15 Common Lawn And Garden Weeds-Guide To Weed Identification

A garden with a beautiful lawn and a few flower beds is an asset to a home a housewife will love to have. She will toil to nurse the plants and will take care of the lawn but there is one thing she will hate to see and that is weeds. These unwelcome guests will appear in your lawn and will invade your flower beds using up the nutrients you provide for your plants. The best thing one could do in order to control all types of weeds is to identify them and to use the right methodologies to control their growth and ultimately make the garden free of weeds.

Related: natural weed killers and edible garden weeds.

The following are some of the common lawn weeds and ways to control them in order to minimize the damage caused to a garden by them.

1) Crabgrass:

This is an annual garden weed that thrives on warm weather. It will appear in early spring and is one of the most common weeds that could create lawn problems. Since this plant propagates mainly through its seeds the best thing to do is to remove the plants before the flowers appear. Using the organic pesticide of corn gluten meal in your garden could bring about good results as it will prevent seeds from germinating.

2) Pigweed:

This annual is a weed that spreads through its seeds. Therefore, you must remove it whenever it appears in your garden before it flowers. You can make it out easily with its taproot of red color. However, it is also good to remember that well grown plants of this weed is edible.

3) Chickweed:

There are two species in this common lawn weed. The annual common chickweed and the perennial mouse ear chickweed are the two. Both these have roots that won’t go deep. Therefore, if you see these weeds in lawn pull them with hand in order to get rid of them.

4) Morning Glory:

A common annual garden weed that spreads through its seeds. Its roots go deep and not easy to pull them off. However, the best way to eradicate them is to dig this weed before flowering so as to not to allow seeds to form.

5) Quack Grass:

Though spread by seeds this creeping perennial also forms a mat of rhizomes on the soil and new shoots rise up from them when conditions are ripe. This easy to identify weed has to be dug out with their rhizomes in order to eradicate them.

6) Buckhorn Plantain:

This is yet another grass weed you may find growing among the grass of your lawn. It is a hardy plant with slender leaves. Best way to get rid of it is to remove these plants by hand and to destroy them. It thrives throughout the year.

7)  Dandelion:

This perennial plant has to be removed from the garden as it could overgrow your lawn. In case you are not able to identify it, you will certainly do when their yellow flowers appear. Remove them by hoeing or through pulling by hand. Corn gluten which is a good natural weed killer could be used to destroy their seeds in early spring.

8) Annual Sawthistle:

This is another weed you will probably find on your lawn. It grows up to about 18 inches in height and bears yellow flowers. Better way to remove these plants is to pull them off with roots.

9) Carpetweed:

This annual lawn weed spreads through its seeds. Its stem could have a height of about one foot. Hoeing or pulling plants as they appear is the way to get rid of them.

10) Large Crabgrass:

This is a weed that could grow on your lawn to a height of 3 feet. Though you could cut it to about 4 inches above ground level to prevent it from flowering, you must not keep it as weeds in grass will compete for nutrients. Corn gluten used early spring could destroy their seeds.

11) Poison Ivy:

This creeper is a dangerous species to have in your garden as it is a poisonous plant. You must remove it and burry or leave it in trash. Must not burn it as the smoke is also poisonous. Mulching with cardboard could prevent this plant from appearing.

12) Prickly Lettuce:

This common weed that grows up to 5 feet is easy to identify. Though it has the ability to attract useful insects it is one of the yard weeds you will find in your garden. Pull the plants away or cut their roots below soil.

13)  Common Mallow:

If your garden is fertile this is one of the grass weeds that will appear most likely during summer. It bears white flowers and will produce a lot of seeds. It is not difficult to pull these plants away from your lawn to get rid of them.

14) Purslane:

This plant with fleshy leaves and stems will also grow well on well fertilized lawns. Since it grows fast it could soon be a nuisance if you don’t remove it from your garden. Pull these weeds out by hand and remove from your garden.

15) Common Cocklebur:

This is a plant that could grow up to 4 feet in height. It could poison livestock. Could be used as compost if removed before seeds are formed. Must pull them by hand and dispose.

Conclusion

These are not the only weeds that could invade your lawn and your garden as a whole. Lawn weed identification is the key to success in case you want to have a garden free of weeds.

Note: These plants are weeds as they pop up randomly as against your will so ruins your lawn beauty but on the other hand some weeds are edible that people like to grow such as Dandelion and Buckhorn platain to use in salad or for medical use.