Common Weeds in Lawns

No matter how hard you try, year after year, those pesky weeds always seem to find a way to return to lawns. Unfortunately, it's an annual battle that homeowners must face if they want a weed-free lawn. 

Though there are many types of weeds to appear in turf, the most common ones are chickweed, crabgrass, clover, and dandelion. They often compete with the grass for nutrients, water, sunlight, and space leading to a less healthy and unsightly lawn. 

Though the best lawns do see some weeds breakthrough occasionally, there are steps that can be taken from controlling lawn weeds as shown in this DIY guide.

If you are not seeing a weed listed here, then contact our customer service team by phone, email, or in-person for professional recommendations. 

Identification

From left to right in the image above is a visual example of chickweed, crabgrass, clover, and dandelions. 

Chickweed is a broadleaf weed that forms small mounds with ovate leaves that are smooth along the margins.

There are 3 types of chickweed: common chickweed which has daisy-like flowers, mouse-ear chickweed which also has a white flower just with a red-stem, and the star chickweed that has the same leaf and flower features just larger in size.

Crabgrass is a grassy weed that forms a clump and has sprawling stems that resemble the legs of a crab. It also has flat, wide leaf blades with a point at the end. 

Clover is a broadleaf weed that grows in an uneven and patchy cluster shaped like that of a sphere. They have small petal-shaped leaflets, with white “v” on each leaf.  

Dandelion is a broadleaf weed that forms rosettes, very short stems with jagged-edge leaves occurring in a circular pattern. They grow yellow flowers that soon turn into white puffballs. 

Inspection

Chickweed is found in parts of the lawn that is either shaded or has full access to the sun.

Crabgrass will appear in parts of the lawn that have bare soil and access to sunlight. Commonly this can be found near edges of driveways, sidewalks and around trees. 

Clover often appears in any part of the lawn with low-nitrogen. 

Dandelions will grow in parts of the lawn that have full access to sunlight or in shaded areas such as in-between cracks in cement, like driveways, sidewalks, and walkways.

Treatment 

Step 1: Apply Post-Emergent Herbicide

For an visual example of treatment refer to the image above: On the left is a spot application with a selective herbicide and on the right is a spot treatment with a non-selective herbicide by surrounding the weed with a cardboard box. 

The best way to kill present weeds in lawns is to apply a post-emergent herbicide, such as those containing glyphosate, as a spot treatment. 

For general weed control in cool seasoned lawns, we recommend 2,4-D Amine Selective Post-Emergent Herbicide. 

To make spot treatments with 2,4-D Amine Selective Post-Emergent Herbicide, use this product at rate of 1/4 pint in 3 gallons of water. 

For general weed control in warm-seasoned lawns, we recommend using Eraser 41% Glyphosate. Keep in mind this product is a non-selective herbicide that will kill weeds all vegetation contacted.

For general weed control, apply 2 1/2 oz (5 tbs) of Eraser 41% Glyphosate in 1 gallon of water to treat 300 sq. ft. 

For either of these products being used you will need to a handheld pump sprayer for mixing and application. However, we suggest using a saparate handheld pump sprayer labeled just for non-selective control to avoid cross contamination with either products. 

Spray the top and bottom of weed leaves until wet, but not to the point of runoff. 

If desirable plants are accidentally sprayed, wash plants with water immediately.

Protect desirable plants and vegetation by seperating them with a piece of plastic or cardboard around the weed during spraying. 

Step 2: Ferilitize Turf 

Every inch of your lawn could contain weed seeds, but only those in top two inches will receive enough light to trigger germination. 

Minimize these odds and keep your turf healthy by supplying them with a weed and free fertilizer. Essentially, the more nutrients the turf has the better it can fight against weed growth. 

Solutions 15-5-10 Weed & Free Fertilizer with Trimec is a granular combination of fertilizer and weed killer that stops weeds while also keeping your lawn healthy. 

For most applications you will need to apply 3.2 to 4.0 pounds of Solutions 15-5-10 Weed & Free Fertilizer with Trimec per 1,000 square feet of treatment area. 

With a push or broadcast spreader, evenly distribute the granules throughout your lawn. 

Key Takeaways

What Weeds Are In Lawns

• Common weeds that appear in lawns are crabgrass, dandelion, clover, and chickweed.

Is it Okay To Have Weeds in Lawns

• With weeds appearing in your lawn they will compete with your turf and other desirable plants for space, nutrients, and sunlight making them more susceptible to disease, fungi, and death from insect activity.

How to Get Rid of Weeds in Lawns

• We recommend using 2,4-D Amine Selective Post-Emergent Herbicide to control these weeds in cool-seasoned lawns. For all other treatment areas, a non-selective herbicide such as Eraser 41% Glyphosate as a spot treatment will help to effectively kill weeds.