Weeds can be a Scourge in Your Home Lawn

The majority of the weeds in the landscape now are winter annuals and will die back in early summer due to warmer weather. These weed seeds germinate in fall and early winter. As weeds mature, they become harder to kill and require more applications of herbicide to achieve results. Now, it may be challenging to get them under control with a post-emergent herbicide. Once we get into March, it is more economical to plan to manage them better next year. An ideal time to treat those winter weeds with post-emergent herbicide sprays is right around Thanksgiving.

However, now is the perfect time to prevent summer weeds like crabgrass, goosegrass, and chamberbitter from coming up in the lawn. In the following weeks, many things can be done to make sure your lawn is a beautiful green carpet this summer. The best defense against weeds is a thick, healthy lawn. If you haven’t had the soil in the lawn tested recently, get your soil analyzed through Clemson. The results will tell you the exact nutrients your lawn needs to maintain healthy growth. For more information on soil testing, see HGIC 1652, Soil Testing, and HGIC 1658, How to Complete a Soil Form for Sample Submission to the Agricultural Service Laboratory.

Culturally, there are many things homeowners can do to prevent weeds in their landscape. Make sure to keep a 3-inch layer of mulch in landscape beds. Keep your lawn cut at the upper end of the recommended mowing heights for your grass species. For more information on mowing height, see HGIC 1205, Mowing Lawns. Mowing at the higher height recommendation will help to shade out weed seeds. Most weed seeds need light to germinate. In fact, crabgrass is an indicator weed. Usually, if it is present, it signifies that the grass is