How to Control Grassy Weeds

Take a preventative approach to grassy weed control., Maintain your yard so that it is up to date with all of the necessary treatments., After regular ongoing yard maintenance, apply a pre-emergent weed control treatment to your lawn., Identify...

10 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Take a preventative approach to grassy weed control.

    Most often the best defense against weeds is to make sure that your lawn is healthy and strong enough to ward of the weeds before they even surface.

    This includes ensuring that you are using the correct types of seeds when planting parts of the lawn.
  2. Step 2: Maintain your yard so that it is up to date with all of the necessary treatments.

    For example, check to make sure that you are fertilizing and watering regularly and properly.

    Read the instructions for fertilizing the type of lawn you have and mark dates for addition of fertilizer on your calendar. , This will help prevent any weeds from sprouting out before they surface. , Being able to identify the source of the problem will help determine the most effective treatments.

    Make sure you understand what the issue is before you try treating it, so that you can target the treatment of the grass to its type.

    Typical grassy weeds that you might come across in a lawn include:
    Grassy winter annual weeds:
    Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) Grassy summer annual weeds:
    Crabgrass (Digitaria) Goosegrass Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum) Grassy perennial weed/sedges (sedges are not grassy weeds but may end up in the lawn as well):
    Bermuda grass or wiregrass (Cynodon dactylon) Dallisgrass (Papsalum) Nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) Orchardgrass (Dactylis) Quackgrass (Elymus repens); and Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus). , There are two types of chemical weed control––one for pre-emergent weeds and one for post-emergent weeds.Ask for advice at your local hardware store, based on the identification of the weeds in your yard. , Be careful to make sure you are removing the entire weed if you decide to pull it out, getting all of the root as well.

    If hand pulling, do so before the seeds emerge, to ensure that the plant is not more widely distributed as you carry it about while clearing. , It is only with persistent and consistent care that you can keep grassy weeds at bay.

    It will only take a season of not caring for the yard for the weeds to re-invade the area, so if you're not able to undertake maintenance when needed, get in someone who can do it for you.
  3. Step 3: After regular ongoing yard maintenance

  4. Step 4: apply a pre-emergent weed control treatment to your lawn.

  5. Step 5: Identify which grassy weed is causing the issues in your yard.

  6. Step 6: If all the above fails and weeds have already started attacking your yard

  7. Step 7: use a grassy weed control application.

  8. Step 8: If you don't want to use chemicals but don't mind manual work

  9. Step 9: you can also try removing the weeds by pulling them out.

  10. Step 10: Apply additional (and regular) yard care and weed control treatments to prevent the grassy weeds from coming back.

Detailed Guide

Most often the best defense against weeds is to make sure that your lawn is healthy and strong enough to ward of the weeds before they even surface.

This includes ensuring that you are using the correct types of seeds when planting parts of the lawn.

For example, check to make sure that you are fertilizing and watering regularly and properly.

Read the instructions for fertilizing the type of lawn you have and mark dates for addition of fertilizer on your calendar. , This will help prevent any weeds from sprouting out before they surface. , Being able to identify the source of the problem will help determine the most effective treatments.

Make sure you understand what the issue is before you try treating it, so that you can target the treatment of the grass to its type.

Typical grassy weeds that you might come across in a lawn include:
Grassy winter annual weeds:
Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) Grassy summer annual weeds:
Crabgrass (Digitaria) Goosegrass Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum) Grassy perennial weed/sedges (sedges are not grassy weeds but may end up in the lawn as well):
Bermuda grass or wiregrass (Cynodon dactylon) Dallisgrass (Papsalum) Nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) Orchardgrass (Dactylis) Quackgrass (Elymus repens); and Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus). , There are two types of chemical weed control––one for pre-emergent weeds and one for post-emergent weeds.Ask for advice at your local hardware store, based on the identification of the weeds in your yard. , Be careful to make sure you are removing the entire weed if you decide to pull it out, getting all of the root as well.

If hand pulling, do so before the seeds emerge, to ensure that the plant is not more widely distributed as you carry it about while clearing. , It is only with persistent and consistent care that you can keep grassy weeds at bay.

It will only take a season of not caring for the yard for the weeds to re-invade the area, so if you're not able to undertake maintenance when needed, get in someone who can do it for you.

About the Author

J

Jeffrey Wilson

Brings years of experience writing about practical skills and related subjects.

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