HELPFUL HINTS HELPFUL HINTS
HELPFUL HINTS
FROM THE LAWN INSTITUTE FROM THE LAWN INSTITUTE
FROM THE LAWN INSTITUTE BROADLEAF WEED CONTROL
quick grasp, hand-tool, or small shovel. People are often surprised how quickly a few minutes of hand-pulling here and there can make a large impact on removal.
Tere are many species of broadleaf weeds that can be found in home lawns and other turfgrass sites. Tese species vary widely in their appearance, competitiveness, and difficulty in controlling. Tey can also have various life cycles including annuals, biennials, and perennials. Understanding plant identification, growth habit, and life cycle are all important in deciding how best to control them, or even to bother with them at all.
Broadleaf weeds are dicotyledonous plants (dicots) with leaves that emerge in pairs after germination. Teir appearance often catches our attention for many reasons. Unlike grasses, broadleaf weeds often have showy, colorful flowers that can emerge from the canopy several days after mowing. Tey have various leaf shapes, arrangements, and margins and can also have prickly leaves or fruits that stick to clothes or pets. Furthermore, their spreading growth habit can interfere with turfgrass health and performance and on athletic fields can even lead to harder, less safe playing surfaces.
While it is important to properly identify which particular weed species you are dealing with, there are a few fundamental principles that can be applied to most scenarios. Routine mowing will prevent many broadleaf weeds from flowering, which helps reduce or prevent the spread of weed-seed so keeping your lawn at the proper height is the first step to prevention. Prostrate weeds that grow close to the ground will not be impacted by mowing, which is one reason they are sometimes harder to control.
Next, in small home lawns, many broadleaf weed species can be removed by hand. Tey often have large leaves and fleshy tap roots that make them easy to pull up with a
For more information on lawn care and helpful “How to” tips, visit The Lawn Institute at:
www.TheLawnInstitute.org.
TPI Turf News September/October 2019 9
However, for prostrate weeds or areas with large infestations, broadleaf herbicides are a good tool for removal of more difficult weeds. Many broadleaf herbicides are combination products of two, three, or even four herbicides that are designed to expand the spectrum of weeds controlled. It is not uncommon for a broadleaf herbicide to list hundreds of weed species on the label. When using these products, do not mow for three to four days ahead of spraying to ensure there is plenty of leaf tissue available to absorb the herbicide droplets as they land. Additionally, try not to mow until two to three days after application so that the herbicides have time to translocate into stems, rhizomes, tubers, etc.
Some broadleaf herbicides will result in visible injury within hours of application but most, if not all, take more time to fully kill the weed. For perennial broadleaf weeds, it is important to follow up two to four weeks later with an additional application. Although weeds may look dead after the first application, there is a potential re-growth period from underground storage organs whereby new leaves are produced. Other general guidelines include not spraying when the weed or lawn is under any type of stress from heat, drought, or cold and be cautious on warm- season turfgrasses during spring green-up. As always, be sure to follow the product label’s directions and use these products judiciously.
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