Identify and eradicate invasive plants with our technical weed control guides. From pre-emergent strategies to targeted post-emergent herbicide applications, learn how to manage crabgrass, nutsedge, and aggressive broadleaf weeds without damaging your primary turf.
Oxalis and clover are entirely different broadleaf weeds that require specific chemical approaches to kill. Clover has three oval leaflets with a white watermark and thrives in nitrogen-depleted soil. Oxalis, or yellow woodsorrel, has three heart-shaped leaflets, produces yellow flowers, and features a deep, resilient taproot. You cannot eradicate oxalis with standard 2,4-D herbicides; you … Read more
Field bindweed is a highly invasive perennial weed with arrow-shaped leaves and massive underground rhizome networks that choke out your lawn and shrubs. Morning glory is an intentional, annual ornamental vine with heart-shaped leaves, large colorful blooms, and a shallow root system. You must kill bindweed chemically; pulling it breaks the root fragments and multiplies … Read more
To effectively kill Poa annua (annual bluegrass), you must apply a pre-emergent herbicide like Prodiamine in late summer or early fall when soil temperatures drop to 70°F. If you are dealing with existing, sprouted Poa annua, post-emergent control requires non-selective herbicides like Glyphosate for spot treatments, or specific selective chemicals like Ethofumesate for cool-season lawns … Read more
Dallisgrass is a perennial weed that grows in an upright, circular clump with deep rhizomes, surviving winter and returning every spring. Crabgrass is a summer annual that grows flat against the soil in a sprawling starburst pattern, dying off completely after the first hard frost. You cannot treat them the same way; crabgrass control relies … Read more
Purslane is an invasive broadleaf weed with flat, teardrop-shaped succulent leaves and tiny yellow blooms that aggressively chokes out thin lawns. Portulaca, commonly called moss rose, is an intentional ornamental flower with needle-like, cylindrical leaves and large, brightly colored ruffled blooms. Purslane requires immediate removal to protect your turf, while portulaca safely stays confined to … Read more
Flatweed (Hypochaeris radicata) features heavily textured, hairy leaves and sends up multiple yellow flowers branching from a single solid stem. True dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) have completely smooth, deeply toothed leaves and produce only one flower per hollow, unbranched stem. Both are stubborn broadleaf perennials that produce identical puffball seed heads, and both require the same … Read more
A pre-emergence herbicide is a chemical barrier applied to your lawn’s soil that stops weed seeds from successfully sprouting. It does not kill existing, visible weeds. Instead, active ingredients like Prodiamine or Dithiopyr halt cell division in the taproot as the seed germinates below ground. You must water the product in to activate this protective … Read more
Break a stem in half. If a white, milky sap oozes out, you have spotted spurge. If the stem snaps clean and produces a clear, watery liquid, you are dealing with purslane. Both are low-growing, mat-forming summer annual weeds that thrive in bare patches, but they require slightly different eradication tactics to prevent them from … Read more
To kill wild onions without killing your grass, you need a selective post-emergent herbicide containing 2,4-D, Dicamba, and Mecoprop (MCPP), such as Ortho Weed B Gon. Because wild onions have a waxy coating, you must mix the herbicide with a non-ionic surfactant so the liquid sticks to the leaves. Spray during early spring when temperatures … Read more
Dandelion and hawksbeard are broadleaf weeds that produce similar yellow flowers and fluffy seed heads, but their stems give them away. Dandelions have a single, hollow, unbranched stem with one flower and grow close to the ground. Hawksbeard features solid, highly branched stems that support multiple flowers per plant and grow significantly taller. Both require … Read more
