All about lawn weeds

Which weeds do you have?

Knowing what you are dealing with is the first step to getting a better lawn. Usually plants are categorized by their life cycle.

Annual weeds
These weeds live for one year, usually germinating in the early spring and producing seed by the fall. Crabgrass and prostrate spurge are two often found in lawns.

Biennials
Two-year weeds are not very common in grass. They start as a rosette and grow a flowering stalk in their second year.

Perennials
As a homeowner, the perennials are your most common enemy. Dandelions and ground ivy are common lawn weeds, but the ivy and other creeping perennials are the greater hassle because of their pervasive root systems.

The line up

The battle is a daunting one, requiring patience and a firm denial of the impossible odds. A mature dandelion, for example, will produce 15,000 seeds, all of which can survive up to six years in your soil. It doesn’t take a professional groundskeeper to tell you that the exponential growth is astounding. Compare your culprits with the following descriptions to see if you can prevent their relentless sprawl.

Crabgrass
A villainous annual. Spreading, tall stems with blue to purple leaves, hairy. Likes underfed, lightly watered, short grasses. A thick turf is the best way to crowd it out, but a pre-emergent herbicide can be applied in the spring.

Dandelion
Broadleaf perennial. It also prefers thin grass. Best if plucked before flowering, then spot treated with a selective broadleaf weed killer.

White Clover
Broadleaf perennial, repeat offender. Identified by its stems, sprouting three leaves marked by white crescents. Will infiltrate any well-watered, but poorly nourished turf. Nitrogen fertilizer and selective broadleaf weed killer will do the job.

Ground Ivy
A dodgy perennial, also broadleaved. Sometimes goes by Creeping Charlie. Green rounded leaves sprawl along the ground, taking root when possible. Sprouts up in over-watered lawns. Yank and spot treat.

Quackgrass
A perennial, not bad-looking, either. Tall thin stems with flat greenish-blue leaves. These ones require extra vigilance. Excavate every remaining root as each piece can grow a new plant. Spot treat.

Spotted
Spurge A broadleaf annual, grows in packs. This spurge loves low grass and populates quickly. Brownish-red markings on each of its low-lying leaves make for a positive ID. Pull any isolated plants immediately, then spot treat.