- Broadleaf Weeds<\/a>
- Common Chickweed<\/a><\/li>
- Dandelion<\/a><\/li>
- Hairy Bittercress<\/a><\/li>
- White Clover<\/a><\/li>
- Corn Speedwell<\/a><\/li>
- Henbit<\/a><\/li>
- Broadleaf Plantain<\/a><\/li>
- Spotted Spurge<\/a><\/li>
- Ground Ivy<\/a><\/li>
- Wild Violet<\/a><\/li>
- Purple Deadnettle<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Grassy Weeds<\/a>
- Crabgrass<\/a><\/li>
- Annual Bluegrass<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- FAQ<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
Broadleaf Weeds<\/h2>
Common Chickweed<\/h3>
![\"Common](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/rsz_1280px-stellaria_media_common_chickweed_\u10df\u10e3\u10dc\u10df\u10e0\u10e3\u10d9\u10d8-2.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Lazaregagnidze<\/a> \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Called chickweed because chickens love it, this annual weed can outcompete lawn turfgrasses. It can grow up to 3-6 inches tall in the sun and up to 18 inches in the shade. Common chickweed<\/a> tends to spread, making it look like a mat or patch.<\/p>
Common chickweed leaves can be used as tasty greens in a salad. But it can also serve as a host plant for pests such as the Western tarnished plant bug and for diseases such as tomato spotted wilt virus.<\/p>
Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>: <\/strong>Temperate regions, in moist and fertile soils with shade and near-neutral pH.<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>common chickweed<\/strong>: <\/strong>Light green, short, fat, and pointed succulent leaves. White flowers have five petals, each split into two lobes so that each flower looks like it has 10 petals.<\/p>
How to get rid of <\/strong>common chickweed<\/strong>: <\/strong>During its early stages, hand-weed or hoe. Isoxaben can be used to prevent it. Broadleaf herbicides will also work.<\/p>
Dandelion<\/h3>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/rsz_dandelion-gee3965d6d_1920.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Named after this perennial weed\u2019s serrated leaves, dent-de-lion or \u201ctooth of the lion\u201d belongs to the sunflower family. Once used as an herb and a medicinal plant<\/a>, the dandelion has leaves, flowers, and root systems that can be used to make salads, beer, wine, and tea. Honeybees also use them as a food source in the spring.<\/p>
Considered look-alikes, sow thistle, prickly lettuce, and red sorrel grow in warm weather. Dandelions grow mostly in cooler weather. Because their seed production is prolific and their seeds can blow in the wind, getting rid of dandelions<\/a> can feel like an impossible task.<\/p>
Life cycle:<\/strong> Perennial<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>: <\/strong>Irrigated turfgrasses, especially when frequently mowed. Grows best in moist areas in full sun. Once established, it can survive some shady, dry conditions.<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>dandelions<\/strong>: <\/strong>Deeply serrated leaves from 2-14 inches long and 0.5-3 inches wide cluster in a circle at the base. Long stalks have yellow flowers with small, strap-shaped petals. Seeds form the characteristic white puffball.<\/p>
How to get rid of dandelions: <\/strong>Hard to control. Use tools<\/a> to pull them out, but make sure to get the deep taproot<\/em> or they grow back. Lawn herbicides containing triclopyr can be effective.<\/p>
Hairy Bittercress<\/h3>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/wp.wikilawn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Hairy-Bittercress.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Katja Schulz<\/a> \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure> Some people substitute hairy bittercress for parsley when cooking. It tastes mild and peppery. The leaves can even be used in a salad. A member of the mustard family, hairy bittercress is also called flick weed, hoary bittercress, lamb’s cress, land cress, shot weed, and springcress.<\/p>
The seeds of hairy bittercress<\/a> look like purplish-green toothpicks that begin to coil. Then something \u2014 a breeze or a touch \u2014 triggers the toothpicks to explode and send the seeds as far as 3 feet away. In this way, plants or seeds can cause widespread infestation in a year.<\/p>
Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>: <\/strong>Moist soil, full sun, and shady areas.<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>hairy bittercress<\/strong>: <\/strong>Grows in a rosette, first with heart-shaped leaves larger at the base than the top and hairy on leaf tops. Branching stems 3-10 inches tall. Clusters of small, white flowers at the top of branches.<\/p>
