Preventing and Eliminating Lawn Weeds

Maintaining a lush, green lawn can be a source of pride and joy for homeowners, but battling weeds is an inevitable part of the process. The challenge lies in reducing or eliminating the variety of weeds commonly found in lawns. Cultivating the healthiest and thickest lawn possible is the most effective defense against weeds.

Weeds compete with grass for nutrients, water, and sunlight, detracting from the overall aesthetic and health of your lawn. Effective weed prevention and management require a combination of proactive measures and timely interventions.

To understand how to defeat weeds, we must know how to detect them. Here are three common types of weeds in your lawn:

Broadleaf weeds: These dicots have leaf-like veins. Some examples of broadleaf weeds are oak leaf and rag weeds. They can be annual, biennial, or even perennial. Summer annuals complete their life cycle from spring to fall. Winter annuals complete their life cycles from fall to spring. Biennials have a life cycle completed in two growing seasons; vegetative growth in the first season and flowering in the second. Perennials have a life cycle completed in three or more years.

Sedges: An annual, or even mostly perennial, grass-like plant with aerial flower-bearing stems. They can exist in many soil types and conditions, from very wet to dry. Let it grow after a couple of days, apply the material with a wetting agent, do not mow it. This is one tough weed to kill.

Grassy weeds: These plants have veins that run parallel. The major problem with grassy weeds is that they are particularly difficult to manage because they are closely related to the grasses of your lawn. Seen here below are Common Bermuda, Carpet Crabgrass, and Alexandergrass.

While weeds are plants that are usually not wanted, one person’s plant that they love, can be another’s annoying weed. Your precious heirloomed plant might be your neighbor’s hated weed. A perfect example of this is Purslane. This annual is low growing and is covered with soft hairs.

The best weed prevention is to maintain a healthy stand of turf grass. You need the right type of plant, healthy soils, proper water management, the best landscape cultural practices. Moreover, a preemergent herbicide is applied on before the weed germinates. This should stop weeds in their tracks. However, if it doesn’t, then you need post-emergent herbicides for when the weed is already established. Weeds are stress indictors. Some like dry conditions as much as wet conditions. This might be when an irrigation inspection becomes necessary.

Have you heard of the competitive exclusion principle? Think of it like two businesses vying for the same customer. Two organisms such as turf and weeds competing for the same resources and space, the one better adaptive to conditions will be the one who dominates.

Weeds are plants that are diverse in DNA and they are true survivors. Weed pressures never go away. Weed treatment is not a one-time deal. It’s a process. You need to understand why the weed is there. Massey Services has systems to keep weeds out of turfed areas. What Massey does is prevent, suppress and control the weeds in turfed areas. The mission is to grow healthy turf and keep weeds out of them.

At Massey Services, our trained and educated professionals can evaluate your lawn and tell you exactly what it needs so weeds don’t take over. For more information on Massey Services’ weed prevention and treatment services, click here to schedule your free no-obligation inspection.