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.
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
Crabgrass is a sprawling, low-growing annual summer weed with light green, hairy leaves that spread laterally like a starfish. Tall fescue is a perennial turfgrass that grows upright in thick, dark green clumps with wide, ribbed blades. Broadleaf and crabgrass killers containing Quinclorac will destroy crabgrass, but they will not harm tall fescue clumps. Identification … Read more
Both weeds produce small purple flowers, but creeping charlie grows on trailing vines with scalloped, coin-shaped leaves and emits a strong minty odor when crushed. Wild violet grows in individual clumps with distinct heart-shaped leaves and lacks any smell. Treating them requires a post-emergent herbicide containing Triclopyr; standard 2,4-D weed killers will fail. Identification Guide … Read more
To tell nutsedge from quackgrass, roll the stem between your fingers: nutsedge has a triangular stem (“sedges have edges”), while quackgrass has a round, hollow stem. Both are aggressive perennial weeds, but nutsedge requires specific sedge-control herbicides like Halosulfuron, whereas quackgrass generally requires non-selective treatments like Glyphosate or targeted wiping. Identification Guide: Tell Them Apart … Read more
Standard Roundup products require a strict drying window of 30 minutes to 3 hours before rain hits, depending on the specific formula. If precipitation occurs before the product is fully rainfast, the glyphosate will wash off the foliage and fail to kill the weed down to the root. If you are dealing with aggressive weeds … Read more
You should spray weeds before it rains, but you must allow enough time for the herbicide to dry and become “rainfast.” If it rains too soon, the water will wash away chemicals like Glyphosate or 2,4-D, wasting your money. Never spray during or immediately after a heavy downpour when the foliage is soaking wet. Why … Read more
Immediate Action: Natural Poison Ivy Elimination Strategies You can kill poison ivy fast using a potent mixture of 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 cup of table salt, and 1 tablespoon of Dawn liquid dish soap. This poison ivy killer natural solution destroys the plant’s protective cell walls rapidly. Apply this homemade herbicide on a … Read more
You should mow before applying weed and feed, but you must wait at least two to four days between mowing and spreading the product. Mowing immediately before application removes the weed foliage necessary to absorb post-emergent herbicides. Products relying on chemicals like 2,4-D, Mecoprop, or Dicamba need surface area to stick and work effectively. If … Read more
