Winning the war against weeds
As gardeners, we work hard to make a garden. It takes planning, planting, fertilizing and watering. Sometimes the plants thrive, and sometimes weather conditions cause them to falter. One class of plants doesn’t seem to be impacted by any weather conditions — weeds!
They come up everywhere and seem to be worse than ever this season. The first step in controlling them is identifying and stopping them as soon as you can. The longer they grow, the more established they become, and the more seeds they set for future years.
We have warm-season weeds and cool-season weeds. Some weeds are annuals, while others are perennials. Annual weeds are just here for one season, but they can aggressively set seeds, providing many years of problems. Perennials can also set seeds, but they come back from their root system as well, often making them more difficult to kill.
Weed control can take many forms, from hoeing to hand pulling or spraying with herbicides. If you do opt for chemical control, know there are differences in what can be sprayed around ornamentals, turf and edibles. There are also specific herbicides for grassy, broadleaf and woodier weeds. Always read and follow label instructions.
Below is a list of the most common summer weeds.
| Name | Kind | CHARACTERISTICS |
|---|---|---|
| Chambers Bitters | Annual broadleaf weed | Compound leaves resemble miniature mimosa trees. Thrives in hot, humid conditions. Sets copious seeds on the underside of the foliage, starting when they are very small plants. You won’t see these until it gets hot. |
| Crabgrass | Annual grassy weed | Rosette of grassy foliage hugs the ground, putting up seed stalks that grow rapidly and tall. Begins germinating when soil temps are 60 degrees for three days. Continues to germinate all summer. |
| Greenbrier | Perennial broadleaf vine | Strong thorns on this semi-woody vine. Often found growing in shrubs. Strong root system that, if left, will resprout. |
| Mulberry Weed | Broadleaf annual weed | It resembles a miniature mulberry tree with prominent hairs on the stems and leaves. Quickly sets flowers at the nodes, with many seeds. |
| Nutgrass | Perennial sedge | Although it looks like a grass, it has triangular stems, and is technically a sedge, so hard to kill. It does set seeds at the top of flower stems, but also has a small nutlet or bulb-like structure underground |
| Pigweed | Broadleaf annual | If left unchecked, this member of the amaranth family will grow quite large quickly, setting a prolific number of seeds. It thrives in heat and humidity. |
| Spurge | Broadleaf annual | This small-leafed plant forms a mat of foliage in a rosette form. It thrives on neglect, and will begin growing in any exposed soils, from flower beds to lawns and containers. Strong taproot. This small-leafed plant forms a mat of foliage in a rosette form. It thrives on neglect, and will begin growing in any exposed soils, from flower beds to lawns and containers. Strong taproot. |
