Preventing & Managing Weeds in Your Lawn

WEED CONTROL FOR HOMEOWNERS

Control the weeds in your lawn to enjoy a lush, green lawn again. 

HOW TO KILL WEEDS IN YOUR LAWN FOR HOMEOWNERS

This section will cover how to eradicate existing weeds in your lawn.  In other words, these are the weeds that you can see above the ground in your lawn.  

Weeds are en eyesore, some of them are easier to get rid of than others, and if left untouched they can take over your lawn in no time if you’re not careful.  

Let’s start by breaking weeds into two primary categories: Broadleaf Weeds and Grassy Weeds. 

• Broadleaf Weeds: To the eye, these are easy to identify as they stick out like a sore thumb in your lawn.  There are hundreds of broadleaf weeds out there, some of the most common are dandelions, plantain, clover, chickweed, and more.  

• Grassy Weeds: These can be more tricky to identify since, like their name, they are a type of grass.  These are largely undesirable grasses to have within common grasses we know as our lawns.  Some of the most common are crabgrass, nutsedge, annual bluegrass (poa annua), and poa trivialis.  

For those looking to get rid of the existing weeds in their lawn, there are a few products to be on the lookout for.  

Before you begin, it is important to understand and identify the type of weed that you are dealing with.  There are several apps on the market that can help you identify certain plants.  If you’re still unsure, a great resource is a local university extension or nursery.  

Once you have identified the weed you’re looking to get rid of, you can begin to match that to an herbicide with an active ingredient that is effective.  

For weeds within a lawn, you’re going to want to find an herbicide that is safe to use in lawns.  In almost every case, there will be some form of labeling that says “Safe to Use on Lawns” or “Kills Weeds but Not Grass.”  These herbicides come in both a liquid or granular form.  Personally, I prefer liquids over granular as I have noticed liquids to be more effective than granular products.  

If using a granular, this would be applied very similar to a granular fertilizer.  Follow instructions on the bag and read the label for further instruction.  

If using a liquid herbicide, these come in two forms: Ready to Use and a Concentrate.  

• Ready to Use (RTU) herbicides, like the name, are ready to use off the shelf.  No additional mixture is required in order to effectively use on your lawn.  Per application, these tend to be a bit more in cost than concentrate.  

• Concentrate: If there are a lot of weeds present in your lawn or you know you’ll use this for several seasons, I recommend investing in a concentrate, as you’ll get way more bang for your buck than a ready to use mixture.  

If going this route, you’ll want to pick up a pump or backpack sprayer, as you’ll need to mix the concentrate with carrier (water). I use a separate 1-2 gallon pump sprayer for most of my weed control products. 

You can use the hose-end sprayers, however, from my experience they are not as effective and are more expensive per application in comparison to a true concentrate.  

Additionally, if going this route, it is often recommended to also use a surfactant to expedite the process of the herbicide.   

Note: Always, always, always read the product label for warning and restrictions.  Most liquid herbicides have a temperature warning of 85-degrees fahrenheit and above as well as various instructions with use with other products.  

HOW TO PREVENT AND CONTROL BROADLEAF & GRASSY WEEDS IN YOUR LAWN FOR HOMEOWNERS

This section will cover how to prevent and control weeds from taking over your lawn and the timing you should be considering for your lawn care routine.  In other words, tending to the weeds that you can’t see in your lawn (yet).  

In the long run, the best way to prevent and control weeds from popping up in your lawn is by having a healthy, thick lawn to help choke out the weeds naturally and out-compete prime real estate in your lawn.  

However, you may be looking out at your lawn (or lack thereof) and see mostly weeds and wondering how you get there.  For managing existing weeds in your lawn, look at the article above for help on eradicating those.  What most homeowners don’t consider is the thousands of weed seeds laying underneath the lawn that are waiting for ideal soil temperatures to begin germinating. 

Most of the existing weeds you see in your lawn produce and drop weed seeds - We’re talking tens and hundreds of thousands of weed seeds.  So even though you killed the weed that was above ground in your lawn, that weed has already dropped weed seeds that you will want to tend to - Otherwise, you’ll be in a continuous cycle of weed control each spring and fall until you properly take care of them.  

For cool season lawns, the primary season you’ll want to focus on weed prevention is in the spring when soil temperatures rise to 50-55 degrees fahrenheit.  At these soil temperatures, weed seeds located underground are getting ready to germinate and compete for prime real estate in your lawn.  

