Q. My front and back lawn were taken over by what I call
small, nettle-head weeds. Walking on them barefoot remind me of sand spurs that
I saw in the South. I have been told it was Bermudagrass weed and chickweed but
it doesn’t look like the pictures of chickweed I’ve seen. Could you please identify them and tell me
how to get rid of them?
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| Pictures of the weed sent to me. |
A. I could not recognize the weed from the pictures you
sent. Maybe one of the readers will recognize it. It has been cut back severely. This weed appears to have a long taproot
like dandelion so it could be one of the local thistles like Bull or Desert
thistle. Whatever it is, it has a strong central taproot. This tells me it
grows for more than one growing season and is probably a very poor competitor
for space in your lawn.
Mechanical Weed Control
Not the
easiest, perhaps, but the best way to rid the lawn of this weed is to cut
through the central taproot with a sharp knife, or forked asparagus knife, just
below the soil surface. Regrowth of this weed is from the “crown” located at
the top of the taproot so cutting the taproot below this prevents it from
regrowing and eventually kills it. After an irrigation, perform the coup
d’état.
Cultural Weed Control
Thistles
of all sorts are difficult to control with weed killers. But nearly all weeds
can be kept out of lawns by increasing the grass density. This is done by
mowing high at two and a half to 3 inches, or the top setting of the mower, and
fertilizing the lawn regularly. Fertilize lawns at least four times each year
with a good quality lawn fertilizer. If the lawn is tall fescue, fertilize on
Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving. High quality compost
can be substituted and gives better results and needs applications less
frequently.
I use a spray made of baking soda,5%white vinegar and a little amount of Dawn. Use 1 and a half cups of baking soda to each gallon of white vinegar after the first 2 ingredients are incorporated add 1 half cup of Dawn. This is environment-friendly and safe for animals. Works great! Reapply if it isn't satisfactory the first time. Thank you for caring what we use in our environment
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Some combination of baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and soap (detergent) has been quite popular for over two decades. Just keep in mind that these mixtures, when they work, kill the tops of plants and have no systemic properties so they dont go very deep in the plant. It is best to cut or mow weeds first to about one inch before spraying so their size does not prevent this contact killer from reaching as much of the weed as possible. It works best on annual weeds when they are young. Not terribly effective on perennial weeds like the one in the picture. These homemade formulations kill the tops without killing the taproot or roots of perennial weeds. When they are large and then sprayed then their size prevents the contact killing properties of these homemade herbicides from working very well. It is always best to spray in the spring or fall (preferred) months for better control. Spray before they flower if possible. Use these plant parts in compost piles or shred them and leave them in place to decompose. They can also be used as a surface mulch (if they are not flowering!).
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