Southern Lawns Common Weeds

Why do I have weeds?  Timing is everything in lawn care. August can be a tough month for your lawn including common weeds in the south. The pre-emergent (preventative) weed control that was applied in spring is wearing off. Weeds can pop up in your lawn this time of year between treatments. If you get new or persistent weeds, contact a professional lawn care company. Turf Masters provides free service calls for this very reason! Remember, once things cool off, we will be applying blanket pre and post emergent weed control again. Until then, we will be happy to spot treat your weeds.

Here are some common lawn weeds in the south:

Dallisgrass

This one is tough to control! Because it is a perennial, traditional pre-emergent herbicides don’t prevent it. Getting rid of this common weed once it appears can be tricky without harming the grass around it. Turf Masters has products that will work, but may take more than one application. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you are best advised to dig it up.

It grows in circular clumps with a yellow or green color. This common weed has stems with seed heads that are easy to spot.

Nutsedge 

Don’t pull it! It will just spread more!

This complex weed attacks from underground with a system of tubers. From this underground system, new weeds will sprout throughout your lawn. Managing these nutsedge won’t be easy with their hidden underground structure.

This may look like grass at first, but it has a distinctive triangular stem. It will grow much quicker than the grass around it after mowing. There are products to manage nutsedge after it appears, but prevention can be tough, especially once established.

Spurge

Our next enemy thrives in the summer. With hot weather, spurge can produce seeds and mature within a few days. With cool weather just around the corner, these weeds will start to die out. However, the seeds they leave behind will sprout with a vengeance next summer. This is weed fairly easy to prevent and eradicate.

It grows low to the ground and releases a milky sap when the stem is broken. Look for leaves that grow directly across from one another on long stems.

Crabgrass

Crabgrass is an annual weed, meaning it grows from seed, matures, produces seeds and dies.  The most common weed, its seeds it produces will grow more crabgrass, and those will grow more and those will grow more. You get the picture, right? Fortunately, all this is preventable. Pre-emergent products when properly applied in the late winter and early spring will prevent crabgrass. If pre-emergent control is missed, crabgrass can be eradicated but it can be more expensive and any seeds produced will continue to grow.

We would love to talk today about any weeds you are battling to keep your lawn looking the best it ever has. All you’ll have to do is sit back and enjoy your yard.

Photo credit: Aggie Horticulture