A product you can apply to prevent weeds from growing in your lawn is a traditional pre-emergent which should be applied prior to soil temperatures reaching 50-55 degrees fahrenheit.  Traditional pre-emergents are commonly labeled as crabgrass preventers, etc. Once applied and activated, a traditional pre-emergent will create a barrier around those weed seeds that will effectively choke them out from receiving any of the nutrients or water it needs to mature.  In turn, after the weed seeds begin to germinate the pre-emergent prevents it from growing any further, killing it off before you even see it pop up in your lawn.  

Pre-emergents are available in either granular or liquid form and will want to be applied and watered in before soil temperatures reach a 5-Day average of 50-55 degrees fahrenheit. 

Traditional pre-emergents usually contain active ingredients of Prodiamine (commonly associated as Barricade) or Dithiopyr (commonly associated as Dimension).  When used as directed (read the labels), these will help control common weeds such as crabgrass, foxtail, goosegrass, spurge, lambsquarter, chickweed, henbit, and many more.   

One thing to note, if you plan on seeding your lawn do not use a traditional pre-emergent product, as that same barrier will be created around the grass seed preventing any new growth occurring past germination.  You can use a selective pre-emergent during seeding projects, popular active ingredient to look for is Mesotrione.  Products with Mesotrione as the active ingredient are safe to use during seeding projects, as the selective nature will only target the weed seeds versus the grass seeds as well.  

Another time to start looking at applying traditional pre-emergents is in the late summer/early fall season, as different weeds will pop through and various weed seeds will germinate over the winter time periods if not tended to.  An example of this is Poa Annua, or annual bluegrass that may be undesired in your lawn.  

Similar to spring, you want to focus on prime soil temperatures ranges - You’ll want to be sure your pre-emergents are applied and watered prior to soil temperatures decreasing to 70 degrees fahrenheit and below on the 5-day average. 

Again, I can’t stress this enough - If you’re planning on seeding your lawn in the fall, do not use a traditional pre-emergent as the barrier it creates will also form around grass seed and prevent any growth past it’s germination stage.  If seeding, use a selective-herbicide that will not target grass seed, such as Mesotrione. 

HOW TO CONTROL YELLOW NUTSEDGE IN YOUR LAWN FOR HOMEOWNERS

Yellow nutsedge is a difficult to control weed that can often times reak havoc on your lawn.  Nutsedge is also commonly known as nutgrass, chufa, or watergrass.  

Identifying Nutsedge

Nutsedge can easily be identified as tall, thin, bright green/yellow-ish blades that grow more rapidly and tall than the rate of normal turfgrass. You may have mowed yesterday or the day before and see nutsedge popping up over the turfgrass. The tip of these blades will taper and sometimes look flimsy towards the top.  The blade is traditionally shiny and appear “waxy” to the eye.  No hairs will be present on nutsedge.  

Nutsedge is commonly found in the summer time period when slower growth cycles normally occur for cool season grasses.  It can become more difficult to identify in the late summer and fall time periods since the nutsedge’s growth rate slows while the turfgrass growth rate accelerates.  

It’s important to note that yellow nutsedge is not a weed and it is not a grass, it is a sedge - Thus, will get missed by a lot of common practices with weed prevention and control.  

Yellow nutsedge is a perennial plant that largely spreads in a rhizomatous fashion underground via nutlets (or tubers). Similar to some broadleaf weeds, one single plant can produce hundreds of nutlets (tubers) during the summer.  

If you are on a property that used to farmland, chances are you will be dealing with yellow nutsedge problems, as it can be problematic in agricultural fields and construction environments from soil being tilled up and new soil being introduced to the new development.  Other environments that may see yellow nutsedge thrive are areas with poor soil and drainage conditions.  

Similar to controlling broadleaf and grassy weeds, the best natural way to control yellow nutsedge is to grow a healthy, dense stand of turfgrass that will help choke out the sedge before it’s an issue.  Performing consistent cultural practices in your lawn care routine will be your best friend here (i.e. proper fertilization, watering, mowing, seeding habits, etc.) 

Controlling Yellow Nutsedge

You may be tempted to hand pull yellow nutsedge - As they stand out like a sore thumb and are easy to pull up.  Doing so will take care of the sedge plant that you just pulled, however, will not prevent future sedge plants from growing from the nutlets (tubers) underground.  

Herbicides may be recommended with larger amounts of yellow nutsedge present in your lawn.  Traditional post-emergent herbicides that are effective on crabgrass and dandelions will not be effective against yellow nutsedge, as it is a sedge and not a weed.  The most effective herbicides to control yellow nutsedge are those containing halosulfuron or sulfentrazone.  

I have used SedgeEnder from Bonide in the past with very good results when applied correctly.

Unlike various broadleaf and grassy weeds, sedge plants are incredibly difficult to control and may take multiple attempts and/or seasons to fully appreciate where your lawn is at with them. 

