Lawn Weed Identification

Step 1 - Identify the weed with the images below!
Step 2 - Control Options
Tips for Lawn Weed Control

Conditions that favor lawn weed growth

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Click on a weed type to jump down the page
Broadleaf winter annual weeds	Broadleaf summer annual weeds	Broadleaf perennial weeds
Grassy winter annual weeds	Grassy summer annual weeds	Grassy perennial weeds

Broadleaf winter annual weeds

Seeds germinate from late summer through fall. Weeds over winter and continue to grow in early spring. Control with a broadleaf postemergent herbicide applied when the weeds are actively growing in the spring. The exception is chickweed which can also be controlled with a preemergent applied in early September before it germinates. However, you would not be able to sow grass seed in the fall.

Chickweed	Dead nettle	Hairy bittercress
Henbit	Knawel	Shepherd's purse (photo U. Mass Amherst)
Speedwell (Veronica)

Broadleaf summer annual weeds

Seeds begin to germinate as soils begin to warm up in early spring and continue to germinate throughout the growing season. Annual weeds complete their entire life cycle in a single growing season. However, some of these weeds can also be perennials or biennials. Control with a broadleaf postemergent herbicide applied when the weed is actively growing.

Black medic	Carpetweed	Common lespedeza
Knotweed	Mallow	Prostrate spurge (photo Jack Harper Penn. State)
Purslane

Broadleaf Perennial Weeds

Perennials are persistent from year to year. They reproduce by seed and also by vegetative means. This is the largest group of weeds. They range from weeds that are easy to eliminate, to some of the most difficult to control. Control with a broadleaf postemergent herbicide applied when the weed is actively growing. For difficult to control weeds like creeping Charlie and Indian strawberry a spring and fall application of an herbicide is necessary.

Broadleaf & curly dock	Broadleaf plantain	Buttercup (bulbous)
Common cinquefoil	Dandelion	Ground ivy (Creeping Charlie)
Indian strawberry	Mouse-ear chickweed	Oxalis (woodsorrel)
Sheep or red sorrel	White clover	Wild garlic and wild onion
Wild violet	Yarrow

Grassy winter annual weeds

Seeds germinate in late summer to early September. Control with a preemergent herbicide applied in early September before the seeds germinate.

Annual bluegrass

Grassy summer annual weeds

Seed germination begins in early to mid-spring, when soil temperatures have risen to 55° - 60° F. for about a week. In Central Maryland; this is typically mid-March through mid-April. Seeds continue to germinate in the summer, and plants are killed by the first frost. Control with a preemergent herbicide applied prior to seed germination. Click for information on using corn gluten as a preemergent herbicide.

Crabgrass