How to get rid of <\/strong>hairy bittercress<\/strong>:<\/strong> Prevent by managing fertility, improving surface drainage, and overseeding. Use a post-emergent herbicide<\/a> in the spring or fall. Isoxaben can be used to prevent hairy bittercress but is expensive.<\/p>
White Clover<\/h3>
![\"large](\"https:\/\/wp.wikilawn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/White-Clover.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Lawn Weeds<\/a> \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure> Often seeded in pastures but considered a weed in most lawns, white clover came to the U.S. with the colonists. In fact, Benjamin Franklin noted it as early as 1746. And Native Americans referred<\/a> to white clover as \u201cwhite man\u2019s foot-grass\u201d because it appeared with early settlers.<\/p>
Before broadleaf herbicides, people in the 1950s valued white clover in lawn seed mixtures because of its ability to fix nitrogen, enrich the soil, and improve turfgrass growth. Some people argue that white clover should not be considered a lawn weed<\/a>. One reason is that clover is important for pollinators<\/a>. <\/p>
Life cycle:<\/strong> Perennial<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Creeping legume and broadleaf weed<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>: <\/strong>Tolerates shade. Thrives in areas with fertile soil and good soil moisture. Does not tolerate high heat and drought.<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>white clover<\/strong>: <\/strong>Three elliptic leaflets form the leaves, which have small teeth along the edges and usually have light green or white bands near the base. The flowers are white or light pink and measure \u00bd to 1 \u00bd inches in diameter.<\/p>
How to get rid of <\/strong>white clover<\/strong>: <\/strong>Mow high, amend soils to an appropriate pH, and adequately fertilize. Susceptible to many herbicides applied in the fall.<\/p>
Corn Speedwell<\/h3>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Corn-Speedwell.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Dalgial<\/a> \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> A member of the plantain family, corn speedwell germinates in the autumn or winter and grows when it is warm; these weeds typically stay dormant during the winter but can grow then if it\u2019s warm enough. Growth and seed production resume in the spring, and the weed dies as temperatures increase.<\/p>
Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>: <\/strong>Anywhere, but likes full sun and dry, sandy, rocky, loamy, or clay soils and shade<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>corn speedwell<\/strong>: <\/strong>Lower leaves are larger and broader than upper leaves. Tiny, pale-blue to white flowers appear nestled within the leaves on the upper portion of the stem. Soft, fine hairs cover the stem and leaves.<\/p>
How to get rid of <\/strong>corn speedwell<\/strong>: <\/strong>Prevent by providing a dense, vigorous turf. Control by hand-pulling or using a weeding tool. Can be suppressed with various pre-emergent<\/a> and post-emergent herbicides.<\/p>
Henbit<\/h3>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/wp.wikilawn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Henbit.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Miltos Gikas<\/a> \/ Flickr \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure> Native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, henbit<\/a> has become widespread in the U.S. Eaten raw or cooked in Europe and Asia, henbit\u2019s leaves are rarely used as a salad green in the U.S. Honeybees and bumblebees use this weed for nectar and pollen.<\/p>
Commonly confused with deadnettle and ground ivy, henbit produces 40-200 seeds per plant, and they can remain viable for 25-40 years. This weed spreads aggressively but dies during the hot summer months.<\/p>
Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>: <\/strong>Rich, fertile soils but can grow in lightly sandy soil<\/a> too. Overly moist soil and shade. Likes weak, thin lawns.<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>henbit<\/strong>: <\/strong>This weed has sparse hair and greenish-purple, square stems. Its opposite leaves have toothed margins and prominent veins underneath. The petals of the tubular flowers have a reddish-purple hue with darker spots on the lower part.<\/p>
How to get rid of <\/strong>henbit<\/strong>:<\/strong> Prevented with a dense, vigorous turf. Hand-pulling before they flower. Three-way herbicides may be used on several types of turfgrasses in Virginia<\/a> to control henbit.<\/p>
Broadleaf Plantain<\/h3>
![\"A](\"https:\/\/wp.wikilawn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/7557418892_a9b091f0d2_c-1.jpg\")
