lawn takeover - Ask Extension
A new (or newish) plant took over my yard this spring. It covered all the grass and weeds that are my lawn. It feels very soft and kind of mushy. In a...
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lawn takeover #867919
Asked May 10, 2024, 3:41 PM EDT
A new (or newish) plant took over my yard this spring. It covered all the grass and weeds that are my lawn. It feels very soft and kind of mushy. In a full sun area, on the other side of my fence, it grew to 1 - 1 1/2 feet before I tried to tame it. I used a weedwhacker but most of it didn't cut, just pushed over. It seems to pull out easily, and there is still grass underneath, but I don't think that I'm getting any roots.
Can you tell what it is from the pics? Is there any way to control it?
Thanks, Mary
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello Mary,
Unfortunately the plants are hard to identify from the photos, especially since we can't enlarge them as the file sizes are small. The first two images resemble one of the "winter annual" weeds, which finish maturing and bloom (and go to seed) in spring, then die out on their own. The plant in the third photo looks different and we aren't certain what it is. You can use images and information in the linked page to see if any look like a match.
Winter annual weeds germinate in autumn, overwinter, and then mature in spring. Since they die on their own by summer, the issue takes care of itself, though ideally they should be removed or at least cut back before they go to seed, which these have likely already done. Your weed-whacking might have helped prevent at least some seeding, though could have also unintentionally spread some seed in the process. Soil that is semi-bare from sparse lawn growth or disturbed from tilling, raking, aerating, or any other action that churns the soil can encourage weed seed germination by putting seeds lying dormant and the right soil depth for germination.
If the lawn needs filling-in so it's more dense, there are several recommended practices that can help rehabilitate it, at least for sunny areas. Shaded areas may always struggle to support a lawn, and in such places (or any area where the site conditions are hampering efforts to get lawn to thrive, like areas that are too wet or dry), we suggest converting the area to an alternative like mulch or different groundcovers. Having a laboratory soil test performed is a good first step, if a test hasn't been done in the past three years or so. This will help determine if adjustments with lime, or certain applications of fertilizer, will help support better grass growth. Overseeding (assuming the lawn is a cool-season type like fescue, which most in Maryland are) can be done in late summer or early autumn to make a sparse lawn thicker as well as to maintain lushness for a lawn that's already in decent shape.
For weeds in a garden bed (we think we see mulch in the photos, so aren't certain how many of these weeds are in beds versus lawn), they will need to be hand-pulled, repeatedly cut down so they stop regrowing, or carefully spot-treated with an herbicide. (Montgomery County regulates herbicide use on lawns, but not garden beds.) Maintaining a 2-3 inch layer of mulch atop bare soil between plants is a good weed suppression tactic that works for most weed seeds, or you can use ground-covering plants as a living mulch instead to out-compete most weeds.
Miri
Unfortunately the plants are hard to identify from the photos, especially since we can't enlarge them as the file sizes are small. The first two images resemble one of the "winter annual" weeds, which finish maturing and bloom (and go to seed) in spring, then die out on their own. The plant in the third photo looks different and we aren't certain what it is. You can use images and information in the linked page to see if any look like a match.
Winter annual weeds germinate in autumn, overwinter, and then mature in spring. Since they die on their own by summer, the issue takes care of itself, though ideally they should be removed or at least cut back before they go to seed, which these have likely already done. Your weed-whacking might have helped prevent at least some seeding, though could have also unintentionally spread some seed in the process. Soil that is semi-bare from sparse lawn growth or disturbed from tilling, raking, aerating, or any other action that churns the soil can encourage weed seed germination by putting seeds lying dormant and the right soil depth for germination.
If the lawn needs filling-in so it's more dense, there are several recommended practices that can help rehabilitate it, at least for sunny areas. Shaded areas may always struggle to support a lawn, and in such places (or any area where the site conditions are hampering efforts to get lawn to thrive, like areas that are too wet or dry), we suggest converting the area to an alternative like mulch or different groundcovers. Having a laboratory soil test performed is a good first step, if a test hasn't been done in the past three years or so. This will help determine if adjustments with lime, or certain applications of fertilizer, will help support better grass growth. Overseeding (assuming the lawn is a cool-season type like fescue, which most in Maryland are) can be done in late summer or early autumn to make a sparse lawn thicker as well as to maintain lushness for a lawn that's already in decent shape.
For weeds in a garden bed (we think we see mulch in the photos, so aren't certain how many of these weeds are in beds versus lawn), they will need to be hand-pulled, repeatedly cut down so they stop regrowing, or carefully spot-treated with an herbicide. (Montgomery County regulates herbicide use on lawns, but not garden beds.) Maintaining a 2-3 inch layer of mulch atop bare soil between plants is a good weed suppression tactic that works for most weed seeds, or you can use ground-covering plants as a living mulch instead to out-compete most weeds.
Miri
