Home & Garden Tips
Weed Control in Lawns
By Roosevelt McWilliams County Extension Agent

I receive calls from homeowners year-round concerning weed control in the home lawn. When I review my homeowner client calls; however, I see that most of the weed calls come in the spring just before lawn grasses green up.

February and March bring the questions. What are these assorted broadleaf, winter weeds? What can I do about them?

One way to control winter weeds is with the application of a pre-emergence herbicide. A low growing weed that does well in the shade is dichondra, and it has been the most common lawn weed since mid May. Its broad, round leaves allow it to capture plenty of light in the shady areas where centipede is at a disadvantage. This gives it an edge over the narrow leaf blades of centipede, bermudagrass and even St. Augustine.

The biggest problem with dichondra is that it thrives under a typical mowing height of 1 to 2 inches. One chemical that controls dichondra and is safe to apply to centipede grass, St. Augustine and dormant Bermudagrass is atrazine.

Atrazine is available under several different product names and each requires a different application rate. Apply atrazine in the spring for good pre-emergence control and in the fall for excellent post-emergence control of dichondra, henbit, yard stickers, clovers and other broadleaf weeds. Do not apply atrazine to bermudagrass unless it is dormant.

For any chemical application, the applicator needs to know the size of the area to be treated, application rate of chemical, targeted weed, and compatibility of chemical with host crop.

Regardless of what is written in news articles and magazines, always read the label of the products that you apply. All the information contained in a label is useful. Do not apply higher rates than the label recommends and only apply chemicals at the right time of year and to plants recommended on the label.