Weed Identification

It’s amazing to gardeners that our lawns and landscapes can just be greening up in spring and yet there are weeds already growing like gangbusters and blooming! How do they get started so quickly? Aside from dandelions, three of the most common culprits found in the spring landscape are creeping Charlie, henbit and field speedwell.

Last week, we looked at the best time and methods for controlling yellow nutsedge and summer annual weeds. Next up, let’s discuss broadleaf perennial and winter annual weeds. Examples of broadleaf weeds include dandelions, violets, ground ivy and poison ivy; from a very simplified perspective, broadleaf weeds are any weed which is not a grass or sedge.

About this time every summer weeds begin to drive us crazy; they love the heat of mid-summer! Here are some tips to help maintain your sanity and create the best long-term strategy to minimize weeds in your landscape.

Even though weeds are most problematic now, this is one of the worst times of year to get good control. Weeds don’t translocate herbicides into their roots well at this time of year, which limits effectiveness. In mid-summer when a systemic herbicide is used, it often kills only the weed's leaves, but not the crown or roots. So they quickly recover and grow back.

“Leaves of three, let it be!” Remember this rule of thumb to protect yourself from an itchy poison ivy rash this summer! Plants look innocent enough at this point in the season, but handling them is a mistake. All parts of a poison ivy plant – leaves, stems, roots, fruits – contain an oil called urushiol which causes an allergic reaction and rash. The rash can appear within hours of exposure or up to several days later. Sensitivity to urushiol builds up over time, making a once “immune” person susceptible.

Perennial grasses, such as nimblewill, quackgrass, and windmillgrass, are some of the most difficult to control weeds in the lawn. Last summer's drought had thinned many lawns, opening up areas for weedy grasses to take hold.

Whenever woody weeds appear in a landscape, they can be especially challenging to control. Common woody weeds include tree seedlings, buckthorn, multiflora rose, ornamental pear, tartarian honeysuckle, poison ivy vines and greenbrier. Often woody weeds originate from seeds eaten by wildlife and deposited at random. But take heart, fall is a good time to control woody weeds, as it is with all perennial weeds.

In the last week or two, have you started to see light yellowish-green grass-like plants in your lawn or landscape beds? Guess what? You may have yellow nutsedge and it's started growing for another year.

About this time every summer weeds begin to drive us crazy; they love the heat of mid-summer! Here are some tips to help maintain your sanity and create the best long-term strategy to minimize weeds in your landscape.

Even though weeds are most problematic now – this is one of the worst times of year to get good control with herbicides. Weeds don’t translocate herbicides into their roots well at this time of year, which limits effectiveness. Often weed leaves are killed, but not the crown or roots. So they quickly recover and grow back.

There has been great concern in recent weeks from home gardeners about poison hemlock, also known as poison parsley. Botanically known as Conium maculatum, poison hemlock is blooming right now with large flat clusters of white flowers so can be easily spotted.

Many homeowners are wondering about this year’s first spring preemergence (PRE) herbicide and fertilizer application. Here are some tips to help you sort out the best products and strategies for your lawn.