Oh No Is That a Weed?

Although Zoysia grass chokes out most summer weeds, there are times that you might find they have invaded your space.  A well-nourished lawn helps the grass grow dense and thick which is better at crowding out weeds. A few common weeds that you might encounter are:  

Crabgrass- it’s an unattractive, clumpy weed that will quickly take over your lawn and prevents your lawn from receiving nutrients it needs in order to grow healthy grass. It thrives along the edges of driveways and walkways and spreads from there. Get after this early in Spring if possible.

Nutsedge- has a lime green color and grows about twice as fast as regular grass. Its blades are also thinner than those on other grasses, with a triangular stem.

Clover- a perennial ground cover that produces three petal-shaped leaves. The white flowers usually bloom between early Spring and late Fall. This plant is a very aggressive spreader and prolific seed producer. You should work to eliminate this in early Spring and anytime it appears.

Creeping Charlie- also known as ground ivy, thrives in poorly drained and shady areas. It has kidney-shaped bright green leaves with scalloped edges. In the Spring time it produces purple-blue flowers.

Dandelions- one of the most recognizable lawn weeds there is. Dandelions have notched leaves and yellow flowers that become puffballs of seed. Mowing often and removing new growth above ground makes it tough for the plant to produce food and discourages seed production.

Weed control is part of every successful lawn maintenance plan. Some steps you can use to ensure that your grass stays as weed-free as possible are:

1. Keep your lawn mowed regularly- You should not let the weed get into seed production.

• Dig only when necessary- Disturbing the soil encourages thousands of weed seeds that sit just below the surface to germinate when kissed by the sun. The more you disrupt the soil in your beds and lawn, the more you increase the likelihood that weeds will appear.
• Fertilize appropriately- Apply the right amount at the right time. Fertilizing when temperatures are still cooler in the Spring is ideal for Zoysia grass, but after weed control application is applied if needed. It is important to read labels on fertilizer to not over fertilize your Zoysia lawn.   

• Do not attempt to pull weeds by hand- It might make you feel good, but it will not kill the weeds and they will just grow back. Otherwise, any root left will regrow.

• Our top tip for weed control- Use weed killers early before the weeds develop strong roots and new seeds germinate.

 Here at Zoysia Farm Nurseries, we carry only products suitable for use on Zoysia lawns. We have a variety of weed killers that can help knock out any pesky weeds listed in this post that may pop up. Click to see the full range of products:

https://www1.zoysiafarms.com/category.jsp?id=31.