Weeds

A weed is a plant growing in the wrong place, and in the lawn that means any plant which is not a variety of grass recommended for turf production.

Regular mowing will kill many types of weed, as most types within the lawn cannot stand up to the destructive action of the whirling blades. Many of the hard to kill nuisances of the flower border, such as couch grass, ground elder, bindweed and nettle are unable to exist in a well cared for lawn.

There remains a small group with a low growing habit which enables them to escape the mower blades. These are lawn turf weeds, which pose a constant threat to your turf. A few, such as annual meadowgrass and parsley piert are annuals, but the vast majority are perennials which grow and spread each year.

There are many broad leaf weeds that can appear in your turf, but the four listed below are the most common.

Common weeds found in turf

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)		Clover (Trifoliumrepens)		Buttercup (Ranunculus repens/acris)		Daisy (Bellis perennis)

The seeds of weeds are everywhere lawn turf is grown, but a thick, healthy lawn turf will prevent most weeds from growing. Weeds will not try to compete with a strong, thick lawn turf.

If you have weeds in your lawn turf when it is delivered, you have purchased poor quality turf. However, before you call your landscaper or turf producer, check to see if the weeds are growing up through the joints or on the edges of your lawn turf. If the weeds are there, your lawn turf installation was not as good as it should have been.

Weed seeds will be in the ground that you laid your lawn turf on. Most seeds can not easily germinate and grow through quality lawn  turf, but once in a while they do. To minimise weed seeds from growing up through your new lawn turf, prepare your soil properly.

If weeds appear in lawn turf that was laid more than a year ago, it is because the lawn turf has become sparse or damaged. When a weed seed can fall to the soil and has room to grow, it will. The best way to prevent weeds from getting established is to maintain  thick and healthy lawn turf.

Proper lawn turf management includes:

• Mow at the correct height
• Make sure your lawn turf is watered
• Use a feed and weed chemical in spring and summer.

Once weeds are in your lawn turf, you will need to remove them. There are two ways to remove them:

1. dig them out
2. kill them with a herbicide.

There is nothing wrong with digging them out and it is environmentally safe. Most of the common weeds that appear in lawn turf will dig out easily if the soil is moist, but a few will not and these need to be sprayed.

When digging a weed out, it is best to use a sharp knife or weed digging tool. Slide the knife down under the weed to loosen the soil around the weed and gently tease out the weed ensuring the root comes with it where possible to prevent it growing back. Then, pull the weed out and discard it away from your lawn turf.

If you leave the weeds on or near your turf, they could discharge their seeds, and your problem will grow again.

Dandelions, buttercup, and daisies can be easily dug out of your lawn turf, but clover is difficult to remove with a knife. To remove clover, a herbicide is generally used. When weeds are treated with a herbicide, it will take them more than a week to die. After they are dead, you can rake up the dead plants and discard them.

After the weeds are removed, care for your lawn turf properly. If your lawn turf was mostly weeds or if there are bare spots in your lawn turf, you may need to purchase a new.