How To Handle Lawn Weed Control [Effectively]

Controlling weeds sometimes requires a professional touch, especially if you’ve tried other methods of weed removal or you’re dealing with aggressive weed species.

You’ll enjoy a more appealing lawn and a greater rate of desirable plants with SunCo’s lawn weed control plan.

Ahead, discover more information on what types of unwanted grasses, plants, and weed seeds you’re dealing with and how to get rid of them. 

Are Weeds Common?

A weed problem on lawn grasses happens to the best of us. Out of about 250,000 known plant species, upwards of 8,000 are weeds. 

They can destroy the appeal of your flower bed, interrupt the beauty of pristine lawns, and take over your entire landscaping once they begin actively growing.

Identifying the Types of Weeds on Your Property

You can’t start killing weeds until you understand what has taken over your lawn. We’ve put together this roundup of the most common weed species so you can be ready to combat them. 

Grassy Weeds

Are they grass, or are they weeds? It can be tough to discern, which makes it all the more difficult to begin controlling weeds on your property.

Further, it isn’t easy to tell grassy weeds apart from turfgrass, which makes matters even more confusing. 

The seed heads, flowers, and leaves of weeds are different from traditional grasses. More so, grassy weeds tend to grow rather aggressively, so they’ll sprout up a lot faster than other grasses.

After all, there’s a reason they’re called “creeping lawn weeds“. One day you remove them and then seemingly they appear out of nowhere – even stronger than before.

Keep your eyes peeled for:

• Crabgrass
• Goosegrass
• Johnsongrass
• Sedges
• Annual bluegrass
• Chickweed
• Fountain grass
• Nut grass
• Bermudagrass 

Broadleaf Weeds

You might also contend with broadleaf weeds taking over the whole lawn.

They can sprout up between grasses and are tougher than most surrounding plants. Unlike grass-like weeds, you can usually tell these pesky weeds apart from the rest of the grass growing.

However, broadleaf weeds are extremely hard to remove, and they spread so fast that you can find yourself with huge weed problems fast.

Here are the common weeds in the broadleaf category:

• Oxalis
• Clover
• Chickweed
• Carpetweed 
• Ground ivy
• Spear thistle 
• Henbit 
• Knotweed
• Dollarweed 

Another way to categorize weeds is whether they’re perennial or annual.

Perennial Weeds

You’ve probably heard of perennial plants, but what about perennial or annual weeds? Just like your favorite plants regrow year after year, these weeds do the same. 

Perennial weeds usually continue reappearing due to improper removal from the year prior, so when spring comes, they’re revived. Using weed killers or other treatments on perennial weeds should keep them from coming back again next year.

Here is a rundown of the most common perennial weeds:

• Quackgrass
• Creeping buttercup
• Bindweed
• Dandelions
• Chickweed
• Thistle
• Poison ivy
• Creeping Charlie
• Japanese knotweed
• Nettles
• Broadleaf plantain
• White goosefoot
• Horsetail 
• White clover

Summer Annuals

Some weeds sprout up in the late spring and in warmer climates. Since they love warm weather, they’re known as summer annuals.

These types of weeds tend to appear every year, so while you’re dealing with crabgrass control and trying to mitigate weeds, summer annuals can spread across the lawn. 

Here are some summer-centric weeds:

• Pigweed
• Salsola
• Smotherbit
• Red deadnettle
• Buttercup
• Bittercress 

Winter Annuals 

Cool season grasses and weeds are also a possibility.

These weeds grow when the soil temperatures shift just when you begin spending more time indoors. They can be an unpleasant surprise to come back to in early spring when you get outside again.

Some winter annuals to be vigilant against include:

• Prickly lettuce
• Tansy mustard
• Shepherd’s purse
• Purple deadnettle
• Marestail
• Corn speedwell
• Catchweed bedstraw 

What Weed Removal Options Are Available?

Okay, you’ve got to get these weeds gone. What kinds of options do you have? Here’s what SunCo recommends. 

Hand Weeding

Although this is the least fun solution for weed control, you could always manually remove weeds by pulling them. 

First, you have to identify them from the other grasses and plants on your lawn. You should also put on a pair of gardening gloves before you get started. 

Apply Weed Killer

Weed killer or herbicide kills weeds on the spot. That makes herbicides one of the best methods of pest control when weeds have gotten out of control.

Part of successful herbicide application comes down to proper timing. You should apply pre-emergent weed killers before the weed seeds are supposed to sprout. For instance, if combating summer weeds, you would apply the pre-emergent weed killer early in spring. 

You might also use post-emergent herbicide, which you apply after the weeds appear. This is recommended if you don’t know what kinds of weeds you’re dealing with and when they grow. 

Lawn weeds won’t stand a chance. The active ingredients in various weed killers vary, but all are designed to kill weeds dead. 

