This news item expired on Sunday, August 31, 2014 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
By now weeds are making themselves known in all parts of the garden. Properly identifying them is key to controlling them. In lawns, especially, they can indicate various issues related to improper management practices such as too much nitrogen fertilizer, scalping or mowing too low and heavy compacted soils.
Below is a table of “indicator weeds” that may be present under problematic growing conditions.
|
Condition Indicator |
Weeds |
|
Dry Soil |
Prostrate spurge, yellow woodsorrel, goosegrass, annual lespedeza, prostrate knotweed, plantain |
|
Wet Soil |
Annual bluegrass, moss, liverwort, rushes, sedges |
|
Compacted Soil |
Annual bluegrass, annual sedge, annual lespedeza, broadleaf plantain, corn speedwell, goosegrass, prostrate knotweed, prostrate spurge |
|
Low nitrogen |
Broomsedge, clovers, common speedwell, hawkweed, moss, white clover, crabgrass |
|
Excess nitrogen |
Annual bluegrass, chickweed, moss, ryegrass |
|
Infrequent mowing |
Bull thistle, burdock, chicory, smooth bedstraw, sweet clover, wild carrot |
|
Close/frequent mowing |
Annual bluegrass, chickweed, moss, crabgrass |
For more information, contact Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.