Late spring into early summer is the best and most strategic time to control yellow nutsedge, as this gives you the best chance to catch the sedge at an early stage when the nutlets (tubers) have not had a chance to spread too widespread.  

As always, be sure to read product labels thoroughly prior to application for specific instructions about proper usage and tolerance on your lawn.  

_____  

References: 

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ay/ay-19-w.pdf

HOW TO CONTROL DANDELIONS IN YOUR LAWN FOR HOMEOWNERS

Like many homeowners, you may wake up to see dandelions pop up overnight in your lawn wondering how they got there and what to do next to control them.  

Dandelions are very common in the active growing months for cool season lawns and can sometimes be very difficult to control.  One of the reasons is once dandelions flower in the spring, they will rapidly go to seed, spreading all over your lawn and surrounding landscape.  The seeds that are formed in the spring, will then develop throughout the summer and create new plants in the fall time as temperatures decrease for the season.  Over winter, they will take their place and start this cycle all over again for you to deal with in the spring next year.  

Identifying Dandelions for Homeowners

Dandelions are perennial plants that reproduce by seed and buds on taproot.  It’s leaves are toothed and when broken, a milky sap will discharge.  Single yellow flower heads will appear and can grow upwards of 15 inches if not cut down.  Teeth of the dandelion point downwards.  

Controlling Dandelions for Homeowners

Some homeowners may choose to let dandelions go and leave them to create a habitat for pollinators.  While controlling them can remove this habitat, some may find dandelions undesirable and want to control them.  

Before going in depth, it’s important to set expectations.  Dandelions are difficult to control and fully eradicate.  Even in the top-most manicured lawns, a dandelion or two is common to pop up.  That said, prepare yourself that this may not be an overnight battle, but a few seasons of work to control dandelions up to your standards you have for your lawn.  

One of the easiest and eco-friendly ways to go about dandelion control is to simply pull them as you see them while maintaining proper cultural practices, such as fertilizing, watering, mowing, and overseeding as needed.  If you do go this route, there are many tools that are helpful to get the entire root system that are often tricky to get out of the ground.  

If you choose to control dandelions chemically, you can use an herbicide that is designed to target dandelions.  There is no known pre-emergent that will prevent dandelions, however, you can help control them chemically with a post-emergent herbicide. 

Bonide Weed Beater ULTRA & DuraTurf are two products I've used with success in controlling dandelions (amongst other weeds). Both are available in a ready-to-spray (RTS) and concentrate.

As always, read the product label thoroughly for proper application instructions and restrictions.  

HOW TO CONTROL CLOVER IN YOUR LAWN FOR HOMEOWNERS

You have clover in your lawn and you want to get rid of it.  This article will give you the direction you need on controlling clover in your yard.  

White clover (also known as Dutch clover) is a cool-season perennial that is a low growing plant with creeping stems.  White clover produces roots and shoots so the joints (nodes) along the stem, helping the plant spread over time.  

While this article is giving direction on controlling it, clover carries myriad benefits to local environments and soil.  White clover can suppress weeds locally in your lawn, fixate nitrogen, and help with erosion control - Ultimately, reducing the number of herbicides and synthetic fertilizers used in your lawn.

However, if undesired, you can choose to control clover and remove it over time.  Clover can be incredibly difficult to manage and control.  Since it can grow at various times throughout the year, the limited number of pre-emergents will often not be able to control this and it is most commonly controlled via a post-emergent strategy for those looking to control clover.  

Identifying Clover for Homeowners

As mentioned previously, white clover is a cool-season perennial that is low growing in nature.  It will have three oval-shaped leaflets with a white crescent-shaped band on each of the leaflets.  White clover will have white flowers, often with pink tones, that will appear in the early summer.  

Controlling Clover for Homeowners

As always, the best way to properly control undesired weeds in a manicured lawn over time is with proper cultural practices (i.e. - proper fertilization, watering, mowing, and overseeding habits).  It is possible the reason clover is there in the first place is due to large patches in your lawn that are below optimal Nitrogen levels.  

If you choose to treat clover with an herbicide, the best time to tackle clover is in the fall.  While applications can be made to help control clover during the active growing seasons, the most effective time periods will most likely be in the fall.  There are hundreds of post-emergent herbicides available to help control clover - The inclusion and/or combination of products containing dicamba, clopyralid, fluroxypyr, and quinclorac are most effective.  

I have had good success using Chickweed, Clover & Oxalis Killer from Bonide to help control clover.

As always, read product label for application instructions and restrictions. 

References: 

https://extension.psu.edu/lawn-and-turfgrass-weeds-white-clover