Non-organic weed killer usually includes these ingredients:

• Triclopyr: This herbicide replicates plant hormones, which is especially effective for woody plants and broad-spectrum use. 
• Imazapyr: The ingredient imazapyr stops a growth hormone that weeds and woody plants rely on. 
• Glyphosate: Destroying weeds by interrupting amino acid synthesis enzymes, glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide. 
• Dicamba: Recommended for broadleaf weeds (including perennial and annual varieties), dicamba works by acting like a plant hormone.
• Atrazine: Grassy and broadleaf weeds won’t survive after spraying atrazine. It stops them from photosynthesizing. 
• 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D): Selective herbicides like this one act like a plant hormone. It’s one of the top broadleaf weed killers. 

Weed killer usually also contains fatty acids, emulsifiers, surfactants, pH adjusters, and cosolvents. 

If yours is an organic lawn or you want to use natural-only products, it might use: 

• Pelargonic acid: This tough ingredient burns weeds after touching. It’s considered a broad-spectrum product. 
• Clove oil: This weed control ingredient serves the same purpose as pelargonic acid. 
• Citric acid: This is yet a third broad-spectrum ingredient that will kill weeds the same way. 
• Acetic acid: That’s right, vinegar can also be used as a herbicide to burn down weeds. 

How much weed killer do you need? That depends on how many plants you’re dealing with and what degree of weed control you seek.

You usually only need three tablespoons, the equivalent of 1.5 ounces, for everyday weed control. You’d typically combine that with one gallon of water, but of course, you should always defer to the product instructions on the packaging. 

Increase the amount of weed killer if battling tough lawn weeds. You should use five tablespoons or 2.5 ounces and still mix it with a gallon of water. 

Whether a pre-emergent or post-emergent product, you should only apply herbicides when a good rain isn’t on the horizon. The treated area will get washed away, wasting your time and effort to achieve even coverage. 

How to Keep Pesky Weeds Away

Once you’ve taken care of your weed problem, you have to practice continued diligence to keep them from sprouting up again.

There are many ways to prevent weeds from growing in the first place, but here are our top suggestions:

1. Take Care of Your Lawn

A healthy, happy lawn looks great, yes, but it also keeps weeds from having the room to grow. When you mow your lawn, check the settings to ensure you don’t lop off too much.

The rule of thumb is to never trim more than a third of the overall grass height. This will stop weeds from growing as easily. 

Do you usually spend a lot of time after mowing on cleaning up grass clippings? Skip it next time. The grass clippings will naturally biodegrade, ensuring good soil health, which in turn promotes good grass health. 

2. Treat Weeds Before You See Them

Learn which weeds will appear on your property and when, then use pre-eminent fertilizer to ensure your grass has no crabgrass and other unwanted species. It’s always easier to treat weeds before than after. 

3. Pull Weeds When Necessary

That said, sometimes a few can end up appearing on your lawn anyway. In that case, it’s time to put on your gardening gloves and yank those suckers out. Just remember to grip at the base.

If you only rip off the head or leaves, the weed can easily grow right back. 

4. Mulch More

Mulch is another way to treat your soil, as it keeps it nice and moist. Plus, mulching makes it hard for weeds to grow, much like thick, healthy grass. You only need two to three inches of mulch to keep your yard weed-free. 

It matters which type you choose, so we suggest reading our guide to the best mulch for weed control before applying a layer in your yard.

When to Call the Pros to Control Weeds

Weed control is sometimes harder than it looks. When should you handle it yourself versus rely on the services of a professional like SunCo?

Actually, when it comes to applying selective herbicides and weed killer, we always recommend letting the professionals handle it. There are many points the average property owner or homeowner doesn’t know or doesn’t think about, such as:

• The right type of herbicide for their weed problem: Some types of weed control are formulated for certain species, like broadleaf versus cold-weather weeds. Using the wrong type of herbicide won’t kill your weeds, and you could harm or even kill surrounding grasses and plants.
• How or whether to combine fertilizer with weed control: Fertilizer encourages growth while weed killer stops it. If you don’t time the use of these products correctly, you might end up with dead grass, not lush, healthy greenery. 
• The right timing for weed killer application: The ideal timing is about a combination of factors, including the weather, the season, and whether the weeds have sprouted for the season already. 

Get Expert Lawn Care with SunCo… 

Lawn weed control is an important facet of commercial and residential properties. SunCo’s experts have years of experience treating residential and commercial lawns.

We’re specialists at weed identification, so we can deduce quickly the right type of treatment to help you accomplish total weed control.

If you’ve struggled with weeds year after year, and nothing you’ve tried seems to really help, it’s time to call the experts at SunCo.

We can implement the effective weed control measures you need to help you maintain a cleaner, clearer lawn or yard without any weeds getting in the way.  

We can help with weed identification and removal, ensuring that weed killers and other treatments are applied at regular intervals with expert precision and timing. Contact us today to learn more.