Winter Weeds in the Turf

Now is the time we start to notice weeds growing in our turf. The seeds have sat since last season waiting on the cooler soil temps to germinate and start showing up in late fall and early winter.


Long term, the most effective way to control weeds in turf is to nurture a healthy, dense lawn by following correct cultural practices. An abundance of lawn weeds in winter or summer is a sign of poor turf health, which could be caused by compacted soil, low nutrition, pH imbalances, or poor drainage. The first line of defense is a soil sample to get a benchmark for where the location is today.  Once we have done that we can recommend the proper solutions to work toward that healthy dense lawn. 


Our second line of defense is to treat weeds with selective herbicides that target certain non desirable weeds and do not harm the fescue.  The best time to spray the winter annual weeds is in December but with our newly seeded lawns from the fall we are unable to spray herbicides until the new grass is mature. This is why we start spraying in February and run through the end of March after the new seed has begun to get a healthy root system.


Our third line of defense is to work to stop new weeds from germinating through the growing season. We typically apply 2 applications of fertilizer and pre-emergent in the spring to form a barrier that will prevent the summer annual weeds from doing so.


The reason for eliminating the winter weeds is to keep the competition down going into spring when we get the rapid growth on our lawns. We typically apply 2 applications of fertilizer and pre-emergent in the spring to form a barrier for the summer annual weeds. The fertilizer and the warmer temps really start the turf out well and if you have an abundance of weeds they seem to take the nutrients and hold back the fescue. This is why we like to get our first herbicide application completed prior to spring fertilization.


With the above steps we are continually working healthily weed free lawns. While the fact remains we are dealing with nature and that can present some challenges, (colder or warmer than normal temperatures, too little or too much rain), consistent  management and timing are the key to success when creating that weed free, healthly, green dense lawn.
 
If you are curious about the weeds you are seeing in the lawn, identifying the weeds you have has never been easier than it is now with the internet. You can access many charts with pictures by doing a simple search for winter or summer weeds in turf and receive many pictures to help figure out what you have. If you know what you have, it's easier to get rid of it.


Thanks,
The AA Tex Lawn Team