How to Get Rid of Onions & Garlic in the Yard

Manual Removal

• 1

  Hold the garden trowel at a vertical angle with the edge of the trowel against the soil a few inches from the unwanted plant. Push the edge of the trowel about six inches into the soil while pulling the handle toward you. This will force the soil and below-ground portion of the plant up and out of the ground.

• 2

  Place the unwanted plants, their root and bulbs into a garbage bag. Avoid composting or throwing the onions and garlic since this could lead to future growth.

• 3

  Check the area where you removed the onions and garlic regularly for new growth. Missed bulbs may sprout weeks after you have removed the plants and can remain dormant in the ground for several years.

• 4

  Remove any new growth immediately with a garden trowel and dispose of it in a garbage bag.

Chemical Removal

• 5

  Use a lawnmower to cut the onions and garlic as close to soil level as possible.

• 6

  Hold a piece of cardboard behind the cut onions and garlic to protect nearby plants from the herbicide while applying the chemical.

• 7

  Spray the cut plants immediately with a herbicide containing 2,4D, glyphosate, imazaquin or dicamba. Ready-to-use herbicides don’t require mixing with water, while concentrated herbicides must be diluted with water before use. For example, mix 1 ounce of concentrated herbicide with 1 gallon of water in a handheld sprayer.

• 8

  Wait for two weeks before mowing the area, and check the area regularly for new growth. Mow any new sprouts and immediately treat with herbicide.