While many of us heard that April showers bring May flowers, we didn't know they included weed growth. The wet spring conditions leading to dry, hot summer days can quickly turn lawns into a mess of weeds. Just like plants and turf grasses, weeds flourish in the rain. Homeowners face a delicate balance in nurturing landscape plants without becoming overrun with unwanted weeds.
Summer weeds can quickly take over your lawn, causing it to suffocate and die. Right now is the time to eradicate weeds from your yard as they are just beginning to flower and seed. Let's look at some of the most common grass-killing weeds and how to banish them from your yard.
Crab Grass
While you may think Crab Grass is not a threat, its exuberant growth can quickly choke your lawn if left unchecked. To remove unwanted Crab Grass from your yard, pull it up by hand and be careful to keep its seeds from falling onto the ground. If you can at least take off the Crab Grass's seed heads, you may be able to stall the spread of the grass.
Deadnettle
Deadnettle is a weed that thrives in the shady parts of your yard. You can usually find Deadnettle growing under the shade of other plants and trees. If you don't get these weeds under control quickly, Deadnettle will impede the healthy growth of your turf. Fortunately, the thicker your turf grass grows, the less chance Deadnettle will take root.
Lamb's Quarters
Also called 'pigweed,' Lamb's Quarters is related to spinach and is rich in vitamins A, C, and calcium. Lamb's Quarters is a prolific weed with thousands of seeds on each plant. You must uproot the plant or mow it down to minimize its seed production to rid your lawn of these weeds.
Vine Weed
Vine Weed grows roots deeply, which means it is probably well established in your landscape if you have it. Vine Weed wraps around your plants and suffocates them, and quickly causes destruction in its path. To eradicate Vine Weed from your yard, you must hoe the vine back repeatedly every few weeks to diminish its root system.
Chickweed
Chickweed can be removed by placing plastic over your flowerbeds to kill its seeds. The plastic causes solarization which heats the soil to an unbearable temperature that the seeds can not tolerate. You can also hand weed smaller Chickweed plants and till your soil to uproot mature weeds.
Consistent Lawn & Landscape Maintenance
While weeds are natural in lawns and landscapes, they are unsightly threats to the health of your plants and grass. Through consistent professional lawn and landscape maintenance, you can keep their growth at bay.