weed that produces yellow flowers and became famous for spreading rapidly across London's ruins after the Great Fire of 1666.
How to Get Rid of London Rockets
- We recommend using Expel Turf Herbicide or Eraser 41% Glyphosate to get rid of London rockets.
Preventing London Rocket Reinfestation
- To prevent London rockets, use Dimension 2EW Herbicide in late summer to early fall to prevent germination. Also, promote healthy, dense turf through proper mowing, irrigation, fertilization, aeration, and overseeding to outcompete this aggressive winter weed. Early hand-pulling, tilling young rosettes and removing plants before they produce seeds helps prevent soil seedbank buildup.
