How to Get Rid of Creeping Buttercup in the Lawn

Dig a 3- to 4-inch hole in the lawn. Collect 1/2 cup of soil from the bottom of the hole to send off to a local cooperative extension office for a soil pH test. It takes cooperative extension offices generally three to four weeks to mail back a soil analysis.

Apply granule limestone to soil that is under 6.0. Most grass types prefer to grow in a soil pH range between 6.0 to 7.0. The amount of limestone that you use depends on your soil pH. For example, those with a soil pH of 5.6 should apply 50 pounds of limestone per 1,000 square feet. Pour the limestone in a drop spreader and push back and forth across the lawn. Water the lawn after liming.

Spray creeping buttercups with an herbicide that contains aminopyralid. Focus the herbicide's spray from the spray bottle on the foliage of the weed. The best time to spray creeping buttercups is when they are vigorously growing.

Spray a rag with an herbicide that contains glyphosate. Wrap the rag around a rake. Brush the top of the creeping buttercups plants growing above the grass with the herbicide-soaked rag. Reapply in 10 days.

Dig up creeping buttercup plants to remove plants without using chemicals. Avoid breaking the stems and leaving the roots in the soil, because the plant will quickly spout -- which is why mowing creeping buttercups is not an effective control method.