Keeping a lush, green lawn is a point of pride for many homeowners, but common lawn weeds can ruin those hopes. Lawn weeds are pesky invaders that will compete with your grass for resources like sunlight, water, and nutrients, which can slowly kill your grass.
Some of these common backyard weeds spread rapidly, and if you don’t catch them early, they’ll overtake healthy grass. Learn more about these common lawn weeds and how to identify, control, and prevent them.
Why Weeds Are a Threat to Your Lawn
Weeds aren’t just an aesthetic problem; they can actually harm the health of your grass, which makes regular weed control even more critical. When weeds get a foothold on your lawn, they directly compete with the grass for resources, depleting your grass over time and making it more susceptible to pests and diseases.
Some common backyard weeds, like crabgrass and dandelions, are aggressive and establish quickly due to the amount of seeds they spread. Other weeds can even be toxic to you, your children, or your pets, causing itchiness, rashes, and even blisters.
Identifying the Most Common Lawn Weeds
The first step is to recognize these common lawn invaders so you can manage them effectively when they start to appear:
Dandelion: One of the most common weeds in lawns, this broadleaf perennial has a long taproot and produces yellow flowers that eventually turn into puffballs. It thrives best in the sun and shade and takes root with the wind, carrying the seeds right into your lawn.
Crabgrass: Crabgrass can take root whenever it makes contact with soil, and the plant spreads out in a pattern that resembles four fingers.
White clover: These plants have three-lobed leaves and white, round flowers in the center.
Chickweed: Chickweed is a fast-growing weed with small white flowers. It prefers moist, cool conditions and has small, rounded leaves. Although it is less aggressive than other lawn weeds, it can spread quickly.
Thistle: This is a spiny weed that grows tall and sprouts purple flowers. It’s prickly, and it grows in areas of your grass that are thin or patchy.
Broadleaf plantain: This large, flat weed has thick leaves that grow close to the ground and can grow at any point in the year unless managed. Plantains also thrive in compacted soil.
How to Control and Remove Common Lawn Weeds
You’ll need expert tips to control and remove the most common lawn weeds, and it often requires multiple approaches. However, addressing weed problems early is an essential step to prevent their takeover of healthy lawn areas.
Manual removal. If you have a smaller infestation that’s just starting, you can just pull the weeds. While you’re hand-pulling them, remove the entire root, especially for thistles or dandelions, because they can regrow if even part of the root is left in the soil.
Organic weed control. These are eco-friendly alternatives to chemical herbicides. For example, you can spray horticultural vinegar onto the weed leaves (carful, it will kill any healthy grass, too!) or add mulch to bare spots to prevent weeds from germinating.
Chemical weed control. If you have a large, stubborn weed infestation, use selective post-emergent herbicides to target the weeds without harming your lawn. Try to help prevent weeds and to stop them from producing seeds that will make the issue worse, treat your lawn with pre-emergent methods.
How to Prevent Weeds from Growing in Your Lawn
While you can invest in weed prevention services from a professional, there are a few tactics you can do on your own to prevent these common weeds in lawns. For example, mow your grass at the right height, which is around two and a half to three and a half inches, keeping the grass thick and tall so seeds can’t make it to the soil.
For an extra layer of weed protection, you can overseed your lawn to fill in bare spots and thicken it. By spreading grass seed over the existing turf, you can create a denser, more resilient lawn that makes it even harder for weeds to take root. With routine overseeding, you can maintain a lush lawn that naturally suppresses weeds.
Combined with overseeding, aeration can help prevent weeds by improving the soil health and supporting stronger grass growth. Aeration creates small holes in the soil to reduce compaction, which allows nutrients, oxygen, and water to reach the roots more effectively. These stronger grassroots make your lawn resilient and less susceptible to being taken over by weeds.
Water one to two times a week and get the water deep into the grass’s roots where weed seeds can’t reach it. In addition to watering, routinely fertilize your lawn to keep it healthy and strong.
How Lawn Pride Can Help with Weed Control
Lawn Pride® offers comprehensive weed control services, all customized to your lawn’s unique needs. Our lawn care experts identify the types of common lawn weeds and recommend the best removal method. We can also set you up with a lawn care routine to prevent the weeds from invading in the future.
A comprehensive lawn care program, like Lawn Pride’s 7-Application Program, can significantly boost your efforts to keep the weeds away and maintain a thriving lawn. Lawn Pride’s program is designed to provide year-round care with targeted treatments, essential fertilization, and disease prevention. We’ll help you achieve a dense, resilient lawn that naturally fights off weed growth so your lawn is healthy and picture-perfect year-round.
Our Neighborly Done Right Promise™ backs all our work, so if you’re not satisfied with our service, let us know! Take back your yard and request a free estimate today.
This article is intended for general guidance only and may not apply to every situation. You are responsible for determining the proper course of action for your property and your situation. Lawn Pride is not responsible for any damages that occur as a result of any advice or guidance derived from blog content. For the most accurate guidance, contact an independently owned and operated Lawn Pride for more information and a professional on-site assessment.