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Crabgrass
Crabgrass is a summer annual grassy
weed. Seeds usually begin to germinate in late April to early
May. Pre-emergent applications made prior to this time are generally
effective in controlling this weed. We often see a good crop
of crabgrass and other annual grasses in late summer, as pre-emergent
applications begin to weaken and fail. This is why two applications
of pre-emergent, properly timed, are usually recommended. A short
mowing during summer can also lead to an outbreak of these weeds.
Crabgrass dies in the fall.
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Foxtail
Foxtail is a summer annual grassy weed.
It is easy to identify by it's seed head. It also has a reddish
color at the base of the plant that can identify it when the
seed head is absent. Foxtail seed germinates later than crabgrass
but is also one of the annual grassy weeds that can be controlled
with properly timed pre-emergent applications.
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Goosegrass
Goosegrass is a summer annual grassy
weed. It often appears in compacted areas. This weed is commonly
seen on high traffic areas at a golf course. It has a white color
at the base, and will tend to lie flat when young. It can be
controlled with a properly timed pre-emergent application.
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Nutsedge ("Nutgrass")
Nutsedge is a common weed problem. It
is actually not a grass, but belongs to the sedge family. It's
called watergrass, nutgrass, and a number of unprintable names.
It is noted for it's shiny green color, and exhibits a rapid
growth rate. It often sticks out like a sore thumb soon after
the lawn is mowed. This weed is most common on well watered lawns,
but can pop up anywhere when good soil moisture is present. It's
native habitat is wet and marshy areas. There are now good products
available for Nutsedge control, but it still requires vigilance
to fully eradicate.
Ohio
State Extension Nutsedge information
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Dandelion
Dandelions are a perennial broadleaf
weed. They usually germinate in the fall, and go to seed the
following spring. This weed is a very prolific seed producer
that can infest a lawn relatively quickly. Dandelions can be
easily controlled with post-emergent applications of broadleaf
weed control products. As is the case with all weed management,
tall mowing is a big help in controlling this weed.
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Common Chickweed
Common Chickweed is a winter annual
broadleaf weed. It germinates in the fall, and completes it's
life cycle the following spring. It is most aggressive in shady
areas. Like most winter annuals It can be tough to control because
it thrives when the weather is cool, and weed control products
aren't usually as effective in cool weather. Fall is a good time
to control this plant, but some follow-up treatments may be necessary
in spring.
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Henbit
Henbit is a winter annual broadleaf
weed. Almost all the information on chickweed applies to this
weed as well. It does feature a fairly large purple flower. These
plants often produce a mass of short-lived purple blooms in wild
areas. They have a square stem, which indicates they are a member
of the mint family.
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Speedwell
Speedwell is a perennial broadleaf weed.
It spreads rapidly, and is very difficult to control. Speedwell
seems to be more common in zoysia lawns. Effective control may
require multiple applications to control.
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Broadleaf Plantain
Broadleaf Plantain is a perennial broadleaf
weed. It tends to occur in compacted areas. It is not very common
in a residential lawn, but it becomes more common as you get
away from residential areas. It is controlled with post-emergent
broadleaf weed products.
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Narrow Leaf Plantain
Narrow Leaf Plantain is a perennial
broadleaf weed. It is a bit more common in residential lawns
than Broadleaf Plantain. It seems to be a bit tenacious, and
often requires a follow-up treatment.
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Spurge
Spurge is a summer annual broadleaf
weed. It is a plant that shows up in mid-late summer, and usually
is very aggressive along compacted edges, and thin areas. Pre-emergent
products provide some control of this weed, but post-emergent
treatments are often necessary. Tall mowing and a thick lawn
help control this weed.
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Oxalis
Oxalis is a summer annual broadleaf
weed. It shows up in early summer, and has bright yellow flowers.
Pre-emergent products can help control this plant. As with all
weeds, tall mowing is helpful. Existing populations can be controlled
with post-emergent broadleaf weed products.
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Purslane
Purslane is a summer annual broadleaf
weed. It thrives in hot weather, and can be tough to control.
It is aggressive in late summer, but not as invasive as spurge.
It has very thick and fleshy leaves and stems. Purslane generally
shows up along lawn edges, or in thin areas.
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Ground Ivy
Ground Ivy is a perennial broadleaf
weed. It is aggressive in shady areas, and is among the toughest
of weeds to control. It can rapidly cover shady areas if left
unchecked. It usually requires multiple applications of special
herbicides to obtain satisfactory control.
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Wild Violet
Wild Violet is a perennial broadleaf
weed. The description for Ground Ivy applies to this plant as
well. It produces purple flowers in summer. It is a tough weed
to control, and requires multiple applications to eradicate.
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White Clover
White Clover is a perennial broadleaf
weed. It seems to be most troublesome when we have a wet spring.
It forms dense patches, and produces white flowers that often
are below the mowing height, and thus persistent in the lawn.
We now have broadleaf weed control products that do well on clover,
but sequential treatments are usually necessary.
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Black Medic
Black Medic Is an annual broadleaf weed.
It somewhat resembles clover. It has small yellow flowers, and
is a fairly common weed in the home lawn.
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Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy is a perennial broadleaf
weed. It is actually a woody plant, and can grow quite tall in
the wild. It can be controlled with persistent applications of
broadleaf weed control. Round Up is also effective on this plant.
It is more aggressive in shady areas.
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Wild Onion
Wild onions are winter annuals. They
are among the first weeds to appear in early spring. They can
appear in any lawn, but are especially noticeable in Zoysia lawns.
These weeds can infest dormant Zoysia lawns long before the Zoysia
mowing season begins. They are difficult to eliminate with herbicides,
but regular mowing helps control them. They do not survive very
long into the spring growing season, so are usually not considered
a serious problem.
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Nimblewill
Nimblewill is a perennial weed that
resembles Bermudagrass. It has thin, flat, leaves with four veins
on the upper surface; its leaves are usually less than 2 inches
long. The hard, thin stems often lie flat on the ground near
the base and become upright farther up the stem. The shoots root
at the lower nodes. Nimblewill goes dormant and turns brown at
the first frost and is very slow to green up in the spring. The
brown patches seen in lawns in the early spring may be nimblewill
contamination. Spread is mostly due to seeds produced in the
early fall. This weed is difficult to eliminate without using
a total eradicant.
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