Photo Credit: F. D. Richards<\/a> \/ Flickr \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure> Native to Europe and also called buckhorn plantain and rippleseed plantain, broadleaf plantain<\/a> has been used as a cooking herb and in salads or smoothies, as well as a medicinal herb. Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek botanist who lived from 40-90 AD, wrote<\/a> about plantains, or \u201cplantago,\u201d in \u201cDe Materia Medica.\u201d<\/p>
Life cycle: <\/strong>Perennial<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>: <\/strong>Damp and compacted soil<\/a>. Weak, thin turf. Full sun to partial shade.<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>broadleaf plantain<\/strong>: <\/strong>Oval, veined leaves with short stems form rosettes with a diameter of 6-12 inches that stay close to the ground. Leaves may grow to 6 by 4 inches. Pale green flowers appear on slender spikes approximately 8 inches long. Flowering stalks lack leaves.<\/p>
How to get rid of <\/strong>broadleaf plantain<\/strong>: <\/strong>Prevent by using good lawn care techniques, such as overseeding<\/a> thin turf. Hand-pulling or digging out young plants year after year. Can also be controlled with chemicals in the spring and fall.<\/p>
Spotted Spurge<\/h3>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Spotted-Spurge.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Melissa McMasters<\/a> \/ Flickr \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Spotted spurge is a low-growing (prostrate) weed that grows in a somewhat radial pattern. Also known as spotted sandmat, milk purslane, milk spurge, and spotted pusley, spotted spurge reproduces from seeds that can survive several years. Spurge<\/a> decreases the condition of your turf and can be a habitat for insects. In fact, its seeds attract ants.<\/p>
Toxic to some animals and to humans, spotted spurge sap<\/a> can cause skin, eye, and mouth irritation, as well as nausea or vomiting if ingested. It can be confused with prostrate spurge, which does not have the tell-tale maroon blotch on its leaves.<\/p>
Life cycle: <\/strong>Summer annual<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>: <\/strong>Full sun, well-drained soil. A variety of soils, including highly compacted soils, clay, sand, and shallow, rocky areas. Poorly maintained lawns.<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>spotted spurge<\/strong>: <\/strong>A mat of multibranched stems living close to the ground grows 1-2 inches by 3 feet. Opposite, gray-green, oval leaves that have maroon blotches form on pinkish, hairy stems and are about \u2153 inch long. Spurges have a milky sap that oozes when stems and leaves are cut. It has tiny, greenish-white flowers.<\/p>
How to get rid of <\/strong>spotted spurge<\/strong>:<\/strong> Prevent by maintaining a healthy lawn. Easy to pull by the single taproot, but do so with gloves because it can irritate the eyes and skin. Use pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides. Use solarization<\/a> or mulch for spurge invasions in garden beds.<\/p>
Ground Ivy<\/h3>
![\"Puple](\"https:\/\/wp.wikilawn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Ground-Ivy-Glechoma-Hederacea.jpg\")
Photo Credit: NY State IPM Program<\/a> \/ Flickr \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure> Also known as creeping Charlie, creeping Jenny, and gill-over-the-ground, ground ivy is a sprawling, difficult-to-control weed. It\u2019s native to Europe, and early settlers brought it to the U.S. as a medicinal plant.<\/p>
Ground ivy<\/a> spreads up to 30 inches wide, attaching to the ground by establishing roots wherever leaves attach to stems. This weed smells minty when crushed or mowed and can be confused with henbit and purple deadnettle. It can remain green throughout the winter.<\/p>
Life cycle: <\/strong>Perennial<\/p>
Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf<\/p>
Where it <\/strong>thrives<\/strong>:<\/strong> Damp, shady areas but can tolerate full sun.<\/p>
How to identify <\/strong>ground ivy<\/strong>: <\/strong>Round or kidney-shaped leaves have large, scalloped teeth; veins stem from a single point. Creeping square stems are usually hairless but can have short, stiff, backward-facing hairs. Tube-shaped, blue-violet flowers grow to about \u2153 inch long.<\/p>
How to get rid of <\/strong>ground ivy<\/strong>: <\/strong>Prevent by engaging in appropriate turfgrass maintenance, including proper lawn mowing<\/a>, and pruning back shade. A common method of chemical control is to apply the herbicide triclopyr in the fall.<\/p>
Wild Violet<\/h3>
- Annual Bluegrass<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Dandelion<\/a><\/li>
- Common Chickweed<\/a><\/li>