Types of Lawn Weeds
Types of Lawn Weeds
Types of Lawn Weeds – Every lawn in Texas is subject to the occasional weed. Seeds are carried on the wind, in animal fur and even on the shoes and clothes that we wear. However they arrive, the many types of weeds in Texas seem designed to wreak havoc.
The chances are good that you have frequently seen the most common types of weeds in lawn and garden areas. If you’re like most people, you’d have difficulty defining them by name. Without knowing precisely what kinds of lawn weeds you have, you’ll find it all but impossible to eradicate them. That’s because all of the various types of weeds must be controlled in different ways. The more you know, the more successful your efforts will be.
Weed Categories – Types of Lawn Weeds
The types of lawn weeds may be categorized in numerous ways. Here are four of the most common groupings:
–Annuals: While these weeds go through an entire life cycle in one year, they leave behind plenty of seeds to ensure that their presence will be even more prominent the next year. These weeds may further be divided into two groups: summer annuals and winter annuals. Summer annuals begin germinating in March and continue the process through July. A winter annual will germinate in October through December. Annual weeds tend to have shorter root systems, which means that they can be controlled, at least partially, with hand pulling.
Examples of annual lawn weeds: carpetweed, crabgrass, prickly lettuce, ragweed, common purslane, redroot pigweed, field bindweed, lamb’s quarters and common chickweed
–Biennials: Some weeds need two years to complete their life cycle. Biennials are most likely to establish themselves in thin grass, but they can be controlled with proper turf management practices and the use of post-emergent herbicides. Chemical treatments are most successful before the seedstalk appears.
Examples of biennial lawn weeds: common mullein, musk thistle and wild carrot
–Perennial: These extraordinarily hardy weeds will come back year after year. Even worse, they produce tons of seeds each year, which makes the problem spread even farther. Perennials have deep, extensive root systems. Accordingly, it is virtually impossible to remove them with hand pulling. To do this successfully, you must dig up every bit of the taproot. Anything left behind will produce new growth.
Examples of perennial lawn weeds: dandelions, thistles, daisies, sow thistle, poison ivy, buckhorn plantain, quackgrass, mouse-ear chickweed
–Bulbil: Desirable plants like crocus and tulips grow from bulbs, and some weeds grow via a similar mechanism. In fact, these weeds develop a network of bulbils beneath the soil which can make these weeds particularly difficult to eradicate. Hand pulling usually is ineffective, making chemical control a necessity.
Examples of bulbil lawn weeds: oxalis, Bermuda buttercup, and creeping wood sorrel
Types of Lawn Weeds – Other Ways To Categorize Types of Weeds In Lawn Areas
Weeds otherwise may be classified as either sedges, grasses or broadleaf. The various weeds in each of these categories also may be annuals, biennials or perennials. If you can identify which category the weeds you see in your lawn fit into, then you will have a much better idea of how to control the situation.
– Sedges: With their triangular stems, sedges are easy to distinguish from grassy and broadleaf weeds. Their leaves grow in groups of three. Interestingly, sedges are classified as semiaquatic, which means that they are more likely to grow in areas that are being overwatered.
While sedges prefer soil that doesn’t drain well, they can still survive in drier areas. Most sedges are perennials and notoriously difficult to control.
Examples of sedges include the yellow and purple nutsedge, the cylindric sedge and watergrass.
–Grassy weeds: These weeds grow in an upright bunch. Their roots are fibrous, and these plants tend to have stolons or rhizomes. Stems are hollow and may be either round or flat. Crabgrass and goosegrass are two of the most common grassy weeds in Texas. They can wreak havoc in residential lawns, golf courses and the otherwise well-manicured grass at commercial buildings.
Like all weeds, grassy weeds thrive most easily in turf that is stressed and thin. The healthier a lawn is, the thicker it will be, and the less likely it is that grassy weeds will be able to establish themselves. It is particularly critical to control Winter Weeds In North East Texas when grassy weeds invade. That’s because these weeds are dying out in the spring, leaving thin turf behind. This makes it easier for the new generation of grassy weeds to assert themselves.
Some grassy weeds are not necessarily weeded at all. Any time a turfgrass appears where it is not desired, it can be considered a weed. For instance, if you discover tall fescue growing in your Bermuda grass, you could call it a weed problem that needs to be handled.
–Broadleaf weeds: This category covers a large variety of plants. While many of them do have broad leaves, others appear more oblong. Nonetheless, all of these weeds are likely to respond to the same treatment methods. While sedges and grassy weeds tend to have parallel veins, broadleaf weeds are distinguished by their network-pattern of veins. Stems may be either square or round while leaves can take on virtually any shape. They have extensive root systems, and their growth habits are notoriously varied. While some grow upright, others spread along the ground. Still, others may develop in a rosette shape or as a vine.
Perhaps the most famous, or infamous, broadleaf weed is the dandelion. Other weeds that belong in this category include clover, chickweed, and henbit. Most of these species are not easily eradicated by hand pulling because of their extensive root systems. Chemical control typically is the best solution.