Winter Weeds to Know + Weed Control Tips
During winter in Arizona, your lawn undergoes a number of changes. If you do not overseed your lawn, it turns brown as it goes dormant, and those pesky weeds pop up throughout your backyard. If you have an overseeded lawn, the weeds still come through, turning your luscious green winter lawn into an eyesore.
How did the weeds get there? Most of them started germinating during fall, turn brown in winter, and continue to blossom. The presence of the pesky and ugly winter weeds also means the health of your lawn is wanting as the weak turf allows the weeds to flourish.
Winter Weed Control Tips
The best time to control the weeds is in the end of summer or beginning of fall. Follow the winter weed control tips below, depending on whether your lawn is overseeded or not.
Non-overseeded Lawns
If you have a non-overseeded lawn, the recommended approach is using pre-emergent herbicides. For best results spray the herbicides mid-September and it stops all weeds from even germinating.
Overseeded Lawns
First, about three weeks before overseeding your lawn, you want to kill any existing weeds. You can spray herbicides or pull them out. Once you have overseeded your lawn, DO NOT spray any herbicides for at least six weeks. The herbicide will damage the new rye grass that is growing in for the winter.
The use of pre-emergent sprays is recommended while the weeds are small. It’s important to identify the kinds of weeds plaguing your lawn, as different weeds require different approaches.
- Grass weeds- They resemble grass, and they branch out than grow up through the soil.
- Broadleaf weeds-they have broad leaves, flowers, are small and have tap roots.
- Sedges-They come from tubers, roots, and seeds that branch out. They grower higher than the normal grass
After identifying the weeds, you can decide on the right approach which includes:
- Using post and pre-emergent herbicides
- Hand-pulling the weed
When dealing with herbicides, consider the following:
- Recommended air temperature is between 66-85 degrees F. Using it a higher temperature damages the turf too.
- Ensure the soil is moist so that the herbicide seeps into the root system
- Do not mow before or after the treatment
- Do not spray during the rainy or windy days, and on newly planted lawns
Common Winter Weeds
Poa annua is one of the common winter weeds in Arizona that appears in January and February. Poa annua germinates together with the ryegrass and only becomes visible in January when its seed heads start showing.
It ruins the aesthetic appeal of your lawn and you cannot spray it since it damages the ryegrass too.
Strategies to control the weed include:
- Controlling it during germination by using pre-emergence herbicides or wait for it emerge and use post-emergence herbicides
- Control its growth in non-overseeded sods using pre or post-emergence herbicides
We all want a lush, beautiful and a healthy lawn. Winter weeds are an eyesore and ruin the aesthetic appeal of your yard. It is important to understand the different kinds of weeds, when they emerge and, how to control them.
If you need sod in Arizona, contact Evergreen Turf today. We are Arizona’s premier sod supplier. We serve the following areas: Phoenix, Tucson, Chandler, Mesa, Yuma, Queen Creek, Casa Grande, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Tempe, Buckeye, Gilbert, Surprise, Sierra Vista, Apache Junction, Glendale, and Peoria.